US-Turkey Cooperative Research: Development of Catalytic Asymmetric Azomethine Ylide Cycloaddition Reactions

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

0242964 Garner Description: This award supports a cooperative research project between Dr. Philip Garner, Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, Ohio, and Dr. Ozdemir Dogan, Department of Chemistry, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. The objective of this joint project is to develop an effective catalytic asymmetric reaction for the synthesis of pure pyrrolidines. The development of means of preparation of substituted pyrrolidines in high purity would be a major achievement, as the pyrrolidine substructures are found in many bioactive natural products and synthetic drug structures. Scope: Part of the catalyst development work will be conducted in the U.S. by Hasan Koyuncu, who is a Turkish graduate student in the Dogan group. He will spend three months each year in the Garner laboratory, and his work will be part of his Ph.D. thesis with Professor Garner acting as Mr. Koyuncu's co-advisor. This experience abroad will contribute to his professional development. The visits by Dogan and Garner to each other's laboratories will be used for group discussions relating to the project, and for departmental seminars. These activities will foster the growing research interactions between METU and CWRU. The project is funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Chemistry.