Award Address (Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards (CSY) sponsored by Arthur C. Cope Fund). Natural product synthesis: A platform for chemical discovery

Abstract

The overarching goal of the Reisman lab. is to discover, develop, and study new chem. reactions within the context of natural product total synthesis. The chem. synthesis of natural products enables the study of their biol. properties, and can provide access to synthetic derivs. with improved therapeutic properties or that can serve as mechanistic probes. As importantly, these synthetic undertakings serve to drive innovation in, and deepen our fundamental understanding of, org. and organometallic chem. Our lab. has ongoing research programs targeting the chem. syntheses of several natural products, including members of the epidithiodiketopiperazines, the ent-kauranoids, and the acutumine alkaloids. The densely packed arrays of heteroatoms and stereogenic centers that constitute these polycyclic targets challenge the limits of current synthetic methodol. This seminar will describe our latest progress in both our methodol. and target-directed synthesis endeavors.