New Strategies for the Synthesis and Functionalization of Strained Rings
Presented by Prof. Sophie Rousseaux
Hosted by Prof. Tom Rovis
Abstract:
Cyclopropane and cyclobutane rings are found in numerous biologically active molecules such as natural products, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Over the last few years, my group has been investigating the functionalization of cyclopropane derivatives, through ring-opening reactions to generate metal homoenolates or in Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. In this presentation, I will highlight our efforts in this area, including new ventures in photocatalysis to access functionalized cyclopropanes.
Bio:
Sophie Rousseaux is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto, where she also holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Organic Chemistry and serves on the Scientific Leadership Team of the Acceleration Consortium. Dr. Rousseaux obtained her PhD from the University of Ottawa in 2012, working with the late Prof. Keith Fagnou on Pd-catalyzed aliphatic C–H bond functionalization reactions. In 2010, she moved to MIT to complete her graduate research with Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald. From 2012–2015, she worked with Prof. Harry L. Anderson, University of Oxford, on the self-assembly of porphyrin nanorings as an NSERC postdoctoral fellow and Glasstone Research Fellow, before starting her independent career at the University of Toronto. Her group’s research interests include organic synthesis, catalysis, and organometallic chemistry, with a particular focus on the synthesis of small rings and nitrile-containing molecules. Selected recent awards include the CSC Keith Fagnou Award (2023), the McLean Award (2022), the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies Early Career Supervision Award (2022), the Organic Letters Outstanding Publication of the Year Lectureship (2022), a Sloan Research Fellowship (2021), and the Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty Science Award of Excellence (2020).
Read more about the Rousseaux Group here
