NEWS/HIGHLIGHTS – WIDENHOEFER LAB

2026

January: Widenhoefer lab has accepted a new first-year student. Welcome Amanda.

2025

November: Brady, Jack, and Kate all pass their propositional exams. Congrats, brainiacs!
August: Xujun, Daniel’s paper on Improving Catalytic Enantioselectivity of Hydrogenation through Swelling-Induced Molecular Tension in Polymer Networks was published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.
August: Brady, Miguel and Daniel presented their research at ACS Fall 2025.
July: Mitch successfully defended his PhD dissertation. We’ll miss you, Meechie!
June: Xujun, Daniel, Jack and Yichen’s paper on Strain-dependent enantioselectivity in mechanochemically coupled catalytic hydrogenation was published in Nature Synthesis.
May: Mitch’s paper on Kinetics and mechanism of the protodeauration of Gold(I) beta-styrenyl complexes was published in Organometallics.

2024

December: Widenhoefer lab has accepted a new first-year student. Welcome Matt (Jeb).
December: Brady and Jack’s paper on cationic Bis(gold) cyclopentadienyl complexes was published in Organometallics.
March: Jack passed his prelim exam. Congrats Jack!
March: Brady passed his prelim exam. Congrats Brady!
March: Kate passed her prelim exam. Congrats Kate!
January: Brady’s paper on Cationic Bis(gold) indenyl complexes was published in ChemPlusChem.
January: Daniel and Jack’s concept paper on modulating transition metal reactivity with force was published in ChemCatChem.

2023

August: Yichen’s research on allosteric control of olefin isomerization kinetics via remote metal binding and its mechanochemical analysis was published in Nature Communications.
July: Daniel and Xujun’s paper on Force modulated C-C reductive elimination from nickel complexes was published in Organometallics.
Daniel passed his prelim. Congrats Daniel!

2022

December: Widenhoefer lab has accepted three new first-years. Welcome Kate, Brady, Jack!
November: Caroline successfully defended her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Stow!
July: Yichen successfully defended his PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Yu!
April: Mitch passed his prelim. Congrats Mitch!
April: Mitch and Bob’s Paper on the Mechanism of Gold(I)-Catalyzed Benzylidene Transfer was published in Organometallics.
April: Liqi successfully defended her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Wang!

2021

December: Widenhoefer lab has accepted a new first-year. Welcome Daniel!
June: Yichen and Liqi published a paper about their research with Dr. Craig’s lab in Chem. Sci.
May: Ross’s Paper on Robert, Kohki, Alethea, Bob, and Jacob’s research of Gold-Catalyzed Hydroamination of 1,1-Dimethylallene was accepted to Chem. Eur. J.
May: The Widenhoefer Lab secured funding from the NSF to continue their studies on Gold(I) complexes.
April: Ross’s paper on Chris’s previous research about the stereomutation of azaplatinacyclobutane was accepted to Organometallics.
January: Widenhoefer lab has accepted a new first-year. Welcome Mitch!

2020

September: Liqi and Yichen published a paper about their research with Dr. Craig’s lab in JACS.
June: Caroline received C. R. Hauser Memorial Fellowship. Congrats Caroline!
March: Caroline’s paper on the synthesis of gold(I) alpha-oxo carbenoids was accepted to Organometallics.

2019

November: Nana successfully defended her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Kim!
October: Nana’s paper on the mechanism of gold(I) catalyzed oxygen transfer reaction accepted to Chem. Commun.
June: Bob’s paper on gold sulfonium benzylide complexes is published on Chem. Eur. J.
June: Bob successfully defended his PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Carden!
May: Undergraduate Scott Liu graduated and will be attending Indiana University School of Medicine in the Fall. Congrats, Scott!
May: Nana’s paper on gold(I) vinyl carbeneis accepted to Chem. Sci.
April/May: Caroline, Yichen and Liqi pass their preliminary examinations. Congrats!
January: David has joined the group. Welcome David!

2018

August: Robert, Bob, and Alethea’s paper on mechanistic study of gold-catalyzed intermolecular hydroalkoxylation of allenes with alcohols is pulished. ACS catal.
May: Bob recieves Burroughs Wellcome fellowship and Nana recieves Paul M. Gross fellowship.
March: Nana’s paper on the synthesis, characterization and reactivity of cationic gold allenylidene complexes is accepted to Angew. Chem.
January: Widenhoefer lab has three new group members, Caroline, Yichen, and Liqi! Welcome!

2017

October: Bob and Nathan’s paper on experimental evaluation of (L)Au electron donor ability in cationic gold carbene complexes is accepted to Chem. Eur. J.
May: Bob recieves the GAANN fellowship and Nana recieves Kathleen Zielik fellowship.
April: Paramita and Jacob’s paper on the intramolecular dehydrative alkoxylation for the synthesis of (+)-Laurencin is accepted to Chem. Eur. J.
March: Jacob Timmerman successfully defends his PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Timmerman!
March: Jacob’s paper on the gold-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of alkenyl-2-pyridones appears in Org. Lett.
January: Nana’s paper on the mechanism of skeletal rearragements in enyne cyclisomerizations appears in Organometallics.

2016

September: Jacob and William’s paper on the gold-catalyzed hydroarylation of MCPs is published in Org. Lett.
August: Hillary recieves the PSTP fellowship. Congrats, Hillary!
July: Jacob presents at the Divison of Organic Chemistry Graduate Research Symposium in Bryn Mawr, PA.
June: Bob recieves the GAANN fellowship and Nana recieves Burroughs Wellcome fellowship. Congrats!
June: Hao and Robert’s paper on allene racemization appears in Organometallics
May: Rachael’s paper on intermediates in the gold-catalyzed hydroalkoxylation of allenes appears in Organometallics.
April: Bob and Nana pass their preliminary examinations. Congrats!
Febuary: Jacob’s recent Adv. Synth. Catal.paper is highlighted in Synfacts.
January: The Widenheofer lab welcomes new graduate student Hillary Straub!
January: Chris and Tim’s paper on the mechanism of Platinum-catalyzed hydroamination appears in Organometallics

2015

November: Jacob’s anti-Markovnkivov hydroamination of MCPs with 2-pyridones is published in Adv. Synth. Catal.
October: Brad successfully defends his PhD dissertation. Congrats, Dr. Robertson!
May: Jacob recieves the C.R. Houser Memorial Fellowship for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.
April: Robert successfully defends his PhD dissertation. Congrats, Dr. Harris!
April: Bob recieves an honorable mention for his NSF GRFP application. Congrats, Bob!
March: Brad’s enyne cyclization/hydroarylation paper appears in Chem. Eur. J.
Febuary: Jacob’s anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of alkylidenecyclopropanes is highlighted in Synfacts.

2014

December: The Widenhoefer lab welcomes graduate students Nana Kim and Bob Carden!
November: Jacob and Brad’s paper on the anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of alkylidenecyclopropanes is accepted in Angew. Chem.
October: Brad and Rachel’s paper on the mechanism of enyne cycloisomerization appears in Organometalics.
August: Jacob and Seong Du’s intramolecular alkene hydroamination paper is published in Adv. Synth. Catal.
July: Robert’s non-heteroatom stabilized gold carbene paper appears in Angew. Chem.
May: Brad and Tim’s gold pi-allene isomerization paper appears in J. Organomet. Chem.
Jacob recieves the Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship. Congrats, Jacob!
March: Robert and Kohki’s paper on allene racemization accepted in Chem. Eur. J.
Jessica Reel recieves the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Congrats, Jessica!
February: Rachel’s gold carbene paper appears in Chem. Commun.

2013

December: The Widenhoefer lab welcomes graduate student Jessica Reel!
September: Rachel’s minireview on gold pi-complexes appears in Angew. Chemie.
Undergraduate Kohki Nakafuku named the Alvin Crumbliss Research Fellow
July: Rachel Brooner successfully defends her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Brooner!
June: Robert is awarded the Kathleen Zielek Fellowship for the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014!
June: The Widenhoefer lab welcomes Brad Robertson!
April: Rachel and Tim’s paper on enyne cycloisomerization appears in Angewandte Chemie

2012

December: The Widenhoefer lab gets three new members! Welcome, Jacob, John and Katelyn!
November: Seong Du successfully defends his PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Lee!
July: Rachel is awarded the Charles Bradsher and Joe Taylor Adams Fellowships, and Robert is awarded the Wilder Fellowship!
June: Paramita and Tim successfully defend their PhD dissertations. Congratulations Dr. Mukherjee and Dr. Brown!
May: Kristina successfully defends her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Dr. Butler!
May: Tim’s paper on bis(gold) vinyl complexes appears in J. Am. Chem. Soc.
April: Kristina’s paper on intermolecular enantioselective allene hydroamination appears in Angew. Chem. as a “Hot Paper.”
January: Paramita’s paper on enantioselective dehydrative amination recently appears in Angew. Chem.