New methods expand access to molecules key to human health

"I love solving problems, the more challenging the better," says San Pham, first author of the paper. Senior author is Frank McDonald, Emory professor of chemistry and Pham's PhD advisor.

A new approach to an established reaction boosts the ability to synthesize vinylic ethers — key building blocks for many molecules that are important to human health. The American Chemical Society’s Organic Letters published the breakthrough, made by chemists at Emory University. 

“Our method is easy to reproduce and is based on widely available and inexpensive compounds,” says San Pham, an Emory PhD candidate and first author of the paper. “We can apply this method to make multiple natural products, including novel vinylic ethers.” 

Her research improves the reliability, yield and generality of what is known as the Chan-Evans-Lam reaction. These enhancements greatly expand the reaction’s potential for the synthesis of complex, biologically active compounds for drug research.

Read the full story here.

Related:

Chemists showcase power of pathbreaking method to make complex molecules

Plant extract inspires new chemistry and new early lead against triple-negative breast cancer