CHED 1495 |
| Other than human activities over the last ~two centuries, from the beginning of life the synthesis/creation of new molecules has taken place essentially exclusively in the domain of biology—and at the whim of evolution. Human intervention dramatically altered that natural course. Synthesis chemists, from alchemists to those engaged in state-of-the-art developments in the field, have used their higher order skills in a strive to push the limits of how and what we construct as new molecular entities. In this lecture I will attempt to offer some perspective on aspects of that evolution. Synthesis of products of nature—carbon-containing compounds that comprise the natural world of organic chemistry—will be emphasized. Likely topics are the underpinnings of structural theories, roles of mechanistic thinking (curly arrows and computers) and technological developments (chromatography and spectroscopies), the age of catalysis (organometallics and more), strategy and logic (retrosynthetic analysis), the world(s) of asymmetry, green chemistries, and innovations (how) vs. targets (what). |
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Chemical Evolution from Origins of Life to Modern Society
1:30 PM-4:55 PM, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Jasperwood, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |