Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Professor
540 CEM
517-353-0834
Chairperson
485B CEM
517-353-1086
Primary Research Area
Organic (Or)
Other Area(s) of Interest
Organometallic (Om)
Research
(Research Description PDF)
Our group is interested in a) the total synthesis of biologically important natural products, b) the invention of new reactions and strategies in organic synthesis, and c) green chemistry.
Green Chemistry: Central to our research is the development of efficient and environmentally benign reactions and strategies. The Pharmaceutical Roundtable of the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute deemed cross-couplings that avoid haloaromatics as their top aspirational reaction. In collaboration with Professor Mitch Smith, we are inventing such reactions. Specifically, we are using catalytic C–H activation/borylation, often combined with subsequent chemical events, to generate pharmaceutically relevant building blocks for organic synthesis and the late stage functionalization of drugs and drug candidates.
Another of our green chemistry ventures aims to minimizing the need for tin in various processes. For example, we have developed an allylation/hydrostannation sequence where the tin waste from the allylation is recycled in situ so as to allow its use in the hydrostannation. This chemistry employs polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS), which is an oligomeric non-toxic waste product of the silicon industry, as the stoichiometric reductant.
Invention of New Reactions: The principles of green chemistry also motivate us to create new synthetic methods. Here we have been focusing on the employment of organosilanes as both reagents and substrates in chemical transformations ranging from Wittig rearrangements to new approaches to double-decker silsesquioxanes (DDSQ’s) for polymer applications. As part of a collaboration with Dow Chemical, we have also used PMHS in conjunction with our borylation chemistry to regioselectively generate building blocks of interest to the agrochemical industry. Here the combination of Pd(OAc)2 and PMHS generates siloxane encapsulated Pd(0) nanoclusters.
Total Synthesis: The unifying thesis behind all of our methodological and mechanistic studies is that the chemistry to emerge from such studies should be applicable to real synthetic problems. We view target synthesis as the best proof of this concept. For example, as part of our green chemistry program, we look to make TMC-95A and autolytimycin by the strategic application of our own synthetic methods.
Selected Publications
One-Pot Iridium Catalyzed C–H Borylation/ Sonogashira Cross-Coupling: Access to Borylated Aryl Alkynes, Chotana, G. A.; Montero Bastida, J. R.; Miller, S. L.; Smith, M. R., III; Maleczka, R. E., Jr., Molecules 2020, 25, 1754–1766.
Para-Selective, Iridium-Catalyzed C–H Borylations of Sulfated Phenols, Benzyl Alcohols, and Anilines Directed by Ion-Pair Electrostatic Interactions, M. Bastida, J. R.; Oleskey, T. J.; Miller, S. L.; Smith, M. R., III; Maleczka, R. E., Jr., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 15483–15487.
C–H Borylation Catalysts that Distinguish Between Similarly Sized Substituents Like Fluorine and Hydrogen, Miller, S. L.; Chotana, G. A.; Fritz, J. A.; Chattopadhyay, B.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr.; Smith, M. R., III, Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 6388–6392.
A General Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Asymmetric Double-Decker Shaped Silsesquioxanes, Barry, B.-D.; Dannatt, J. E.; King, A. K.; Lee, A.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr., Chem. Commun. 2019, published online July 2, 2019 (DOI: 10.1039/C9CC03972D).
Phase Behavior of cis–trans Mixtures of Double-Decker Shaped Silsesquioxanes for Processability Enhancement, Vogelsang, D. F.; Dannatt, J. E.; Shoen, B. W.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr.; Lee, A., ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2019, 2, 1223–1231.
Predictive Liquid Chromatography Separation for Mixtures of Functionalized Double-decker Shaped Silsesquioxanes Based on HPLC Chromatograms, Vogelsang, D. F.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr.; Lee, A., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2019, 58, 403–410.
HPLC Characterization of cis and trans Mixtures of Double-Decker Shaped Silsesquioxanes, Vogelsang, D. F.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr.; Lee, A., Silicon 2019, 11, 5–13.
Separation of Asymmetrically Capped Double-Decker Silsesquioxanes Mixtures, Vogelsang, D. F.; Dannatt, J. E.; Maleczka, R. E., Jr.; Lee, A., Polyhedron 2018, 155, 189–193.
CV
B.S., 1984, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Abbott Labs, 1984-1987
Ph.D., 1992, The Ohio State Univ.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 1992-1995, American Cancer Society Univ. of Pennsylvania
News
Awards/Honors
2014 | ACS Fellow | |
2013 | Meritorious Faculty Award by the College of Natural Science Alumni Association | |
2013 | Merck Technology Symposium's Technology Collaboration Award | |
2008 | Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award | |
2003 - 2004 | Smith First Edition Board of Advisors | McGraw Hill |
2001 | Teacher-Scholar Award | Michigan State University (College of Natural Science) |
2001 - 2004 | Yamanouchi USA Foundation Faculty Award | Yamanouchi USA Foundation |
2000 | Junior Faculty Award | Sigma Xi Honor Society (Michigan State University) |
2000 | Novartis Lecturer | Yale University |
2000 - 2003 | NSF Career Award | National Science Foundation |
1998 | Advisory Board Member | National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers |
1998 | MSU Senior Class Council Outstanding Faculty Award Nominee | Michigan State University (Senior Class Council) |
1998 - 2001 | NIH First Award | National Institutes of Health |
1998 | MSU Chapter Mentor of the Year | National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers |
1993 - 1995 | Postdoctoral Fellow | American Cancer Society |
1992 | Ph.D. | The Ohio State University |
1987 - 1992 | Graduate Research Associate | The Ohio State University |
1984 - 1987 | Research Assistantship | Abbott Laboratories |
1984 | Bachelor of Science | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
1983 - 1984 | Undergraduate Research | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
1980 - 1982 | Air Force ROTC Scholarship | Air Force ROTC |
Dean's List | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |