Publications
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Publications List:
(23). "Peptidic Catalysts Conformationally Tuned for Fluoride Binding and Delivery", G. Poskaite, T. Schlatzer, Z. Chen, M. V. Popescu, R. S. Paton, V. Gouverneur, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 9239–9243.
(22). "A radical-polar crossover approach to complex nitrogen heterocycles via the triplet state", Z. Lockhart, M. V. Popescu, J. V. Alegre-Requena, J. Ahuja, R. S. Paton, M. D. Smith, Chem 2026. (Accepted Article).
(21)."Chiral Brønsted Acid Catalysts of Atroposelective Iodination of 2-Amino-6-arylpyridines Actually Proceeds via Chiral Brønsted Base Catalysis. Mechanistic and Computational Studies and Data-Driven Development of a Distortion-Interaction Descriptor", K. S. Parmar, S. Bawel, M. V. Popescu, B. Mai, B. Altundas, R. S. Paton, S. E. Denmark, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 2175–2190.
(20). "Direct C–H Lactonization of Carboxylic Acids Enabled by LMCT Photoactivation", K. M. Weber, R. Villanueva, M. V. Popescu, G. A. Lutovsky, S. N. Gockel, R. S. Paton, T. P. Yoon, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, 65, e15582.
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(19). "A Fragment Based Approach Towards Curating, Comparing and Developing Machine Learning Models Applied in Photochemistry", R. Pérez-Soto, M. V. Popescu, S. Kumar, L. A. Gomes, C. Lee, E. Shore, S. A. Lopez, R. S. Paton, S. Kim, Chem. Sci. 2025, 16, 21874-21886.
(18). "Photocatalysis as a mechanistic probe for the Staudinger b-lactam synthesis", M. V. Popescu, N. A. Parker, Z. Jia, P. Solon, Callan J. Maloney, J. V. Alegre-Requena, R. S. Paton, M. D. Smith, Chem. Cat. 2025, 5, 101493.
(17). "Stereocontrolled, Boron-Mediated, Modular Assembly of Tetrasubstituted Alkenes", L. Wei, M. V. Popescu, A. Noble, R. S. Paton, V. K. Aggarwal, Nature 2025, 643, 975-982.
(16). "Reductively Induced Aryl Transmetallation: An Alternative Catalytically Relevant Ni-Catalyzed Biaryl Coupling Mechanism", A. Romero-Arenas, M. V. Popescu, M. Goetz, R. Bhatnagar, H. Goljani, B. Punchihewa, K. Sanders, I. Guzei, M. Rafiee, D. J. Weix, R. S. Paton, S. S. Stahl, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 21697-21707.
(15). "Photocatalytic C–F bond activation in small molecules and PFAS", X. Liu, A. Sau, A. Green, M. V. Popescu, N. V. Pompetti, Y. Li, Y. Zhao, R. S. Paton, N. H. Damrauer, G. M. Miyake, Nature 2025, 637, 601–607
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(14). "Dynamic Vertical Triplet Energies: Understanding And Predicting Triplet Energy Transfer" M. V. Popescu,* R. S. Paton*, Chem 2024, 10, 3428–3443.
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(13). "Platinum-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective Diboration of Unactivated Alkenes with (pin)B–B(dan)", H. Fang, N. Manoj, M. V. Popescu, A. Noble, R. S. Paton, V. K. Aggarwal, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 64, e202413504.
(12). "Combined Synthetic, Spectroscopic, and Computational Insights Into a General Method for Photosensitized Alkene Aziridination", A. R. Meyer, M. V. Popescu, A. Sau, N. H. Damrauer, R. S. Paton, T. P. Yoon, ACS Cat. 2024, 14, 12310–12317.
(11). "Late-Stage “Benzenoid-to-Troponoid” Skeletal Modification of the Cephalotanes: Total Synthesis of Harringtonolide and Computational Analysis", S. Wiesler, G. Sennari, M. V. Popescu, K. E. Gardner, K. E. Gardner, K. Aida, R. S. Paton, R. Sarpong, Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 4125.
(10). "Mechanistic Investigations Reveals a Perylene-like Closed Shell Super-Photoreductant Capable of Reducing Unactivated Arenes", A. Sau, N. V. Pompetti, A. Green, M. V. Popescu; R. S. Paton, G. M. Miyake, N. H. Damrauer, ACS Cat. 2024, 14, 2252–2263.
(9). "Electrochemical Modification of Polypeptides at Selenocysteine", A. S. Mackay, J. W. C. Maxwell, M. J. Bedding, S. S. Kulkarni, S. A. Byrne, L. Kambanis, M. V. Popescu, R. S. Paton, L. R. Malins, A. S. Ashhurst, L. Corcilius, R. J. Payne, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 135, e202313037
(8). "Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Difunctionalization of C-C π-Bonds Enabled by Ring Strained Boronate Complexes", H.-C. Cheng, M. V. Popescu, Z. Wang, L. de Lescure, A. Noble, R. Paton, V. Aggarwal, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 16508–16516.
(7). "Metal-free arylation of benzothiophenes at C4 by activation as their benzothiophene S-oxides”, R. Bisht, M. V. Popescu, Z. He, A. Ibrahim, G. Crisenza, R. Paton, D. Procter, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 64, e202302418.
(6). "Control of stereogenic oxygen in a helically chiral oxonium ion", O. Smith, M. V. Popescu, R. S. Paton, J. Burton, M. D. Smith, Nature 2023, 615, 430–435.
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(5). "Catalytic Enantioselective 6π Photocyclization of Acrylanilides", B. A. Jones, P. Solon, M. V. Popescu, J. -Y. Du, R. S. Paton, M. D. Smith, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 145, 171–178.
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(4). "Visible-Light-Mediated Heterocycle Functionalization via Geometrically Interrupted [2+2] cycloaddition", M. V. Popescu, A. Makereeya, J. V. Alegre-Requena, R. S. Paton, M. D. Smith, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 2302–23024.
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(3). "An investigation into the role of 2, 6-lutidine as an additive for the RuCl3-NaIO4 mediated oxidative cleavage of olefins to ketones", D. W. Watson, M. Gill, P. Kemmitt, S. G. Lamont, M. V. Popescu, I. Simpson, Tet. Lett. 2018, 59, 4479–4482.
(2). "Synthesis of triarylamines via sequential C-N bond formation", S. G. Modha, M. V. Popescu, M. F. Greaney, J. Org. Chem. 2017, 82, 11933–11938.
(1). "Visible-Light-Mediated 5-exo-dig Cyclization of Amidyl Radicals", F. Reina, E. M. Dauncey, S. P. Morcillo, T. D. Svejstrup, M. V. Popescu, J. J. Douglas, N. S. Sheikh, D. Leonori, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 2017, 2108–2111.
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Invited submission for a special issue on photoredox catalysis