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Nan Zheng CHEM 211 |
Degrees:
Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1999-2005
NIH/NCI Postdoctoral Trainee, 2005-2006
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, 2006-2008
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Interests:
natural product synthesis, method development, and organometallics
Research:
Research in our group is focused on the development of transition metal catalyzed methods and their application to the total synthesis of complex molecules with promising biological activities. Specifically, we are interested in developing new reactions that have the potential to open avenues for forming carbon-carbon bonds and carbon-nitrogen bonds. For example, functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds catalyzed by late transition metals could allow for untraditional bond disconnections in constructing molecules. Such processes could enable the direct conversion of a carbon-hydrogen bond to a carbon-metal bond, which could be further transformed to a carbon-carbon bond or carbon-nitrogen bond. Additionally, we are interested in harnessing the potential of nitrogen radicals to form carbon-nitrogen bonds. Despite their potential, the use of these species in the preparation of nitrogen-containing compounds has been limited. This is likely due to several factors, such as the limited number of available precursors, the requirement of Bu3SnH as a reagent, and the need for special conditions such as photolysis or strongly acidic conditions. Some natural products, such as those shown below, possess unique molecular architectures and interesting biological properties. As we develop new methods, we plan to pursue these targets and highlight our chemistry.