Tags: Organic Seminar


Cooperation of Experiment and Theory in Enzyme Design

Scientists have exploited enzymes as catalysts for various chemical transformations for over 30 years. The benefits of using enzymes over other synthetic catalysts are numerous and include their specificity, selectivity, and stability. These strengths can also be weaknesses; enzymes are often only active for a few substrates, while synthetic catalysts can often be readily-tuned to increase substrate scope. The directed evolution of enzymes has…


Towards automation in oligosaccharide synthesis

Carbohydrates are the most abundant molecules among the four essential classes of biomolecules that also include nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins. Unlike proteins and nucleic acids, which follow template-driven synthetic pathways, there is no general route to the synthesis of carbohydrates. This literature seminar will focus on the commonly used methods to synthesize oligosaccharides and the gradual movement of the field towards automation.


Synthesis and Bioimaging applications of Aggregation induced emission Nanoparticles

Aggregation induced emission (AIE) molecules are a type of compounds that emit weak fluorescence in diluted solution but emit strong fluorescence in aggregated state. Traditional organic fluorescent molecules tend to emit strong fluorescence in diluted solutions, but their fluorescence will be quenched in aggregated state, which are also known as aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect. The effect is due to the excimer formed due to the π-π…


Incorporation of Benchtop NMR into Undergraduate Instructional Laboratories: Bringing Multi-Outcome Experiments to a New Level

In a multi-outcome experiment (MOE), there is at least one modifiable unknown component for students to identify. In the three projects in this talk, unknown starting material will the unknown component to identify. Student will utilize a series of modern analytical techniques to characterize the final product, including NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and melting point determination. This kind of multi-outcome experiments help bridge the gap…


Recent advances in Z-selective Olefin Metathesis


DAD: A Novel Reaction or an Old Dog with New Tricks

Carbon-carbon bond cleavage remains a frequently difficult synthetic task, yet nature is built upon the making and breaking of carbon-carbon bonds through enzyme-catalyzed reactions. One example, 2,4’-dihydroxyacetophenone dioxygenase (DAD), catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of the α-hydroxyketone side-chain of 2,4’-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP). While this enzyme has only been cursorily investigated, the DAD reaction bears notable similarity to…


Mechanism of the enzymatic synthesis of furan-containing compound

This research project stems from the desire to explore and eventually harness the enzymatic mechanism of 4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furan-
carboxaldehyde-phosphate synthase (MfnB). The enzyme of interest, MfnB, is found most prominently in methanogens and has the ability to catalyze five or more separate chemical transformations in a single active site. This singular enzyme takes two molecules of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate to create a furan-containing…


Applications of Molecular Dopants and Interface Modifiers for Electronic and Opto-Electronic Applications

Organic, hybrid, and 2D materials have attracted interest for electronic applications due to their potential for use in low-cost, large-area, flexible electronic devices. Here we will report on recent developments pertaining to surface modifiers and dopants that could impact the charge injection/collection/transport processes in organic light emitting diodes, organic field effect transistors, and photovoltaic devices. In particular, we will…


Hydrogen and Halogen Bonding: Application, Competition, and Control

Hydrogen bonding is one of the most well-characterized non-covalent interactions.  Analogous to hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding has become an important focus of study, notably in supramolecular chemistry.  The geometric specificity of hydrogen and halogen bonding is often exploited to build crystal frameworks.  These two interactions can be used in tandem to created novel organic frameworks.  Direct competition occurs…


Covalent Organic Frameworks: Tuning Assembly for Improved Crystallinity and Porosity

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