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| Welcome to my research group web pages. Here you can find our more information about my research group and get an overview of the kind of projects that we are currently working on. For undergraduates, you can find out how to access all of my teaching materials and resources from the 'Teaching' tab, above. There are also plenty of links to resources that we have found to be useful from all over the world, and for group members, there are many more resources, such as electronic access to theses and to our group wiki. If you require anymore information, then do not hesitate to contact me directly. | 
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31st May 2013
Synthesis of a Highly Functionalized Core of Verrillin, A. Saitman, E. A. Theodorakis, Org. Lett., 2013, 15, 2410.
Gorgonian octocorals and soft corals supply a diverse array of diterpenes and C4-norditerpenes that biosynthetically derive from a 14-membered cembrane skeleton. Among them, verrillin is highlighted by a combination of intricate structural density and potent bioactivity. This paper provided a stereoselective synthesis of furanoverrillin, a branching node toward the synthesis of verrillin and related polycyclic cembrenoids. Their approach relies on introduction of the C7-C11 cyclopentene ring prior to the macrocyclization of the fully functionalized verrillin core.They observed that the presence of a C4 methyl group at the furan ring increases its susceptibility toward oxidative decomposition. In turn, this attests to the role of the C4 methyl group in oxidative rearrangements that account for the plethora of polycyclic cembranes isolated thus far.