Green chemistry in the synthesis of
heterocyclic drugs
Research in the DeBoef group spans the fields of organic and
organometallic chemistry and attempts to use these tools for solving
medicinal and pharmaceutical problems. We have invented several new
chemical reactions that cleave strong carbon-hydrogen bonds and
selectively transform them into new carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom
bonds. We are now expanding these discoveries to a new class of
substrates, electron-deficient heterocycles. Students working in the
DeBoef laboratory are trained to be experts in organic synthesis and
heterocyclic chemistry. All of the M.S. and Ph.D. graduates are
currently employed by pharmaceutical companies or institutes. Previous
summer fellows are now earning graduate degrees at institutions such as
URI, LMU Munich and MIT.
