This project will develop methods to control the selectivity of multifunctionalization reactions, which would enable production of complex valuable chemicals from simple inexpensive starting materials. Multifunctionalization reactions involve multiple bond-breaking and making steps in a single reaction and can be used to rapidly increase the molecular complexity, and value, of abundant hydrocarbon feedstocks. However, poor selectivity in these transformations often leads to an unusable mixture of products. The research team under Dr. Bruch will investigate how specifically designed substrates can be used to address this challenge and develop clear rules for broad implementation. The project will train undergraduate and graduate students to investigate the molecular details of organometallic catalysis and the design of new catalytic reactions to facilitate the synthesis of products with pharmaceutical, materials, and energy applications. Furthermore, the project will support (i) the development of a summer workshop series to improve the technical, software, and data analysis skills of undergraduate and graduate students and (ii) a hybrid workshop-conference for undergraduates that provides training in science communication with general and technical audiences. This project will examine and evaluate how remote leaving groups can be used to control the regioselective multifunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons. The key premise of this work is that the initial function