UW-Madison Department of Chemistry
Andrew developed a method to selectively combine two different carboxylic acid feedstocks into unsymmetrical ketones using a metallaphotoredox strategy. The result is a modern take on the industrial process of acid ketonization, updated for complex molecule synthesis. This project was born out of a pandemic brainstorm, and we’re pleased to see it online today at …
Steven worked with Zeb Girvin (Miller group), Laura Cotter and Hyung Yoon (Mayer group) in a fun three-lab collaborative project on asymmetric [2+2] photocycloadditions of acyclic vinylpyiridines, now up at JACS. The reaction involves an unusual mechanism for an asymmetric excited-state photoreaction where the chiral catalyst influences the rate of a step after the initial …
LED-NMR is a data-rich analytical tool that is suitable for modern RPKA techniques. In studing an enantioselective photocatalytic reaction, Wes and Steven found that LED-NMR RPKA enabled determination of rate laws in a fraction of the time that conventional initial-rate kinetics could. In the process, they uncovered a surprising change of reaction mechanism as a …
In the process of developing an enantioselective [2+2] photocycloaddition of vinylpyridines, Steven and Wes discovered stereochemical cooperativity between a chiral Brønsted acid catalyst and a chiral Ir photocatalyst. It’s a gratifying demonstration that matched/mismatched effects are just as important in excited-state reactions as in classical ground-state reactions. Thanks also to Christine Le and Dean Toste …
The Yoon lab’s first publication of 2022 is a new oxidative decarboxylative coupling process based on the intrinsic photochemistry of Cu(II) carboxylate complexes. Check out the paper in Nature Chemistry. Congratulations Yukki, Sam, Grace, Kimberly, and our great team of collaborators at Pfizer! For a video walkthrough of how to set up this reaction, as …
How have photochemists approached the design of chiral photocatalysts? Matt, Jesse, and Wes have thoughts in their new comprehensive review in Chem Rev.
Evan, Matt, and Bohyun investigated a novel strategy for highly enantioselective organocatalytic photochemistry in which no individual reaction component absorbs light. Very pleased to announce the publication of this collaborative project with the Baik group in Nature Comms.
Nic and Grace have developed a protocol for intramolecular oxidative functionalization of sterically bulky alkenes with diverse heteronucleophiles as a way to show that photoredox catalysis can address long-standing limitations of transition metal catalyzed processes. See the ASAP in JACS!
Congratulations to Spencer, Jesse, Luca, Rowan, and Niecia! Their paper on the photosensitized synthesis of complex cyclobutane boronate esters is now online at Org Lett.
Nic thought a lot about how to design photochemical oxidation reactions during his PhD, and his analysis is part of this great tutorial review in Chem Soc Rev.