Event

Synthetic and Microbial Approaches to Natural Products

Abstract: Small molecules produced by the secondary metabolism of living organisms have long fascinated scientists with their structural complexity and biological activity. These natural products have inspired generations of synthetic chemists and biochemists, both to reconstruct them in the laboratory and to elucidate their means of production in nature. This seminar will examine natural products from both of these perspectives: the total synthesis of hippolachnin A, a cyclobutane containing polyketide, and the biosynthesis of alanosine, with a focus on its unusual nitrogen-nitrogen bond.