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Christopher J. O’Brien  

Phone: 817-272-0262    FAX: 817-272-3808     E-mail: cobrien@uta.edu     Office: 203 CRB     Personal Page

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Transition-metal and organocatalyses
Molecular design
Materials and target-oriented syntheses

Selected Recent Publications:

Recycling the Waste: The Development of a Catalytic Wittig Reaction:  O’Brien C, J.; Tellez, J. L.; Nixon, Z. S.; Kang, L. J.; Carter, A. L.; Kunkel, S. R.; Przeworski, K. C.; Chass, G. A.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 46, 6836-6839.  Angewandte Chemie Hot paper.  Highlighted in Nature: Chemistry and C&EN.

Density Functional Theory Investigation of the Alkyl–Alkyl Negishi Cross-Coupling Reaction Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)–Pd Complexes:  Chass, G. A.; O’Brien C. J.; Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; Mu, W.-H.; Fang, D.-C.; Hopkinson, A. C.; Csizmadia, I. G.; Organ, M. G.  Chem. Eur. J. 2009, 15, 4281-4288

Synthesis and Reactions of the Pestalotiopsin Skeleton: Baker, T. M.; Edmonds, D. J.; Hamilton, D.; O'Brien, C. J.; Procter, D. J.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 5631-5633

High Yielding Alkylations of Unactivated sp³ and sp² Centres with Alkyl-9-BBN Reagents Using an NHC-Based Catalyst: Pd-PEPPSI-IPr  Organ, M. G.; Abdel Hadi, M.; Avola, S.; Dudovyk, I.; Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Sayah, M.; Valente, C.  Chem. Commun. 2008, 735-737

Pd-catalyzed Aryl Amination Mediated by Well Defined, N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-Pd Precatalysts, PEPPSI:  Organ, M. G.; Abdel Hadi, M.; Avola, S.; Dudovyk, I.; Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Sayah, M.; Valente, C.  Chem. Eur. J. 2008, 2443-2452

Patents

Methods and Compositions of a Catalytic Wittig Reaction:  O’Brien, C. J.  US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/167,101 filed on April 06, 2009.

Transition Metal Complexes of N-heterocyclic Carbenes, Methods of Preparation and Use in Transition Metal Catalyzed Organic Transformations:  Organ, M. G.; O’Brien, C. J.; Kantchev, A. B.  US Pat. Appl. 2007, US 7,250,510 B2.

Transition Metal Complexes of N-heterocyclic Carbenes, Methods of Preparation and Use in Transition Metal Catalyzed Organic Transformations:  Organ, M. G.; O’Brien, C. J.; Kantchev, A. B.  Can. Pat. Appl. 2007, CA 2 556 850.

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Biaryls Made Easily: PEPPSI and the Kumada-Tamao-Corriu Reaction:  Organ, M. G.; Abdel-Hadi, M; Avola, S; Hadei, N; Nasielski, J; O’Brien C. J.; Valente, C. Chem. Eur. J. 2007, 13, 150-157.

Pd-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysts for Cross-coupling Reactions:  The Synthetic Chemists’ Perspective: Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien C. J.; Organ, M. G. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 2768-2813.

Pd-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysts for Cross-Coupling Reactions:  Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien C. J.; Organ, M. G. Aldrichimica Acta, 2006, 39, 93 (Invited article).

A User-Friendly, All Purpose Pd-NHC Precatalyst for the Negishi Reaction: A Step towards an Universal Cross-coupling Catalyst:  Organ, M. G.; Avola, S.; Dubovyk, I.; Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Valente, C. Chem. Eur. J. 2006, 12, 4749-4755.

Easily Prepared Air and Moisture Stable Pd-NHC Complexes: A Reliable User-Friendly Highly Active Palladium Precatalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction:  O’Brien, C. J.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; Hadei, N.; Valente, C.; Chass, G. A.; Lough, A.; Hopkinson, A. C.; Organ, M. G. Chem. Eur. J. 2006, 12, 4743-4748.

Room-Temperature Negishi Cross-Coupling of Unactivated Alkyl Bromides with Alkyl Organozinc Reagents Utilizing a Pd/N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyst:  Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Organ, M. G. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 8503-8507.

Towards the Rational Design of Palladium-N-heterocyclic Carbene Catalysts by a Combined Experimental and Computational Approach:  O’Brien, C. J.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; Chass, G. A.; Hadei, N.; Hopkinson, A. C.; Organ, M. G.; Setiadi, D. H.; Tang, T-H; Fang, D-C. Tetrahedron 2005, 61, 9723-9735 (Invited article).

The First Negishi Cross-Coupling Reaction of Two Alkyl Centers Utilizing a Pd-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalyst:  Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Organ, M. G. Org. Lett. 2005, 7, 3805-3807.

Electronic Nature of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands: Effect on the Suzuki Reaction:  Hadei, N.; Kantchev, E. A. B.; O’Brien, C. J.; Organ, M. G. Org. Lett. 2005, 7, 1991-1994.

Additions of stabilised and semi-stabilised sulfur ylides to tosyl protected imines: are they under kinetic or thermodynamic control?:  Aggarwal; V. K.; Charmant, J. P. H.; Ciampi, C.; Hornby, J. M.; O’Brien, C. J.; Hynd, G.; Parsons, R. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 2001, 3159-3166.

Scope and limitations in sulfur ylide mediated catalytic asymmetric aziridination of imines: use of phenyldiazomethane, diazoesters and diazoacetamides:  Aggarwal; V. K.; Ferrara, M; O’Brien, C. J.; Thompson, A; Jones, R. V. H.; Fieldhouse, R. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 2001, 1635-1643.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas 76019-0065, USA
Phone: 817-272-3171 | Fax: 817-272-3808
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