Organic Chemistry Seminar

Wednesday, November 8th
Professor Tomislav Rovis
"Catalytic Asymmetric C-C and C-N Bond-Forming Reactions"

4:15pm - 5:15pm
Braun Lecture Hall
S.G.Mudd Chemistry Building
Stanford University



This seminar is free and open to the public. All Stanford University Chemistry students are encouraged to attend this special event.

About the seminar
Rapid assembly of biologically relevant complex molecules mandates the development of new, efficient methods for the construction of key motifs. Our laboratory has been engaged in the development of reactions focusing on asymmetric C-C and C-N bond constructions. The use of transition metal catalysts facilitates the in situ activation of latent electrophiles proceeding via metalacyclic intermediates. Complementary approaches involve the use of nucleophilic carbenes as catalysts exploiting umpolung reactivity of aldehydes. Reaction development and synthetic scope will be discussed.

About Rovis:
Tom Rovis was born in Zagreb in the former Yugoslavia but grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. He conducted his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Toronto, receiving his Ph.D. in 1998 under the supervision of Mark Lautens. From 1998 until 2000 he was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow with Dave Evans at Harvard before accepting a position at Colorado State University. In 2005, he was promoted to associate professor. His research interests include asymmetric catalysis, total synthesis, organometallic chemistry and transition metals in synthesis. He has received a number of awards and honors including an NSF CAREER Award, an Eli Lily Granteeship, a J&J Focused Giving Award, an Amgen Young Investigator award and a GSK Scholar Award. Most recently, he was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow and a Monfort Professor.

Questions
Please contact Patricia Dwyer at 650-723-4770.