News
Parul, Roshini and Avery published in JACS!
Accessing radicals from chlorides, bromides, and pseudo-halides, go check out this fun chemical whodunnit story by Roshini, Parul, and Avery! Congratulations to them on their JACS publication - I am glad to have been part of it.
Roshini Hanumanthu,※˕ Parul Sharma,※˕ Avery Ethridge,˕ and Jimmie D. Weaver III Co-Catalytic Coupling of Alkyl Halides and Alkenes; the Curious Role of Lutidine. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, ASAP
Shivangi, Osaid and Georgia Publications!
I'm excited to share our group's progress in developing strain-loadable alkenes as innovative bioconjugation tools! If you're interested in how light and molecules collaborate to create functional tools, check out the work by Shivangi Kharbanda, Osaid Alkhamayseh, and Georgia Eastham:
- "Synthesis of Functionalized Benzocycloheptene Analogs," Essential Chem., 2025, 2, 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/28378083.2024.2394899
- "The Development of Transiently Strainable Benzocycloheptenes for Catalyst-Free, Visible Light Mediated [3+2]-Cycloadditions," Bioconjugate Chem., 2025, ASAP. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.4c00595
Welcome Eric, Francis, and Avery to the Weaver Lab!
The Weaver Lab is expanding! We are pleased to welcome our new graduate students- Eric, Francis and Avery, who joined our research team in the Spring of 2025. We look forward to their contributions and growth in advancing our ongoing scientific endeavors.
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.