In a pre-print appearing today on ChemRxiv, we provide a full account of our efforts to develop substrate-directed Markovnikov-selective hydroarylation/alkenylation of terminal alkenes with organoboronic acids under nickel(0) catalysis. In the paper, we tackle three important substrate classes, alkenyl sulfonamides, ketones, and amides, and discuss the systematic tuning of reaction conditions that is required to provide high yields in each case, reflecting subtle yet significant differences in coordination chemistry among the directing groups involved. Through a combination of isotope labeling, reaction kinetics, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we identified transmetalation as the turnover-limiting and selectivity-controlling step. Congrats to Zi-Qi, Omar, and Ruohan on this herculean effort.

For a link to the ChemRxiv pre-print, click here: https://chemrxiv.org/articles/preprint/Directed_Markovnikov_Hydroarylation_and_Hydroalkenylation_of_Alkenes_Under_Nickel_Catalysis/14639778

It has been a long time since we’ve been able to enjoy a group outing! This weekend, we did just that. We headed up to the Carlsbad Strawberry Company to get our fill of sunshine and fresh strawberries.

Congrats to G1 student Camille Rubel, who was awarded first place for her poster talk, “Stable Nickel Toolkit,” describing our lab’s work to develop convenient and bench-stable low-valent nickel complexes for use in catalysis to a diverse audience from the local San Diego community. The Scripps Research Community Symposium, which was held on Saturday, May 1st, invites the community — K-12 teachers, high school students, families with children, community college students, and more — to meet our scientists, hear from our graduate students, and interact with our science in fun and engaging ways.

https://education.scripps.edu/k-12-outreach/ca-outreach/scripps-research-symposium/