Lovinger Group
Synthetic Physical Organic Chemistry (SPOC)
Research
​The Lovinger group pursues the discovery and mechanistic study of selective chemical reactions. We apply a physical organic approach and modern tools to uncover broadly applicable mechanistic principles and strategies in catalysis.
The discovery of fundamental reactivity and selective catalytic methods to precisely construct molecules is a key driver of human innovation and sustainable synthesis. The Lovinger group draws inspiration from reactive intermediates as branching points in chemical reaction space where catalyst and reagent design can enable new reactivity and selectivity and expand our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of catalysis. We target intermediates that can be diverted to high value structures.
Some of our goals include:
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To systematically discover concise starting-material-to-product mappings.
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To develop the reactivity of underexplored reactive species.
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To elucidate the role of stabilizing interactions to accelerate and precisely control reactions of fundamental and practical importance.
Researchers in the Lovinger group benefit from training in a multidisciplinary approach to research grounded in physical organic chemistry and encompassing computational techniques, high-throughput experimentation, reaction discovery and optimization, air-sensitive synthesis, catalyst development, spectroscopy, kinetics, and mechanistic analysis.
