1This award from the Synthetic Organic Program is to support the research of Dr. R. Karl Dieter of the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University. The specific aim of the research is to develop general and efficient methods for effecting asymmetric induction in organocopper conjugate addition reactions and formally equivalent classes of substitution reactions. Dr. Dieter will probe the role of phosphines in stabilizing and solubilizing cuprates in order to facilitate conjugate additions and he will study cuprate structure by using NMR, X-ray and colligative measurements. Methods will be developed for effecting asymmetric conjugate addition using organometallic (Zn, Cu, Mn) derivatives of chiral ketals, aminals and amides resulting in chiral systems with potential value for annulation strategies. Also, the use of cuprates in conjunction with alpha, beta-unsaturated aminals will be explored as a route to simple chiral 3-alkylaldehydes.
