Pete Wilson

Education

• B.Sc. - University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• M.Sc. & Ph.D. - University of Manchester

Lab Information

• LAB: C8065
  
• TEL: 778-782-4403

Research

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

method-, target- and diversity-oriented organic synthesis

Our research program concerns the discovery, invention and development of new synthetic methods as well as the multiple-step chemical synthesis of specific target compounds. We are interested in the total synthesis of structurally complex organic molecules that include biologically active natural products and structural analogues as well as designed molecules that incorporate novel molecular structures that in turn could have interesting physicochemical properties. We are particularly interested in the development of efficient and modular synthetic strategies that can be used to generate molecular diversity in order to assess the structure-function relationships of our target molecules, new chemical reagents and catalysts. Moreover, a number of the projects that are under investigation are applicable to automation (parallel synthesis) that is used to facilitate the evaluation and optimization procedures in both our method- and target-oriented research.

Specific projects include:

• The total synthesis of the biologically relevant natural products, artocarpol A, daurichromenic acid and xyloketal A (which have anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV and neuroprotective properties, respectively).
• The synthesis, chemistry and molecular recognition of functionalized triquinacene derivatives.
• The design, synthesis and applications of novel chiral acetals, as auxiliaries and ligands, in asymmetric synthesis.
• The development and applications of low-valent early transition metal-mediated reactions in organic synthesis.
• New methods and applications of automated parallel synthesis.