CAREER: Small Molecule Synthesis via Iterative Cross-Coupling

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

With this CAREER Award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry program is supporting the research of Professor Martin D. Burke of the University of Illinois. This project will develop a new strategy for small molecule synthesis, analogous to peptide coupling, involving the iterative cross coupling of B-protected haloboronic acid building blocks. In this approach, bifunctional building blocks having all of the required functional groups preinstalled in the correct oxidation state and with the desired stereochemical relationships are brought together utilizing one mild reaction. The proposed research will define the scope, limitations, and potential of this novel reaction and will allow the simple and flexible construction of a broad range of complex natural products with important biological activities. The ultimate goal of this project is to make complex small molecule synthesis as simple and widely applicable as possible, thereby making the power of synthesis maximally accessible, even to the non-chemist. Professor Burke will also initiate pioneering a new outreach program entitled Lab Partners, which is designed to expose high school students from nearby rural communities to the excitement and power of organic synthesis. In collaboration with students, educational colleagues at UIUC, and teachers at rural high schools, a mini-curriculum in organic chemistry will be developed which will bring high school students to the UIUC campus for a day of laboratory exercises. This initial pilot program will be expanded to a partnership between high school science teachers and nearby research universities and results will be disseminated via the Internet. It is anticipated that these activities will demystify the college experience and encourage students from underprivileged rural communities to consider a college education in the chemical sciences.