Organic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Pat Guiry, University College Dublin
About the Seminar
Recent Adventures in Asymmetric Catalysis and Medicinal Chemistry
This presentation will describe some of our work research results in four distinct areas:
1. Pd-catalysed decarboxylative asymmetric transformations (allylic alkylation and protonation) for the preparation of a-aryl-containing quaternary and tertiary stereocenters;
2. The design and synthesis of novel ferrocene-containing diols and alcohols as novel scaffolds for asymmetric catalysis and interesting reactivities leading to the formation of a series of unexpected products.
3. The synthesis and biological evaluation of selected examples of synthetic analogues of lipoxins, a class of specialised pro-resolving mediators.
4. The design, synthesis and application of novel planar chiral N,O ligands (UCDImphanols) in zinc-catalysed (3+2) cycloadditions between azomethine ylides and a series of maleimides, acyclic enones and nitrostyrenes.
About the Speaker
Pat Guiry is a Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Head of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at University College Dublin, He leads a group of talented researchers who develop new catalysts and synthetic methodologies to prepare biologically interesting organic compounds, particularly those with anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. He is internationally renowned for his expertise in asymmetric catalysis, stereoselective synthesis, and medicinal chemistry.
Additional biographical details: B.Sc. University College Dublin (1986); Ph.D.(1990) from University College Dublin (supervisors, Dervilla Donnelly and Sir Derek Barton). Postdoctoral Fellow with John Brown FRS at the University of Oxford (1990-3). College lecturer at Wadham College Oxford1992-1993; College lecturer/director of studies at St. Hugh's College Oxford. Joined University College Dublin in 1993; Promoted to Senior Lecturer (2002), Associate Professor (2003) and Full Professor (2006) at UCD. Chief Executive of the Conway Institute at UCD (2004-5) and Director of the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology (joint 2002-4 and solely 2005-present). Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Chemistry in Ireland. Elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2013. Awarded the Boyle-Higgins Medal of the Institute of Chemistry in Ireland in 2014. Science Secretary of the Royal Irish Academy 2017-2020. President of the Institute of Chemistry in Ireland 2022-present; President of the EuChemS Division of Organic Chemistry 2022-present.