Research in the Shelby group focuses on using chiral Pd catalysts containing an electronically anionic bidentate ligand to activate the reaction of allylsilanes with aldehydes and to promote the asymmetric synthesis of the homoallylic alcohol products. Allylation of aldehydes using allylsilane substrates is important because the reaction forms homoallylic alcohols, which are useful intermediates in the synthesis of natural products. Two key challenges inherent in this reaction are low reactivity of allylsilanes and lack of stereoselectivity in product formation. These ligands allow us to modify easily the steric, electronic, and chiral characters of the phosphine substituents to study their effects on activation and selectivity. Our long-term objective is to contribute significantly to the fundamental understanding of principles that will improve catalytic systems for synthetic reactions

Lumbreras, E.; Sisler, E. M.; Shelby, Q. D. "Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structure, and Reactivity of Pd2(μ-dotpm)2 (dotpm = bis(di-ortho-tolylphosphino)methane)," J. Organomet. Chem. 2010, 695, 201-205. Link Badgett, A. H.; Gray, D. L.; Shelby, Q. D. "Dichlorido{di-(2-methylphenyl)[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]phosphine-?2P,P'} palladium(II)", Acta Cryst. 2009, E65, m1233-m1234. Link Pitroda, P. P.; Badgett, A. H.; Dickey, G. A.; Gray, D. L.; Shelby, Q. D. "(Di-o-tolylphosphino)methyldiphenylphosphine sulfide," Acta Cryst. 2009, E65, o2307. Link Sisler, E. M.; Arias, K.; Gray, D. L.; Shelby, Q. D. "1,1,2,2-Tetrakis(di-o-tolylphosphino)ethane," Acta Cryst. 2009, E65, o2231. Link Shelby, Q. D. "1,2,3,4,5-Pentaphenyl-1'-(di-tert-butyl-phosphino)ferrocene," Electronic Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis [Online], John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (link)