Compared to ubiquitous functional groups such as alcohols, carboxylic acids, amines and amides, which serve as central “actors” in most organic reactions, sulfamates, phosphoramidates and di-tert-butyl silanols have historically been viewed as “extras."

Largely considered functional group curiosities rather than launchpoints of vital reactivity, the chemistry of these moieties is underdeveloped. Our research program has uncovered facets of reactivity of each of these functional groups, and we are optimistic that the chemistry of these fascinating molecules can be developed into general transformations useful for chemists across multiple disciplines. In the ensuing sections, I will describe our efforts to develop new reactions with these “unusual” functional groups, namely sulfamates, phosphoramidates, and di-tert-butyl silanols.