New Approaches for Efficiency in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

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With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Barry M. Trost, of the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University, is developing new and efficient approaches for the synthesis of complex organic molecules. Chiral ligands spontaneously promoting the formation of dinuclear metal complexes are being developed for asymmetric catalysis of addition reactions. Guided by mechanistic principles, a novel synthetic method effecting trans hydrometalation is being explored. A variety of metal-mediated methodologies, exploiting the chemistry of ruthenium, rhodium, molybdenum, and vanadium, will be developed, facilitating the construction of complex organic molecules from a range of substrates. Finally, recognizing that not all catalytic events require transition metals, cyclization strategies based on nucleophilic catalysis are opening new doors for unprecedented approaches for organocatalytic polypeptide synthesis.As our knowledge of the structure and reactivity of molecules increases, the practice of organic synthesis is undergoing a change in focus, with the question now more often asked being not if a complex target can be synthesized, but rather how. Practical syntheses derive from the existence of a basic set of synthetic reactions, and the limitations of that base set define the extent to which organic syntheses may be made economical, efficient, and environmentally conscious. With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Barry M. Trost, of the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University, is developing new and selective reactions that add to our arsenal of techniques for the synthesis of the complex organic molecules increasingly forming the basis of a myriad of applications, ranging from biology to materials science.