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“Surface Reactivity and Restructuring at the Nanoscale”
Presented by Prof. Cynthia Friend, Harvard University
November 20, 2008 at 4:30pm
Room 209 Havemeyer
Reactions of interest to heterogeneous catalysis on Au are an exciting area of investigation. Selective olefin oxidation has been studied and a new class of reactions catalyzed by Au was discovered based on fundamental studies of surface chemistry. Nitrogen-containing species were synthesized on Au(111) using activation of ammonia. A combination of spectroscopic and chemical studies in conjunction with imaging of surface structure, shows that surface restructuring at the nanoscale occurs at low temperatures and that these structural changes play an important role in catalytic activity.
Hosted by the Women in Science at Columbia (WISC)
Tea & cookies will be served prior to the lecture in the Miller Seminar Room, 328 Havemeyer
The
Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture in Organic Synthesis
“New Synthetic Methods Inspired by Complex Natural Products”
Presented by Prof. John Porco, Boston University
December 4, 2008 at 4:30pm
Room 209 Havemeyer Hall
Research in the Porco laboratory (http://people.bu.edu/porcogrp) is focused in two major areas: the development of new synthetic methodologies for efficient chemical synthesis of complex molecules and synthesis of complex chemical libraries, the latter conducted at the NIH-funded Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development at Boston University (CMLD-BU). Synthetic methodologies developed in the Porco laboratory include: copper (I)-mediated formation of enamides, oxa-electrocyclization/dimerization of dienals enroute to complex epoxyquinoid frameworks; enantioselective oxidative dearomatization using chiral copper complexes and molecular oxygen; photocycloadditionoxidopyryliums enroute to the rocaglamides and related natural products, and catalytic ester-amide exchange using group (IV) metal alkoxide-activator complexes. In the past six years, his research group has synthesized over twenty five complex natural product targets, including nine epoxyquinoid natural products, four salicylate enamidemacrolides, the rocaglamides, and kinamycin C. This presentation will outline recent examples illustrating methodologies developed during the course of complex molecule syntheses, including biomimetic syntheses of complex natural product targets.
Hosted by Prof. Tristan Lambert
Tea & cookies will be served prior to the lecture.
"Downhill folding: experiment and modeling"
Prof. Martin Gruebele, University of Illinois
Hosted by Prof. Laura Kaufman
December 11, 2008 at 4:30pm
Room 209 Havemeyer Hall
Tea & cookies will be served prior to the lecture.
Chemistry Professor Dalibor Sames and his collaborator,
Professor David Sulzer of the Department of Neuroscience, have received a
2008-2009 McKnight Foundation Technical Innovations in Neuroscience Award for
their project “Development of Fluorescent False Neurotransmitters: Novel Probes
for Direct Visualization of Neurotransmitter Release from Individual
Presynaptic Terminals.”
The McKnight Foundation supports research on diseases of the brain and behavior. As part of that effort, it offers four awards annually in the Technical Innovations category. Each award can be up to $100,000 a year for two years. The foundation also offers up to 12 awards annually in two other categories.
More information about the awards can be found on the McKnight Foundation website. Information on Prof. Sames’ research program can be found here, and here for Professor Sulzer.