Andrew T. Morehead Jr.

Department Chair, Associate Professor,
Organic Chemistry

Office: SZ 301
Phone: 252-328-9702
E-mail: moreheada@ecu.edu

Synthetic methods, catalysis with organometallic and inorganic compounds, asymmetric catalysis

  • NIH Postdoctoral Scholar, Caltech, 1996-1998
  • PhD Chemistry, Duke University, 1996
  • AB Chemistry, Harvard University, 1989

Research Overview

Organometallic chemistry bridges the gap between organic and inorganic chemistry, with applications ranging from material science to organic synthesis.  My research interests focus on the catalytic applications of transition metal complexes with synthetic organic applications. Summarized below is the current research ongoing in my group, including future plans. Mechanistic and structural studies are necessary parts of this program, and ab initio calculations will be applied when appropriate.  One of the points that will be emphasized in my research group will be the development of catalyst systems that are useful at practical temperatures and pressures, and possibly under less than anaerobic or moisture free conditions.

Hydroacylation (the catalytic addition of an aldehyde C-H bond across an alkene) is well established as a route to chiral cyclopentanones and indanones.  We are interested in extending this method to the chiral synthesis of cyclopentenones (Equation 1), and potential applications in ring annulations and [4+2] cycloaddtions (Equation 2).

 

Selected Publications

Shoopman, T. E., Morehead, A. T. Jr.,* and Sargent, A. L.* “Alternate Geometries in the Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydroacylation of Dienes Facilitate a High Spin Mechanism: A DFT Study,” Organometallics, 2024, 43, 2202-2212. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.4c00215

Jones, A. D., Morehead, A. T. Jr.,* and Yang, Y.* “Degradation and Extraction of Organochlorine Pollutants from Environmental Solids under Subcritical Water Conditions,” Molecules, 2023, 28, 5445-5465.  DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145445

McPherson, K. E., Croatt, M. P., Morehead, A. T. Jr.* and Sargent, A. L.* “DFT Mechanistic Investigation of an Enantioselective Asymmetric Tsuji-Trost Allylation Reaction,” Organometallics, 2018, 37, 3791-3802. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.8b00507

Morehead, A. T. Jr., Sargent, A. L., and Croatt, M. P.* “Decarboxylative and dehydrative coupling of dienoic acids and pentadienyl alcohols to form 1,3,6,8-tetraenes” Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017, 13, 384-392. DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.13.41

 McPherson, K. E., Bartolotti, L. J., Morehead, A. T.* & Sargent, A. L.* “Utility of the Nudged Elastic Band Method in Identifying the Minimum Energy Path of an Elementary Organometallic Reaction Step,” Organometallics, 2016, 35, 1861−1865. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.6b00236

I. F. Dempsey Hyatt, Heather K. Anderson, Morehead, Andrew T. Jr.* and Sargent, Andy L.* “Mechanism of Rhodium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydroacylation: A Computational Study,” Organometallics, 2008, 27, 135-147. DOI: 10.1021/om700842d