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Karolina Roszak
James Madison University

Subject Listing - Chemistry
Advisor: Dr. Kevin Caran

Friday, Oral Session 5, Presentation 5, Karpen Hall 038

SYNTHETIC PROGRESS TOWARDS A TEMPLATE ASSISTED SYNTHETIC PROTEIN

Molecular scaffolds are molecules that provide functional groups as points of attachment to chemical groups or biologically significant moieties. A rigid scaffold can serve as a molecular core that holds its substituents in defined orientations in space. The relative positioning of these functional groups can have a profound effect on the aggregation, self-assembly, binding ability of the molecules. Derivatives of these scaffolds bearing small peptides may also be utilized as enzyme mimics where the enforced juxtaposition of amino acid chains provides a binding pocket that imitates the active site of an enzyme. Currently, we are in the process of synthesizing two stereoisomeric molecular scaffolds based on a C3-symmetrical, conformationally-fixed trans-trans-trans fused perhydrophenalene system. The synthesis of the molecular scaffold will be accomplished by a triple ring-opening-ring-closing metathesis starting with cyclobutanone. Presently, we are undertaking a model study using cyclohexanone. Progress on our synthetic efforts will be reported.

Advisor: Dr. Kevin Caran, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA