BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Nucleophilic Cobalt Photocatalysis and Organic Photoreductants: Two Enabling Approaches to Organic Synthesis LOCATION:Chemistry A101 TZID:America/Denver DTSTART:20241028T160000 UID:2026-04-24-19-41-18@natsci.colostate.edu DTSTAMP:20260424T194118 Description:About the Seminar:\n\nWhile carbon-centered radicals have becom e an increasingly important tool in organic synthesis\, the breadth of rad ical precursors available to synthetic chemists remains underdeveloped. Ma ny of the radical precursors employed in these methods require pre-functio nalization of the initial feedstock chemical\, adding undesired synthetic steps while generating additional byproducts after radical formation. Our lab’s research focuses on the development and advancement of nucleophili c cobalt photocatalysis and organic photoreductants\, with the unifying th eme of these programs being the expansion of the breadth of carbon radical precursors available to practitioners of the field. Our nucleophilic coba lt photocatalysis strategy leverages the unique reactivity of cobalt squar e planar complexes\, like Vitamin B12\, which can engage with electrophile s in SN2 reactions\, generating Co(III)-alkyl intermediates that can be ph otolyzed under visible-light irradiation to generate carbon-centered radic als. Our contributions in this area leverage 1\,2-dichloroalkyl electrophi les for the preparation of cyclopropanes. Our lab also focuses on utilizin g organic photoreductants\, such as halogen-bonding photocatalysts and org anic anions\, for the generation of carbon-radicals from alkyl and aryl ha lides and carbonyl compounds\, circumventing the use of tin hydrides and g round state metal reductants generally required for activation of these su bstrates. Our contributions leveraging substituted hydroquinone photocatal ysts and 1\,4-dihydropyridine anions as organic photoreductants will be pr esented.\n\n \;\n\nAbout the Speaker:\n\nSpencer grew up in Prince Edw ard Island\, Canada\, and obtained his B.Sc. with Honours from the Univers ity of Prince Edward Island in 2012. After completing his Ph.D. at the Uni versity of Ottawa with Juan C. (Tito) Scaiano in 2017\, he joined the group of Larry E. Overman at the University of California\, Irvine as a NS ERC Postdoctoral Fellow. In August 2019\, Spencer began his independent ca reer at Oklahoma State University where his group currently focuses on org anic single-electron photoreductants and cobalt photocatalysis. 4:00 pm END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR