Organometallic chemistry, medicinal chemistry: New reaction development with earth-abundant copper and manganese catalysts, asymmetric catalysis, alkene difunctionalization reactions, natural product synthesis, synthesis and medicinal chemistry of nitrogen heterocycles.
Research in the Chemler group involves the development and study of new organic and organometallic reactions and the application of these reactions to the synthesis of valuable natural products and designed molecules with interesting molecular architecture and potent biological activity.
The Chemler group has recently discovered novel oxidative cyclization chemistry enabled by relatively inexpensive and non-toxic copper salts. In this context, the generality, mechanism and application of the copper promoted/catalyzed intramolecular carboamination, diamination and aminooxygenation of unactivated olefins are being explored. The efficiency of these methods in the synthesis of medicinally relevant nitrogen heterocycles is underway.