CAREER: 2-Alkylidene Oxetanes: A Versatile Molecular Scaffold for New Molecules and Advanced Materials

Howell教授的研究重点是2-亚烷基环氧乙烷的合成及其作为丝氨酸和半胱氨酸蛋白酶的潜在抑制剂以及合成中环碳环化合物和螺酮的前体。使用后一种方法将制备结构类似于简单昆虫信息素的化合物，该方法设计简单，具有化学选择性，不广泛使用保护基团，同时在温和的条件下进行。还将探索通过2-亚烷基环氧烷的中间体以及2-亚烷基环氧烷的聚合来实现其他官能化的方法，预计将生成聚酮。Howell教授将努力促进学生和教师与行业的互动，以实现三个目标：(1)增加学生对行业职业机会的欣赏，(2)提高教师对如何帮助学生寻找工作的理解，以及(3)促进学术与产业和产业与学术的合作。通过这一职业奖，合成有机计划支持康涅狄格大学化学系艾米·豪厄尔博士的研究和教育活动。豪厄尔教授研究了一类用途广泛的前体分子的化学成分，到目前为止，这些分子几乎没有受到合成界的关注。这些化合物的尺寸相对较小，但包含许多活性原子基团，允许合成各种重要的化合物，包括预期具有不寻常生物活性的分子，以及聚合物材料。Howell教授的教育活动旨在通过工作坊、工业化学家教授的内部课程以及学术和工业实验室的实习，提高学生对工业职业机会的认识，并发展师生之间的合作。

Professor Howell's research focuses on the synthesis of 2-alkylideneoxetanes and their use as potential inhibitors of serine and cysteine proteases as well as precursors for the synthesis of medium-ring carbocyclic compounds and spiroketals. Compounds bearing structural analogy to simple insect pheromones will be prepared using the latter methodology, which is designed to be simple and chemoselective, without extensive use of protecting groups, while proceeding under mild conditions. Approaches to other functionalities through the intermediacy of 2-alkylideneoxetanes will also be explored, as will the polymerization of 2-alkylideneoxetanes, expected to yield polyketones. Professor Howell will seek to facilitate student and faculty interactions with industry in order to achieve three goals: (1) to increase student appreciation of industrial career opportunities, (2) to improve faculty understanding of how to assist students with their job searches, and (3) to foster academic-industrial and industrial-academic collaborations. With this CAREER award, the Synthetic Organic Program supports the research and educational activities of Dr. Amy Howell of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut. Professor Howell examines the chemistry of a class of versatile precursor molecules that, to this point, have received little attention from the synthetic community. These compounds, comparatively small in size but containing a number of reactive groupings of atoms, permit synthetic access to a wide range of important compounds, including molecules anticipated to display unusual biological activity, as well as polymeric materials. Professor Howell's educational activities target the enhancement of student awareness of career opportunities in industry and the development of faculty-industry collaborations through workshops, in-house courses taught by industrial chemists, and internships in academic and industrial laboratories.