Research in the Delaney lab focuses in three areas:

Fundamental studies in organometallic chemistry.

The synthesis of organotransition metal complexes and the direct study of their reactivity lies at the heart of our research program. We take a bottom-up approach to methods development, in which an understanding of the stoichiometric reactions of transition metal complexes is used to design new catalytic cycles that allow for the synthesis of interesting or useful molecules. We also carry out studies to understand the mechanisms of elementary steps that are frequently proposed in catalytic reactions but remain poorly understood.

Development of new methods for the synthesis and installation of saturated heterocycles.

We are working to understand the reactivity of aliphatic, metallacyclic compounds, and use that understanding to develop new methods for the synthesis of saturated heterocycles. Our interests include the late-stage modification of complex molecules like natural products and drug molecules to insert saturated heterocycles such as tetrahydrofurans, pyrrolidines, oxetanes, and azetidines into the skeletal framework of the molecule. Given the importance of these motifs in medicinal chemistry, particularly the areas of oncology and viral disease, we are also exploring the development of convergent methods that can make large, diverse libraries of the aforementioned heterocycles by a reaction sequence that is much shorter than the sequences that are currently used. These methods will enable convenient access to strained rings and abiotic nucleoside and deoxynucleoside derivatives with control over substitution patterns, and analogs of complex molecules that would be exceedingly difficult to prepare by other methods.

Development of new reactions that are compatible with automation technologies.

For hundreds of years, reaction development was carried out with the implicit assumption that a human practitioner would manually add reagents to a reaction vessel. Today, that assumption no longer holds. From machine learning to high-throughput experimentation, modern technology is changing the way that we do chemistry. Although much work has been done to create machines that can replicate the abilities of a human working in a laboratory, there are still many laboratory tasks that are challenging for robotic experimentation platforms. As chemists, we propose to meet the engineers halfway by developing new methods for chemical synthesis that are specifically optimized for use by liquid-handling robots. By developing methods that bypass the need for insoluble, solid additives, we can greatly expand the utility of the high throughput experimentation tools that are the most robust and widely available.