We are concerned with the design and development of new and efficient stereo- and enantioselective strategies for the synthesis of important complex molecular structures.

We are particularly interested in developing carbon-carbon bond forming processes, which efficiently create multiple stereocenters. Deep understanding of reaction mechanisms gives insight into the origins of chemo- and stereoselectivity, and governs optimization towards the most efficient and general protocols for our methodologies.

A few representative examples of our work include:
The enantioselective addition of alkylithium derivatives to unactivated alkenes [29, 34, 59, 65]; the carbometalation of functionalized alkynes [93, 107, 117]; the zinc-ene-allene carbocyclization [31, 106]; the zinc-enolate carbometalation reaction [48, 49]; the synthesis and reactivity of bismetalated species [42, 74]; the creation of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters [91, 114, 118, 121]; the zirconium-promoted C,H-allylic activation [86, 92, 109, 112, 115]; the preparation of vinyl zirconocene from heterosubstituted alkenes [71, 79, 94]; and the preparation of chiral cyclopropenes and alkylidenecyclopropanes [96, 106, 113, 117].