On October 21th, invited by Prof. Zhu Weihong (Dean of School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering), Professor Timothy R. Newhouse (Yale University) visited our school and gave a lecture titled “Mechanism-Based Methods Development for Synthesis of Neurologically Active Natural Products”. Prof. Zhu Weihong hosted the lecture, Prof. Wu Xinyan, Cai Liangzhen also attended the lecture.
In the lecture, Prof. Newhouse mainly focused on the development of new synthetic methods to rapidly acquire these structurally complex small molecules. Despite the power of modern organic chemistry, efficient synthesis of complex molecular scaffolds remains an unmet challenge. Their intricate ring systems and stereochemical arrays require too many synthetic operations to rapidly produce libraries of analogs. New technological approaches are needed to forge their varied bonds to provide scalable access to libraries of these molecular architectures. Through detailed mechanistic study, such technologies can be developed.
The development of general construction reactions will have broad utility in a range of fields that rely on the synthesis of small molecules and functional materials. One particular area that the Newhouse group focuses on is the total chemical synthesis of carbocyclic frameworks that are known to elicit powerful neurological effects. These substances will both serve as chemical probes to study fundamental aspects of neurological function and address neurological dysfunction. After the lecture, Prof. Newhouse discussed with participants and exchanged opinions.
CV of Prof. Timothy R. Newhouse:
Tim Newhouse received his B.A. in Chemistry from Colby College in 2005, and received his Ph.D. in 2010 from The Scripps Research Institute where he worked with Prof. Phil S. Baran and Prof. Donna G. Blackmond. During this time, he developed a mechanistically-defined method for the amination of indoles and applied it to the synthesis of psychotrimine, psychotetramine, and the kapakahines. After completing postdoctoral studies with Prof. E.J. Corey at Harvard University, where he completed a stereomechanistic analysis of the Kagan titanium-mediated enantioselective sulfoxide synthesis, he began his independent career in 2013. His research focuses on using a mechanism-based approach to the development of transition-metal catalyzed carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions for the purpose of synthesizing neurologically active small molecule natural products. He has recently published on the development of a novel anilide ligand used for allyl-Pd catalysis to dehydrogenate carbonyl compounds.
