Congrats to Wen-Ji and Al, whose article on “Duroquinone” in the Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis, appears online this week. The article summarizes synthetic approaches to this molecule, its reactivity profile, and applications in organic synthesis and coordination chemistry. Well done, team!

For a link to the article in e-EROS, click here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/047084289X.rn02611

A while back we observed formation of an unexpected byproduct in an attempted screen of various ketone-based transient directing groups (TDGs) for metal-catalyzed difunctionalization of ortho-alkenylaniline substrates. After initial condensation to form the corresponding ketimine, cyclization took place to furnish the corresponding dihydro-1-benzazepines. Recognizing the utility of the products, we optimized high-yielding reaction conditions, explored the scope and limitations of the method, and evaluated the potential of the products as ligands for transition metals. We are pleased to share the culmination of these efforts this week in Tetrahedron Letters as part of a special issue celebrating Prof. Song Lin’s Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award. Hats off to Alena and Jose for invaluable preliminary data and Letian and Juntao for getting the project to the finish line.

For a link to the paper in Tetrahedron Letters, click here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040403925001212

The Engle lab is pleased to welcome Phornphan Yongpanich, who is joining us for one year as a visiting Ph.D. student from Chulabhorn Graduate Institute (CGI) in Bangkok, Thailand. At CGI, Phornphan works in the lab of Prof. Jumreang Tummatorn developing enabling synthetic methods to access pharmaceutically relevant motifs. In the Engle lab, she will delve into the field of organometallic catalysis, while exploring all that San Diego has to offer. Welcome, Phornphan!

We are excited to welcome Alejandro Suárez Lustres, a doctoral student from University of Santiago de Compostela, who joins us for a few months as a visiting student. At his home institution, Alejandro studies palladium catalysis under the mentorship of Profs. Jesús A. Varela Carrete and Carlos Saá, and in the Engle lab he is eager to explore exciting new directions in base metal catalysis.