Abstract:

My thesis defense will detail the new methods in total synthesis and catalysis that we have developed during my time in the Pronin lab. Specifically, I will focus on the strategies towards cyclopropane activation and alkyl-cobalt(IV) catalysis that we have employed to access novel catalytic asymmetric reaction manifolds and challenging polyketide scaffolds. Our efforts in catalysis have culminated in the development of the first catalytic asymmetric hydrogen-atom-transfer-initiated alkene hydrofunctionalization.