UC Merced

Ph3CB(C6F5)4 is a highly effective and easily handled Brønsted acid precatalyst for intramolecular hydroarylations of β-benzylalkenes and β-homobenzylalkenes. These cyclizations produce a wide variety of indanes and tetralins, including those found in important pharmaceuticals. My research in this area has focused on delineating how subtle structural changes can dictate the regioselectivity of intramolecular alkylation of arenes towards either the electronically or sterically preferred position. In an unrelated project, I designed and synthesized a new modular class of promesogenic organic ligands that direct CdSe/ZnS quantum dot nanoparticle self-assembly in a liquid crystal host using phase transition templating. Hollow micrometer-sized capsules are formed that resist thermal decomposition up to 350 °C and may therefore be useful for encapsulation applications.