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Nicholas Ball

@ballnchemist.bsky.social
476 followers 173 following 8 posts

Synthetic chemist and Associate Professor of Chemistry at Pomona College @pomonacollege. Son of TN, fan of fluorine, Black, and QPOC 🌈. My opinions are my own.

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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
SuFEx welcomes new coupling partners - carbon pronucleophiles now in @chemicalscience.rsc.org . Congrats to Ball Lab students Joe Novicku and Matt Teeter and Pfizer colleagues Alistair, Tom, Neil, ans @chrisamende.bsky.social on the great work! #MyFirstChemSci pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
pubs.rsc.org
Sulfur fluoride exchange with carbon pronucleophiles
Aryl alkyl sulfones are an important class of compounds in drug discovery; thus, new methods toward their synthesis are desirable. A general sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) method to couple aryl sulf...
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
With great thanks to NIGMS, the Ball Lab has had our R15 renewed! It took 19 months, but very thankful to the NIH for their support. I am looking forward to training undergraduates with Prof. Ogba @HMC and Dr. am Ende at Pfizer to conduct excellent research in SuFEx!
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Check out our new paper with the Stieber Lab @calpolypomona providing evidence that Ni can activate sulfonyl fluorides, resulting in a new binding modality of sulfur dioxide to nickel. Such a privilege to be a part of this work! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Flash Communication: Sulfonyl Fluoride Activation via S–F and C–S Bond Cleavage by a Ni(0) Bis-Bidentate N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex
This work investigates possible mechanisms and intermediates in the reactivity of p-toluenesulfonyl fluoride with a new bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nickel complex, (MesNHC2oXy)Ni(COD) (Mes ...
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Part 2 of our involvement with the fantastic Stieberlab! So excited for you all to see it!
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Reposted by Nicholas Ball
Stieber Lab @stieberlab.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Check out our latest pre-print that has these (+ more!) new structures! Lots of cool chemistry led by undergrads @oxidativerendition.bsky.social, Justin, + Adrian+ collab with @ballnchemist.bsky.social + Neil. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
3-D printed bidentate NHC nickel complexes in blue (3 total)
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Check out the new preprint we have with the Stieber lab featuring Nickel activation of sulfonyl fluorides! The team at @calpolypomona are extraordinary! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
chemrxiv.org
Sulfonyl fluoride activation via S-F and C-S bond cleavage by a Ni(0) bis-bidentate N- heterocyclic carbene complex
This work investigates possible mechanisms and intermediates in the reactivity of p-toluenesulfonyl fluoride with a new bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nickel complex, (MesNHC2oXy)Ni(COD) (Mes ...
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Just completed a three-month sabbatical Groton, CT site with @chrisamende.bsky.social . I had a great time working with excellent colleagues (including @bagphos.bsky.social ) and learning a lot of new chemistry. Thanks so much!
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Really cool work from James Bull's group at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social in JACS . Check it out! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Harnessing Oxetane and Azetidine Sulfonyl Fluorides for Opportunities in Drug Discovery
Four-membered heterocycles such as oxetanes and azetidines represent attractive and emergent design options in medicinal chemistry due to their small and polar nature and potential to significantly im...
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Nicholas Ball @ballnchemist.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Check out the latest from our lab's @theballlab in @JOC_OL Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Sulfur Fluoride Exchange. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Sulfur Fluoride Exchange
A new method uses metal Lewis acids as catalysts to convert sulfonyl fluorides, fluorosulfates, and sulfamoyl fluorides with silyl amines into S–N bond-containing compounds via sulfur fluoride exchange. The reaction successfully employs Ca(NTf2)2 as a catalyst to form sulfonamides, sulfamates, and sulfamides using in situ-generated or commercially available silyl amines in 35–99% yields. Other metal Lewis acids are also demonstrated to be catalysts in SuFEx, forming sulfonamides and sulfamates in yields comparable to those of Ca(NTf2)2.
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