Research Projects

Finding new reactions in an efficient and economical way is a major objective in organic synthesis. Carbonyl compounds find routine usage in developing new reactions. When acetals of carbonyl systems are formed under the reaction condition using trimethyl orthoformate and a Brønsted/ Lewis acid catalyst, they show interesting reactivity pattern and lead to products which are otherwise difficult to obtain from the parent compounds. Using this simple concept, the PI’s group has developed quite a few interesting transformations. Use of cheaper trimethyl orthoformate and acid catalysts and execution of difficult transformations makes these reactions attractive. Many of the studied reactions using this chemistry involve cascade reactions to yield complex products. This proposed work is to understand the reactivity of such in situ formed acetals further and explore new directions to utilize them. In addition to the use of established carbocationic intermediates involved in developing new reactions, it is proposed to venture into radical chemistry by making use of single electron transfer agents. This is expected to open up new avenues in the chemistry of carbonyl compounds. The proposed work which involves cyclization reactions might find application in developing methodologies for making useful products having either biochemical or material applications.