Professor Liela Romero of Baylor University

"Highly selective catalytic platforms for reduction and interhalogenation chemistry: Early explorations in ZrH and Lewis base catalysis"

Research in the Romero group is focused on the development and mechanistic study of novel catalytic reactions, with applications in natural product synthesis and drug discovery. To this end, we are exploring new avenues for catalytic reduction and halogenation chemistry for the efficient transformation of simple π-systems to value-added products. The first research program regards the development of a mild platform for zirconocene hydride catalysis to enable a variety of chemoselective reductive transformations, including the catalytic diversification of amides. Further, we have developed a unified strategy for the interhalogenation of alkenes and alkynes via Lewis base catalysis. This organocatalytic protocol furnishes vicinal dihalides featuring a wide assortment of functionality with excellent regio-, diastereo- and site selectivity. Notably, when 1–3 mol% of a chiral Lewis basic catalyst is employed, a novel enantioselective bromochlorination of alkenes is realized with up to 92:8 er.