The importance of organolithium reagents in organic chemistry is indisputable. Reports of the effects of solvents, reaction temperatures, additives, internal coordinating functionalities, electrophile structures, and substituents on product distributions pervade the literature. Nevertheless, complexities resulting from aggregation and solvation render our understanding of the origins of the reactivities and selectivities limited at best. Our group investigates the structural and mechanistic basis of selectivity using a range of spectroscopic, kinetic, and computational methods. A number of projects are in collaboration with pharmaceutical process groups.

Collum, D. B.; McNeil, A. J.; Ramirez, A. "Lithium Diisopropylamide: Solution Kinetics and Implications for Organic Synthesis". Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2007, 49, 3002.

Collum, D. B.; McNeil, A. J.; Ramirez, A. "Lithium Diisopropylamide: Solution Kinetics and Implications for Organic Synthesis". Angew, Chem., Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 3002.

Riggs, J. C.; Ramirez, A.; Cremeens, M. E.; Bashore, C. G.; Candler, J.; Wirtz, N. C.; Coe, J. W.; Collum, D. B. "Structural and Rate Studies of the Formation and Trapping of Benzyne". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 3406.

Liou, L.R.; McNeil, A. J.; Ramirez, A.; Toombes, G. E. S.; Gruver, J. M.; Collum, D. B. "Lithium Enolates of Simple Ketones: Structure Determination Using the Method of Continuous Variation". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5938.

Godenschwager, P.; Collum, D. B. "Lithium Hexamethyldisilazide-Mediated Enolizations: Influence of Triethylamine on E/Z Selectivities and Enolate Reactivities". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5938.

Singh, K. J.; Hoepker, A. C.; Collum, D. B. "Autocatalysis in Lithium Diisopropylamide-Medicated Ortholithiations". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 18008.

• Journal of Organic Chemistry, Associate Editor

• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
• Eli Lilly Young Faculty Fellowship
• DuPont Young Faculty Fellow
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowhip