Catalytic Stereoselective Synthesis with Boron Reagents

Chiral organoboronic esters are versatile intermediates for chemical synthesis. Not only are these compounds stable under a variety of reaction conditions, they are generally non-toxic and can be transformed with minimal generation of hazardous waste. An important feature of aliphatic organoboronic esters is that the boron atom may be replaced with an array of different functional groups through efficient, stereospecific transformations. This seminar will cover new strategies for the construction of alkylboronic esters from simple starting materials in a catalytic enantioselective fashion, and will also discuss ways in which these compounds can functionalized by catalytic stereospecific couplings. In addition, application of organoboronate-based transformations to address compelling problems in chemical synthesis will be discussed.

Speaker: Jim Morken, Boston College