Barbara Jane Morgan

The Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Cercosporin:
Cercosporin is a member of the perylenequinone family of natural products. The perylenequinones contain an extended oxidized aromatic subunit that permits their use in photodynamic therapy. The key steps in the investigation of the enantioselective total synthesis of cercosporin involve the asymmetric oxidative biaryl coupling of a highly functionalized naphthalene core, the installation of the chiral side chains, and the formation of a seven-membered ring via installation of a methylene group.