Organic Chemistry Seminar: Professor David Nagib, Ohio State University

Organic Chemistry Seminar: Professor David Nagib, Ohio State University (Host: Noah Burns) 

About the Seminar

"C-H and C-O Functionalization via Radical Chaperones"

Our research is focused on harnessing the untapped reactivity of abundant chemical feedstocks to enable late-stage functionalization of medicinally relevant molecules. We have recently developed new approaches for selective C-H and C-O functionalization of alcohols, amines, and carbonyls, using a combination of radical (1e-) and closed shell (2e-) processes that act in concert with one another. These radical chaperone strategies have enabled discovery of new classes of reactivity to streamline the synthesis of complex molecules with biological and industrial significance.

About the Speaker

David grew up near Philadelphia, PA as the eldest of four siblings in an Egyptian family with a strong love for teaching and education. He earned his B.Sc. with honors at Boston College in 2006, studying peptide-catalyzed desymmetrization with Prof. Scott Miller. In 2011, he earned his PhD at Princeton University, developing medicinally relevant trifluoromethylations via photoredox catalysis with Prof. David MacMillan. As an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, he studied C-H activation via oxidative gold mechanisms with Prof. F. Dean Toste, while also collaborating with Prof. Omar Yaghi on promoting catalysis within MOF materials. Since 2014, David has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The Ohio State University, where his team’s research on radical-mediated C-H and C-O functionalization has been recognized by the ACS, NIH, NSF, and Sloan Foundation. When not working alongside his awesome labmates, David enjoys running along the Scioto River, checking out Columbus’ vibrant foodie scene, and planning future world travels.