This Minority Research Planning Grant project is supported through the Office of Special Projects and the Synthetic Organic Chemistry Program in Chemistry. It involves a study of the important role that cyclopropanes play in organic synthesis. The cyclopropane ring system lends itself to many synthetically useful rearrangements and appears as part of a number of natural products. While these compounds have been extensively studied, there is still a good deal of active research continuing on the syynthesis and chemistry of cyclopropanes. This project involves new routes for the synthesis of highly substituted cyclopropanes and for formation of highly reactive cyclopropane intermediates generated via carbene chemistry. %%% Minority Research Planning Grants are intended to strengthen the proposal writing and planning capabilities of new investigators and to facilitate preliminary studies and other planning activities related to the research. This project is that of a chemist who has moved to an academic career after a brief experience in industry.
