Abstract:

Malaria is a devastating disease responsible for the death of millions of individuals annually. While many treatments are utilized in the clinic to combat this disease, the widespread emergence of drug-resistant strains of the parasitic species responsible for malaria has led researchers to search for alternate therapeutics of increasing structural diversity. Strasseriolides A–D were isolated in 2019, and Strasseriolide B demonstrated both enhanced potency against malaria and a unique macrolide structure. The first part of this dissertation describes our lab’s efforts to synthesize this natural product and explore its bioactivity.

Plants from the genus Euphorbia are found on nearly every continent and are renowned for their applications in traditional medicine. From this genus, many interesting diterpenes natural products have been isolated, displaying a variety of carbon skeletons. The second part of this thesis details our synthetic endeavor to synthesize the jatrophane diterpenoid euphopia A, a modest anti-inflammatory compound with a highly complex, unprecedented tetracyclic skeleton.

Organic compounds make up a substantial portion of mass within atmospheric particulate matter, ranging from 20–90%.  A subset of these organics known as ‘brown carbon' comprises compounds capable of absorbing near-UV and visible radiation. The presence of these compounds negatively impacts air quality, visibility, and regional climate. Yet for many years, the structures, mechanisms of formation, and mechanisms of action have eluded researchers. The third part of this dissertation will describe our investigations to answer these questions. Brown carbon is thought to be three isomers of cyclopentadiene formed through ring-opening and an acid-catalyzed aldol condensation.