Organic and Biological Chemistry research at Nottingham is very broadly based, and spans the whole spectrum of activity from medicinal chemistry, target organic synthesis, catalysis and development of new synthetic methodology through to mechanistic enzymology, chemical genetics, protein biochemistry, protein engineering and structural biology. Organic Chemistry is especially strong in the areas of target synthesis, natural product chemistry, and asymmetric synthesis. Complex natural products and their analogues continue to present a fascinating challenge to the synthetic chemist. Research groups at Nottingham are probing new strategies and developing new methodologies for the synthesis of such molecules, with emphasis on compounds with significant biological activity. In particular, we are interested in novel compounds with antibacterial, anticancer and antimalarial properties. In Biological Chemistry, we address problems at the interface of Chemistry and Biology, to define the molecular interactions that determine the specificity and control of biological processes. The Department is well supported through UK Research Council and EU funding, and has strong links to the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Target Organic Synthesis
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Target synthesis
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Natural product chemistry, including marine natural products
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Asymmetric synthesis
Development of new synthetic methodology
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Organometallic reactions in synthesis
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Use of reactive intermediates, enolates and pericyclic processes.
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Asymmetric synthesis using chiral reagents and catalysts is a particularly important area of interest
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Invention of varied new enantioselective reactions, including desymmetrisation, deprotonation, enolate and alkylation chemistry
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Development of new Michael additions, oxidations and carbenoid insertions and rearrangements.
Chemical and structural biology
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Exploring the synergistic combination of organic synthesis, chemical genetics, biochemistry and enzymology
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Nucleic acid chemistry and drug delivery
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Nucleic acid structure, folding and drug interactions
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Protein biochemistry and molecular biology
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Design and synthesis of enzyme inhibitors for cancer chemotherapy
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Protein engineering, structural biology and molecular modelling
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Biophysical and biochemical analysis of protein-protein interactions and protein folding
Advances in all of these challenging and dynamic fields of research underpin new developments in medicine and agricultural practice, and in understanding biomolecular interactions at the cellular level. The Department of Organic and Biological Chemistry is housed in the School of Chemistry and in the new Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, which is a new multi-disciplinary research centre involving Schools from across the campus. The Department has a range of modern instrumentation including automated robotic equipment, microwave reactors, computer molecular modelling and X-ray crystallography in addition to a range of spectroscopic and biophysical techniques, including state-of-the-art NMR (from 270 to 600 MHz) and mass spectrometry facilities.