A paper by Dr. Ethan Hu entitled, "Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Coordination Chemistry of (Trineopentylphosphine)palladium(aryl)bromide Dimer Complexes ([(Np3P)Pd(Ar)Br]2)," was published in Inorganic Chemistry.  Co-authors on the paper are, Monica Vasiliu, Deidra Gerlach, Fengrui Qu, Trent Stein, Dr. David Dixon, and Kevin Shaughnessy.  The paper describes the structure of the trineopentylphosphine ligand in [(Np3P)Pd(Ar)Br]2 complexes as a function of the steric demand of the aryl group.  The trineopentylphosphine is highly flexible allowing it to accommodate other sterically demanding ligands.

The Shaughnessy group presented 5 papers at the ACS meeting in New Orleans.
Kevin Shaughnessy gave a talk in the Homogeneous Catalysis for Applied Organic Synthesis symposium entitled, "Alkylphosphine cyclometallation as a mode of catalyst deactivation and a source of active catalysts." 
Ethan Hu gave a talk entitled, "Methods to reduce Pd(II) precatalysts to Pd(0) for cross-coupling reactions" in the Organic Division.
Benjamin Headford presented a poster entitled, "Synthesis and catalytic application of asymmetrically substituted 1,3-diphosphines," in the Organic Division.
James Howard presented a talk entitled, "Synthesis and catalytic application of asymmetrically substituted 1,3-diphosphines," in the Division of Chemical Education.
Connar Franklin gave a poster in the Division of Chemical Education entitled, "Phosphine-free palladium catalysts for the direct arylation of heterocyclic aromatic compounds."

Congratulations to Huaiyuan "Ethan" Hu who successfully defended his dissertation entitled, "Part A: Arenepolythiols Synthesis And Doping Study Of Semiconducting Metal-Organic Framework; Part B: Mechanistic Study Of The Bis(Trineopentylphosphine)Palladium Catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig Amination."