Total Synthesis of Natural Products, Prebiotic Chemistry and Origins of Life

Research in the group concentrates on the total synthesis of biologically active natural products. In order to construct these complex molecules it is often necessary to design new synthetic transformations and strategies. The group has particular expertise in the development of new methods for the formation of tetrahydropyran containing natural products such as phorboxazole B, centrolobine and diospongin A and B, and in the development of novel transannulation reactions for the construction of bridged and fused polycyclic architectures such as those present in hexacyclinic acid and the pinguisanes. The group also has an interest in applying synthetic techniques to investigate the origins of Life, particularly the prebiotic genesis of carbohydrates and the generation of inorganic phosphate.