LEAPS-MPS: Exploring the Utility of Bifunctional Reagents for the Visible Light-Mediated Synthesis of Heterocycles and Biologically Relevant Molecules

在这个由NSF化学系管理的项目中，托马斯·杰斐逊大学的米利根教授和他的学生致力于设计和研究能够在可见光下在分子中形成环结构的新化学试剂。米利根教授计划使用新开发的试剂来创造新的方法，将可见光化学整合到本科有机化学课程中。该项目将支持和扩大托马斯·杰斐逊大学与费城公立学区之间的伙伴关系。这些努力的目标是改善高中生获得和了解STEM就业机会的机会。米利根教授和他的学生专注于设计、合成和研究能够在蓝色LED灯照射下形成杂环的试剂。感兴趣的试剂在本质上是“双功能”的，这意味着它们能够在同一烧瓶中顺序地触发传统的极光和可见光引发的自由基反应。这项工作的目标是利用化学反应的范例来研究各种环状分子的合成，包括生物感兴趣的分子。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project managed by the Chemistry Division at NSF, Professor Milligan and his students at Thomas Jefferson University aim to design and study new chemical reagents that are capable of forming ring structures in molecules upon exposure to visible light. Prof. Milligan plans to use the newly developed reagents to create new approaches for integrating visible light-enabled chemistry into undergraduate organic chemistry curricula. The project will support and expand partnerships between Thomas Jefferson University and the public school district in the city of Philadelphia. The goals of these efforts are to improve access and understanding of career opportunities in STEM among high school students. Professor Milligan and his students focus on the design, synthesis, and study of reagents that are capable of forming heterocycles upon irradiation with blue LED light. The reagents of interest are “bifunctional” in nature, meaning that they are capable of both traditional polar and visible light-triggered radical reactions sequentially in the same flask. The goal of the work is to leverage the paradigm of chemical reactivity to investigate the synthesis of a variety of cyclic molecules, including molecules of biological interest.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.