(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05)
Lutin, David J.
Allylic functionality, often taking the form of terpenes, is a mainstay of marine natural products. The aryl-allyl connection is particularly common, appearing in several product classes derived from Callophycus serratus, many of which exhibit promising initial biological activities. In pursuit of several total syntheses, which leverage a copper-catalyzed Grignard cross-coupling between a 3-halo-4-alkoxybenzoate and geranylgeranyl bromide, we explored the effects of alkoxybenzoate and halogen substitutions on the coupling. By scrutinizing the constraints and influences of these protecting groups on cross-coupling success, we lay out the potential for downstream deprotection chemistry. Here, we present the results of this investigation, along with a theoretical basis for the observations.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-05)
Crolais, Alex E.
Ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a type of olefin metathesis chain-growth polymerization that has shown great versatility in the field of polymer chemistry. Although it allows polymerization of monomers containing a variety of functional groups, how effective it is in polymerizing degradable monomers is largely unknown. In this report, we demonstrate a novel synthetic pathway to synthesize an acetal-containing degradable monomer that is compatible with ROMP and the Grubbs 3 (G3) catalyst. Polymers made from this monomer were characterized by GPC analysis and underwent degradation studies. Acetals generally undergo hydrolysis in mildly acid conditions and even in biologically relevant pH ranges, so this new monomer will have potential applications in drug delivery systems. The monomer also has the capacity to have its functional groups modified, changing its functionality which will be further studied.