News
Chemistry Drawing
Inspired by photosynthesis, we describe a photon-to-potential energy transformer, which allows arylcyclohexenes to serve as energy currency to drive endergonic ground state processes. The potential of this strategy is exemplified in the conversion of CO2 to value-added urethanes while making water as the only by-product. After a conversation about this work young artists Ella Weaver and Ariana Prier created some art, with the hope that it might land on a journal cover. Unfortunately, it was not selected, but it is fun to watch its creation. Thanks ladies.
Check out Tim's paper in JACS!
Where to start with this one? While I am obviously biased, Tim's paper is pretty awesome, and I have immensely enjoyed being part of its development. Over the last decade, our group has explored the ability to use visible light to drive olefin isomerization. We became interested in cycloalkenes in an attempt to capture more photochemical energy that was being wasted. This work build on these efforts, as Tim elegantly demonstrates that arylcyclohexenes can serve as a energy transducer converting photochemical energy to chemical potential energy in the form of ring strain and that this can be exploited to drive endergonic processes that are not photochemical in nature. This work is unique in that the arylcycloalkene is not consumed in the process, rather it serves as the energy currency to drive an unfavorable reaction. The reaction we first focused on is the 3-component coupling of amines, CO2, and cyclohexenes to produce urethanes. The product urethane is rather specific but undergoes smooth trans-urethanation. Urethanes are a $20 billion/annum market and their production is largely still accomplished by use of high energy molecules, which often are toxic. With new energy transducer technology, we can begin to navigate chemical synthesis in the upstream direction, turning energetically spent molecules into molecules of value and purpose. Enjoy.
Congrats to Weaver Labs team for taking on PFAS
Congrats to the Weaver Labs team who has just published its efforts to make a first of its kind, well-defined sorbent material, called Fluor Mop, made specifically to bind PFAS from enviromental samples. Check it out, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389423001358?dgcid=coauthor#fig0030
(disclosure: Jimmie Weaver has an interest in Weaver Labs)
Shivangi publishes our paper on fluorine sculpting
Shivangi just published the most detailed report on the nuances of how to perform fluorine sculpting. In this report she (re)introduces us to directed hydrodefluorination (which if you have followed our work, you know has a sordid history). This was a gargantuan task and revealed so much insight into the subject. Anyone interested in this topic will certainly benifit from her efforts. Thank you Shivangi. Check it out! https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.joc.2c02332
Georgia selected as a Barry Goldwater applicant
Undergrad Georgia Eastham who joined the group last spring was selected as one of OSU's applicants for the presitgous Barry Goldwater Scholarship. It is an honor just to be allowed to apply. Fingers crossed as we wait to hear.