Research Summary

Development of new methods for the construction of organic compounds and their use in the preparation of a diverse range of functional molecules. These include: the preparation of anticancer natural products and the study of their mode of action; the synthesis and evaluation of new materials that act as molecular switches; the development of new chemistry for the rapid and efficient assembly of organic molecules. Much of our work involves the use and/or study of strained heterocyclic ring systems.

Selected Publications

• Rapid Synthesis of 1,3,4,4-Tetrasubstituted β-Lactams from Methyleneaziridines Using a Four-Component Reaction. C.C.A. Cariou, G.J. Clarkson, M. Shipman, J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 9762-9764.
• Total Synthesis of (±)-Luminacin D. D. Oehlrich, S.M.E. Vidot, M. W. Davies, G. J. Clarkson, M. Shipman, Tetrahedron, 2007, 63, 4703-4711.
• Control of Pyramidal Inversion Rates by Redox Switching. M.W. Davies, M. Shipman, J.H.R. Tucker, T.R. Walsh, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 14260-14261.
• On the Origin of the DNA Sequence Selectivity of the Azinomycins. R.C. LePla, C.A.S. Landreau, M. Shipman, G.D.D. Jones, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2005, 3, 1174-1175.