Experimental-Computational Investigations into Diels-Alder Sequences

The aim of this project is to devise new ways to: (1) understand why important chemical reactions happen, and (2) control the outcome of these reactions so that biologically active compounds can be prepared. Cutting edge computational modelling will drive the development of new experimental approaches, leading to a more selective chemical processes and many practical applications. Several different classes of biologically active natural products will be prepared including molecules with antitumor and antiretroviral activities. Libraries of structurally-related analogues of natural compounds will be synthesised for biological evaluation.