Organometallic Chemistry

Our organometallic chemistry research group projects would be focused on the discovery, development and synthesis of various compounds of medicinal significance, utilizing Pd-type coupling area of focus (Suzuki, Stille, Sonogashira and Buchwald couplings), Negishi-organozinc couplings, Olefin Metathesis Reactions (Grubbs and Schrock catalysts) and other plans e.g Takai, Tebbe, Peterson, Wittig olefinations etc,.

Previous problems currently being or to be addressed include:

  • The synthesis of hundreds of medicinally significant molecules utilizing palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling protocol for ChemRoutes and CanAm Bioresearch Inc.
  • The synthesis of hundreds of bioactive molecules utilizing palladium-catalyzed Buchwald cross-coupling protocol for ChemRoutes Corporation.
  • The synthesis of cross-conjugated (iso-PDA) oligomers ranging from monomer to pentadecamer, using a palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling protocol as published in Chem. Eur. J., 2005, 11, 321-329. .
  • The use of ring-opening/cross-metathesis (ROCM) reactions between unsymmetrical norbornene derivatives and electron-rich olefins in the presence of the second-generation Grubbs’ catalyst to generate highly substituted furans and pyrroles.
  • Utilization of the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reactions into the formation of the first generation E-ring and second generation I-ring of adriatoxin.
  • The use of the Wilkinson’s catalyst for the isomerisation of the 7-membered E-ring of the first generation synthesis of adriatoxin.
  • The synthesis of the AB, EF and IJ subunits of adriatoxin, utilizing our olefin metathesis, carbonyl olefination protocol (variant of Takai olefination) as published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 8055-8058. .
  • Expansion of our stereoselective 1,2-hydride migration protocol to iterative C-glycoside technology.
  • The synthesis of 7,7,8,8-tetraethynyl-dihydro-p-quinodimethane (TEQ) derivatives for optical and material applications using a palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling protocol.
  • Application of palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling protocol into synthesizing and characterization of korormicin derivatives which has an inhibitory activity towards the growth of marine Gram-negative bacteria.