Mark R. Biscoe

Professor

Areas of Expertise/Research

  • Chemistry

Building

Center for Discovery and Innovation

Office

4.316

Fax

212-650-8348

Website

Biscoe profile pic

Mark R. Biscoe

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (NIH post-doctoral fellow) 2005-2008

Columbia University, Ph.D., 2005

Wesleyan University, B.A., 1999

Research Interests

Research in the Biscoe lab involves the study of fundamental organometallic reactivity and mechanism, and the application of these studies to the development of new synthetic strategies. Specifically, we seek to develop new synthetic approaches that enable the rational and reliable manipulation of molecules in three dimensions. In this work, we employ configurationally stable, enantioenriched organometallic nucleophiles as a source of stereogenic carbon centers that can be transferred and manipulated via stereospecific cross-coupling reactions.  Currently, transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling methodologies can be reliably used for the preparation of flat, conjugated molecular subunits, but not for branched (chiral) molecular topologies. Consequently, the development of cross-coupling methods that enable the stereospecific transfer of a stereogenic center would constitute a new approach to asymmetric synthesis. New strategies towards the predictable modification of three-dimensional molecular structure will find immediate applications in medicinal chemistry as well as material science.

Publications

  

25. Ma, Xinghua; Zhao, Haoran; Binayeva, Meruyert; Ralph, Glenn; Diane, Mohamed; Zhao, Shibin; Wang, Chao-Yuan; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淎 General Approach to Stereospecific Cross-Coupling Reactions of Nitrogen-Containing Stereocenters.鈥 Chem 2020, 6, 781-791.

 

24. Ralph, Glenn; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淧reparation of Enantioenriched Alkylcarbastannatranes via Nucleophilic Inversion of Alkyl Mesylates for Use in Stereospecific Cross-Coupling Reactions.鈥 Organometallics 2019, 38, 3912-3915.

 

23. Zhao, Shibin; Gensch, Tobias; Murray, Benjamin; Niemeyer, Zachary L.; Sigman, Matthew S.*; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淓nantiodivergent Pd-Catalyzed C鈥揅 Bond Formation Enabled through Ligand Parameterization.鈥 Science 2018, 362, 670-674.

 

22. Ma, Xinghua; Diane, Mohamed; Ralph, Glenn; Chen, Christine; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淪tereospecific Electrophilic Fluorination of Alkylcarbastannatrane Reagents.鈥 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 201756, 12663-12667.

 

21. Wang, Chao-Yuan; Ralph, Glenn; Derosa, Joseph; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淪tereospecific Pd-Catalyzed Acylation of Alkylcarbastannatrane Reagents:  A General Alternative to Asymmetric Enolate Reactions.鈥 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 856-860.

 

20. Wang, Chao-Yuan; Derosa, Joseph; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淭he Use of Stable, Optically Active Organometallic Nucleophiles in Cross-Coupling Reactions:  A New Approach to Asymmetric Synthesis.鈥 Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 5105-5113.

 

19. Li, Ling; Zhao, Shibin; Joshi-Pangu, Amruta; Diane, Mohamed; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淪tereospecific Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Secondary Alkylboron Nucleophiles and Aryl Chlorides.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014,136, 14027-14030.

 

18. Li, Ling; Wang, Chao-Yuan; Huang, Rongcai; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淪tereoretentive Pd-Catalyzed Stille Cross-Coupling Reactions of Secondary Alkyl Azastannatranes and Aryl Electrophiles.鈥 Nature Chem. 2013, 5, 607-612.

 

17. Li, Ling; Biscoe, Mark R. "Alkylzinc Cross-Coupling Reactions." In Cross-Coupling and Heck-Type Reactions, Vol. 1; Molander, G., Ed.; Georg Thieme Verlag HG: Stuttgart, 2012.

 

16. Joshi-Pangu, Amruta; Ma, Xinghua; Diane, Mohammed; Iqbal, Sidra; Kribs, Robert J.; Huang, Richard; Wang, Chao-Yuan; Biscoe, Mark R. J. Org. Chem. 201277, 6629-6633.

 

15. Joshi-Pangu, Amruta; Biscoe, Mark R.* "The Use of Tertiary Alkyl Nucleophiles in Metal-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions." Synlett 2012, 23, 1103-1107. 

 

14. Joshi-Pangu, Amruta; Wang, Chao-Yuan; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淣ickel-Catalyzed Kumada Cross-Coupling Reactions of Tertiary Alkylmagnesium Halides and Aryl Bromides/Triflates.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011133, 8478-8481. 

 

13. Joshi-Pangu, Amruta; Ganesh, Madhu; Biscoe, Mark R.* 鈥淣ickel-Catalyzed Negishi Cross-Coupling Reactions of Secondary Alkylzinc Halides and Aryl Iodides.鈥 Org. Lett. 201113, 1218-1221. 

 

12. Biscoe, Mark R.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淭he Selective Monoarylation of Acetate Esters and Aryl Methyl Ketones Using Aryl Chlorides.鈥Org. Lett. 200911, 1773-1775. 

 

11. Lee, Brian K.; Biscoe, Mark R.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淪imple, Efficient Protocols for the Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reaction of Aryl Chlorides and Dimethylamine.鈥 Tetrahedron Lett. 200950, 3672-3674 [50th anniversary special issue]. 

 

10. Fors, Brett P.; Watson, Donald A.; Biscoe, Mark R.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淎 Highly Active Catalyst for Pd-Catalyzed Amination Reactions: Cross-Coupling Reactions Using Aryl Mesylates and the Highly Selective Monoarylation of Primary Amines.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc.2008130, 13552-13554. 

 

9. Biscoe, Mark R.; Fors, Brett P.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淎 New Class of Easily Activated Palladium Precatalysts for Facile C鈥揘 Cross-Coupling Reactions and the Low Temperature Oxidative Addition of Aryl Chlorides.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008130, 6686-6687. 

 

8. Biscoe, Mark R.; Barder, Timothy E.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淓lectronic Effects on the Selectivity of Pd-Catalyzed C鈥揘 Bond-Forming Reactions Using Biarylphosphine Ligands: The Competitve Roles of Amine Binding and Acidity.鈥 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 200746, 7232-7235. 

 

7. Ikawa, Takashi; Barder, Timothy E.; Biscoe, Mark R.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淧d-Catalyzed Amidations of Aryl Chlorides Using Monodentate Biaryl Phosphine Ligands: A Kinetic, Computational, and Synthetic Investigation.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007129, 13001-13007. 

 

6. Barder, Timothy E.; Biscoe, Mark R.; Buchwald, Stephen L. 鈥淪tructural Insights into Active Catalyst Structures and Oxidative Addition to (Biaryl)phosphine-Palladium Complexes via Density Functional Theory and Experimental Studies.鈥 Organometallics 200726, 2183-2192. 

 

5. Uyeda, Christopher; Biscoe, Mark; Leplae, Paul; Breslow, Ronald. 鈥淗ydrophobically-Directed Selective Reduction of Ketones Using Amine Boranes.鈥 Tetrahedron Lett. 200647, 127-130. 

 

4. Biscoe, Mark R.; Breslow, Ronald. 鈥淥xaziridinium Salts as Hydrophobic Epoxidation Reagents: Remarkable Hydrophobically-Directed Selectivity in Olefin Epoxidation.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005127, 10812-10813. 

 

3. Biscoe, Mark R.; Uyeda, Christopher; Breslow, Ronald. 鈥淩equirements for Selective Hydrophobic Acceleration in the Reduction of Ketones.鈥 Org. Lett. 20046, 4331-4334.   

 

2. Biscoe, Mark R.; Breslow, Ronald. 鈥淗ydrophobically-Directed Selective Reduction of Ketones.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003125, 12718-12719.   

 

1. Biscoe, M. R.; Fry, A. J. 鈥淒ual Reaction Pathways in the Magnesium-Mediated Synthesis of Aziridines from Benzal Halides and Imines.鈥Tetrahedron Lett. 200142, 2759-2762.