The emphasis of this work is two fold: 1) development of new photochemical reactions and 2) the theoretical as well as experimental understanding of mechanisms of organic photoreactions. On the synthetic organic photochemistry side, several new photochemical rearrangement reactions will be explored as well as some new heterocyclic photochemistry that should lead to a photochemical beta-lactam synthesis. Host-guest or solid state photoreactions which occur within a crystal lattice will continue to be explored. Three different theoretical methods for predicting and modelling organic photochemical processes will also be studied.
With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research of Dr. Howard E. Zimmerman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Zimmerman will explore new organic photochemical reactions and work to theoretically predict and model the outcomes of existing photochemical reactions. The photochemical reactions studied will serve as the foundation for new synthetic organic procedures and thus have potential applications for the preparation of antibiotics (particularly the heterocyclic photochemistry to be studied) and other pharmaceuticals. Students educated during the course of this work will be broadly trained in theoretical and experimental organic chemistry and preparative photochemistry and gain skills needed by the pharmaceutical industry.
