Overview
The Lavagnino Lab’s focus is catalysis, or how to lower the energy barriers of challenging–yet enabling–chemical transformations. By applying the techniques of organic reaction development, organometallic synthesis, and physical organic investigation, we aim to discover catalysts and reactivities that empower chemists to build the molecules needed by the modern world.
Research Focus
In the Lavagnino Lab we leverage mechanistic insights towards the design of conceptually novel catalytic reactions that push the frontiers of chemical synthesis. We research at the intersection of methods development and mechanistic study to discover catalytic chemistry that employs underutilized metal centers, activates elusive coupling partners, and applies unconventional design parameters to catalytic cycle construction. Novel reactivity is discovered and validated by a combination of experimental techniques including reaction optimization, organometallic model studies, kinetic analysis, and computational investigation. These organic transformations meet critical needs in the fields of pharmaceutical discovery and chemical industry, while also expanding the portfolio of catalytic design principles that can be leveraged to overcome synthetic hurdles. Through a combined focus on fundamental advance and practical application, we are challenging the established retrosynthetic logic for how catalytic centers can be employed to cleave and forge chemical bonds for organic synthesis.
Publications
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