Chemistry and BCMB Seminar

Sara E. S. Martin, PhD, Associate Professor, Chemistry; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The College of Wooster

“Molecular Makeovers: From Simple Precursors to Bio‑Relevant Heterocycles”

Quinolinones and coumarins are related nitrogen- and oxygen-containing heterocycles that appear in a variety of bioactive molecules, including pH probes, natural products, and pharmaceuticals. Despite their importance, certain isomers of these molecules are hard to make. Most current synthetic routes to access 7-substituted quinolinones and coumarins either work for only a narrow set of starting materials or require multiple steps that change oxidation states after the molecule’s carbon framework is already built. These approaches limit how easily chemists can explore new structures.

Research in the Martin lab has taken a different strategy to build quinolinones, forming the carbon skeleton from simpler building blocks using a two-step reaction sequence that converts meta‑substituted anilines and methyl 3,3‑dimethoxypropionate to mainly 7‑substituted quinolinones. This seminar will discuss recently published studies aimed at understanding what controls the ratio of the two isomeric products and more recent work aimed at 1) developing milder reaction conditions for this transformation  2) synthesizing interesting biologically relevant quinonliones, and 3) optimizing reaction conditions for coumarin synthesis.

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060