3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

In this class undergraduate students will be challenged to seek the connection between the material learned in class and recent scientific publications in the field. This course aim is to engage students with an organic chemistry background to think critically about major research publications, and to give them the tools to approach scientific literature with curiosity and confidence. Students will have the chance to read selected Nobel Prize winning scientific research from 2022 to 1902, from bioconjugation and click chemistry (2022) to molecular machines (2016), including capstones such as palladium catalyzed cross couplings (2010) to catalysis (2021). The aim is to build up an organic chemistry curriculum that will peak with the exploration of Retrosynthetic Analysis, introduced by E J Corey in 1990. This last concept will allow students to tackle overwhelming natural product synthesis papers, learning how to break down complex structures into simpler building blocks with recognizable reactivity. The introduction of high-stakes chemistry topics intro an upper-level course will allow students to ponder on their interests, future studies, or careers in the field.