Johnson Lab UNC

Big news out of the Johnson group this week: our most recent publication is now in @ScienceMagazine ! science.org/doi/10.1126/sc… 1/

Synchronicity isn't just for Sting - it’s for aromaticity too! Out now, a [3+2]-dipolar cycloaddition is followed by a Claisen rearrangement driven by synchronized aromaticity, affording novel 2,4-cyclohexadienones. Congrats, Will, Michael, and Shubin! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…

Congratulations to Susanna Angles on her first lead-author paper! If you're feeling salty, check out how she and Amgen Scholar Alannah Miller access enantiopure halogenated carboxylic acids through dynamic crystallizations of diastereomeric salt pairs. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…

Letting today go by without wishing you a happy Halloween would be despicable! So Happy Halloween from the Johnson Group Minions 🎃

Congrats to Dr. Katie Kitzinger, Susanna Angles, and Dr. Yuki Kojima for their work merging asymmetric 1,4-additions of pyridinyl acetates with CIDT! If you like pharmaceutically relevant azaarenes and lots of stereochemistry, be sure to check it out! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja…

We're excited to report the first crystallization-induced diastereomer transformation of donor–acceptor cyclopropanes! Enantio- and diastereopure cyclopropanes were accessed thanks to the hard work of Aidan Clarkson and Seth Freeman - congratulations! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja…

Congrats, Will, Dorian Vallantin, Tabea Nett and the Darses Group! The crew found benzofurans and indoles could undergo cyclopropanation with a Cu(II) catalyst, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional Rh(II)-catalyzed Buchner cyclopropanations. pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.10…

If you're in the market for exciting weekend reads, check out the latest cyclopropane-focused methods spearheaded by rockstars Will Carrick (pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.10…) and Aidan Clarkson (pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja…)! And what better way to cap off an exciting week than with sushi? 🍣

Announcing the newly minted Dr. Mitchell Giordano! Today, Mitch successfully defended his PhD on the development of stereoconvergent reaction platforms. Congrats, Dr. Giordano!

Michael Eng and Zhiwei (Zack) Zhang both completed their Honors thesis investigations into phenol dearomatizations and eco-friendly alkynylations, respectively, and will be heading to graduate programs in the fall. Congratulations, Michael and Zack!

A bittersweet spring as we said goodbye to three amazing undergrads! Mia Turley, a Pharmaceutical Sciences intern from Campbell University, investigated dearomatization reactions with mentors Aidan Clarkson and Bryn Werley during her semester in Chapel Hill. Congrats, Mia!

It's springtime in Chapel Hill, which means the Tar Heel 10 and 14 mile races are back! Congrats to Emma Murphy and Susanna Angles for competing for the second year in a row!

Shoutout to our rockstar third year Will Carrick for completing yet another milestone on the path to his PhD! During last week's organic seminar, Will shared his research on dearomative methods for generating molecular complexity. Congratulations, Will!

Say hello to a new face in the Johnson Group! Visiting scholar Yuki Kojima completed his PhD with Koji Hirano at Osaka University (Suita) and is looking forward to investigating CIDTs during his time at UNC-Chapel Hill. Welcome, Yuki!

An exciting week in the Johnson Lab continues! Today, we celebrated Katie Kitzinger as she successfully defended her PhD thesis on assembling stereocomplex scaffolds with domino and stereoconvergent reactions. Congratulations, Dr. Kitzinger!

We had a blast at UNC's Science Expo last weekend! Thanks to the 150+ aspiring scientists who stopped by to learn about the chemistry of color and to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for hosting such a fun celebration of science.

Exciting news in the Johnson Lab! Our very own Bryn Werley and Susanna Angles were selected to receive an NSF GRFP Fellowship and Honorable Mention, respectively. Congratulations, Bryn and Susanna!

Out now in @JOC_OL: A look at how weak N-O bonds enable greener access to pharmaceutically relevant scaffolds: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…. Congrats to Bob, Michael, and Aidan!

We're excited to welcome two new grad students to the Johnson lab! Rock star first year Aditya did his undergraduate studies at the Emory University, and he is interested in applying dearomative approaches to total synthesis problems. Welcome, Aditya!

We're excited to welcome two new grad students to the Johnson lab! Rock star first year Sofía did her undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico (Cayey), and she is excited to dig into complex chemical problems and sustainability questions! Welcome, Sofía!

We are so proud of Aidan and Bryn, who won department awards for excellence in research and teaching, respectively! Congratulations!