Applying our synthesis skills : natural products and molecular machinery

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There are two distinct research programs in our application, each will be summarized in turn. Organic synthesis: Practicing and developing the science of synthesis are important endeavors. The pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries, among others, use synthetic methods and reagents that academics develop. In addition, we provide well trained and highly qualified people they can hire. We will endeavour to prepare several natural products: palau'amine is a complex natural alkaloid with a particularly strained high energy fragment notoriously difficult to make; plakortone and plakilactones are members of a biologically active family of polyketides that are promising therapeutics. In attempting their synthesis, we will be able to test the limits of our recently developed methodologies as well as invent new ones. Molecular switches: Another goal of synthesis is to prepare organic molecules possessing a function (organic devices). In order to make `intelligent devices', the industry needs new molecular scaffolds that are able to respond to their environment or accomplish work when stimulated. We propose to make a novel molecular modulator with the aim of imparting control on useful systems. The system will respond to external stimuli (light, heat, chemicals, etc.). The system relies on controlling the equilibrium between to species called regioisomers. The aim is to switch from one species to the next upon applying an external stimulus. If we then `hook' this switch onto a functional system, for example a conjugated system that displays fluorescence or conducts electricity, we would be able to turn it `on' of `off' by applying the external stimulus. There is immense potential in making nanomaterials and devices. The two scaffolds will be very good additions to a small but growing list of molecular devices. Our program will benefit all industries that require synthetics, both in terms of methods and HQP. In addition, I believe that organic synthesis as a lot to contribute to material chemistry and we hope to bring new ideas in that field.