Bryan J. Simmons

TL;DR: The catalytic alkylation of amide derivatives, which relies on the use of nonprecious metal catalysis, to yield ketone products is reported, underscoring the mild nature of this chemistry and its potential utility in pharmaceutical synthesis.

TL;DR: The nickel-catalyzed reduction of secondary and tertiary amides to give amine products is reported and provides a simple tactic for accessing medicinally relevant α-deuterated amines.

TL;DR: Enantioselectivity in the Negishi reaction results from the reductive elimination step, whereas all steps in the Suzuki-Miyaura catalytic cycle contribute to the overall enantioselection with transmetalation and reductive Elimination providing the most contribution to the observed selectivities.

TL;DR: The generation of the first 3,4-piperidyne is reported and its use as a building block for the synthesis of annulated piperidines and the distortion/interaction model is used to explain the observed regioselectivities.

TL;DR: Reactivity that is available to cyclic allenes beyond the traditional cycloadditions and nucleophilic trappings previously reported is revealed, thus expanding the types of product accessible from this class of intermediates, as well as providing evidence for two distinct mechanisms that control absolute stereochemistry in such transformations.