Our research group is primarily concerned with the design and development of new and efficient stereo- and enantioselective strategies that do not have precedence in classical organic chemistry for the synthesis of important complex molecular structures.
We are particularly interested in developing carbon-carbon bond forming processes, which efficiently create multiple stereocenters. We place a special emphasis on mechanistic investigation to give insight into the origins of chemo- and stereoselectivity of discovered processes. Deep understanding of reaction mechanisms governs our optimization work towards identifying the most efficient and general protocols and allows for expanding the scope of our methodologies.
The enantioselective addition of alkylithium derivatives to unactivated alkenes (JACS 1995, 8853; JOC, 1995, 4898; JOC, 1997, 4898; JCS Perkin Trans 1. 1999, 535; Chem. Eur. J. 1999, 2055), the zinc-ene-allene carbocyclization (JOC, 1995, 863), the zinc-enolate carbometalation reaction (JOC, 1998, 566; JOC, 1998, 2442), the synthesis and reactivity of bismetalated species (Chem. Rev. 1996, 3241; Chem. Rev. 2000, 2887), the creation of chiral quaternary carbon centers (JACS, 2003, 11776; JACS 2006, 4642), the zirconium-promoted C,H-allylic activation (JACS 2002, 10282; JACS 2003, 13258; Angew Chemie 2006, 465; Synthesis, 2004, 2411; Synlett, 2006, 501), the preparation of vinyl zirconocene from heterosubstituted alkenes (JOC, 2000, 7518; Angew Chemie 2002, 351; Tetrahedron 2004, 1329), the preparation of chiral cyclopropenes and alkylidenecyclopropanes (OL 2004, 341; Synlett 2005, 2239; Angew. Chemie 2006, 3963) are only representative examples.