Selectivity is an essential part of organic synthesis and key to synthetic efficiency. However, selectivity is challenging to achieve in hydrocarbon molecules. Herein we report a mild and direct meth....

Hydroazidation of alkenes provides a direct entry to alkyl azides which are prevalent structural motifs in medicine development and chemical biology probes. Here the authors report a photocatalytic an...

Cyclopropanes, especially those substituted with trifluoromethyl (CF3) groups, are valuable scaffolds in medicinal chemistry. Their enhanced bioavailability contributes to the widespread presence of ....

Here we report the use of a tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT)/thiol photocatalytic system for selective addition of acetone and other simple ketone, nitrile, and chlorocarbon functionalities to terminal olefins. This system avoids the use of energetic reagents such as peroxides and proceeds under mild conditions using Earth-abundant element catalysts, providing a sustainable approach to C–C bond formation using activated olefins. Initial exploration reveals that hydroalkylation of unactivated olefins is also possible, though in lower efficiency, and preliminary mechanistic experiments are consistent with a radical mechanism.

For those outside of Rice University, please fill out the details below if you're interested in virtually attending my thesis defense! :) I'll send you an email with the Zoom link, and (hopefully) a r...

Elixir Sulfanilamide was a breakthrough antibiotic—until it killed more than 100 people.

Adding fluorine to drug molecules can be tricky, but is often worthwhile. Rachel Brazil talks to the chemists trying to tame the ninth element

Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that can form micellar structures with a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic corona in water. In this work, we combine the remarkable properties of photoactive met...

Methods for the anti-Markovnikov-selective hydrochlorination of unsaturated C–C bonds are limited by the need for stoichiometric reagents, highly oxidizing photocatalysts and multiple synthetic steps....

Iron-catalyzed reaction functionalizes less-favored positions with less fuss