This holiday season is the perfect time to break selectivity boundaries in oxidative phenol coupling 🔥
Hydroxo multicopper clusters enable ortho–ortho selective oxidative coupling of phenols.
Check out our joint work with the Jana Roithová group, now in JACS!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Biomimetic Synthesis of Azorellolide via Cyclopropylcarbinyl Cation Chemistry A concise synthesis of the complex diterpene azorellolide, inspired by speculations on biosynthetic cationic cascades, is presented. The approach, guided by computation, relies on the intramolecular interception of a cyclopropylcarbinyl cation by an appended carboxylate. The successful execution of this strategy was achieved through acid-catalyzed isomerization of a β-lactone in competition with a type I dyotropic rearrangement.

Azorellolide! How can you not work on a natural product that starts with "Azo"?
I have to say my respect for carbocations has enormously gown through this project. They are just too high in energy and have too many options. But you can tame them!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...