CAREER: Development of Iron-Catalyzed Reactions of Carbonyl Electrophiles

With the support of the Chemical Synthesis program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Alexandra Strom of Smith College will study reactions catalyzed by earth-abundant iron. This research aims to develop new reactions of common chemical building blocks for the synthesis of molecular architectures that are essential for many pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other synthetic materials.

The new methods will provide access to challenging substitution patterns and introduce important functionalities, leading to greater synthetic efficiency. Underpinning these efforts will be detailed studies of the reaction mechanisms leading to new fundamental knowledge for developing sustainable catalysts. The Strom lab’s research is driven by undergraduate researchers at Smith College, the largest women’s college in the United States.

Along with these research goals, Professor Strom will develop advanced undergraduate level coursework to prepare students for scientific careers, including a proposal writing project, and host an annual research opportunities workshop to prepare students for future research opportunities and connect them with internal and external resources to inform their careers in science. These educational goals are designed to diminish existing barriers to STEM careers and enable students to engage in high impact practices at the undergraduate level.

Iron catalysis provides versatile and selective reactivity as well as offering a sustainable platform for reagent and catalyst development. This research aims to develop new chemical transformations of carbonyl electrophiles – both at the carbonyl carbon and via umpolung functionalization at the alpha position. Carbonyl functionalizations are studied for practical applications in the synthesis of valuable molecular architectures such as substituted naphthalenes and fused (hetero)aromatics.

Detailed mechanistic investigations will support the development of umpolung oxidative functionalization reactions at the carbonyl alpha-carbon and provide insights into novel reaction paradigms for future development. These studies are performed by undergraduate researchers, providing vital training as they prepare for careers in the sciences.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.