CAREER: Development of Chiral Nucleophilic Carbenes for Use in Organic Synthesis

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Professor Rovis is developing a family of chiral carbenes, derived from amino acids, which place chirality proximal to the carbene carbon. The target chiral triazolylidene carbenes will be explored as nucleophilic catalysts in the Stetter reaction and other nucleophile catalyzed processes. Professor Rovis will also assess the behavior of these carbenes as ligands to modify the reactivity of transition metals in new reaction manifolds, including activation of acidic C-H bonds by rhodium carbene complexes and the direct activation of acidic X-H bonds (X = N, O, etc.) by Lewis basic metal complexes. Professor Rovis will introduce concept mapping to the organic chemistry curriculum, particularly targeting enhanced understanding and performance by non-chemists.With this CAREER award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the teaching and research program of Professor Tomislav Rovis, of the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University. Professor Rovis is developing a novel class of compounds designed to mediate selective transformations of various types of organic molecules. These studies will lead to the development of new and effective methods for the construction of more complex organic structures, providing powerful tools for the synthesis of compounds displaying desired chemical or biological activity. By introducing concept mapping to the organic chemistry curriculum, Professor Rovis will exploit the power of this technique, in which graphic images are used to illustrate connections between related topics, to enhance understanding and performance by students from non-chemical disciplines. Rather than simply using concept mapping as an assessment tool, Professor Rovis will actively involve students in the instructional process, empowering them to apply concept mapping in their other studies.