Abstract:

The principles of green chemistry and engineering are creating a culture change for both academia and industry.  In particular, the transition from batch processes to continuous flow technologies in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries has become an important component of this culture change.  A variety of continuous flow processes dealing with the syntheses of pharmaceutically important molecules will be discussed.  These include (1) the two-step reaction sequences for the preparation of a diazo ketone, (2) the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reductions of aldehydes and ketones and (3) the Lewis acid-catalyzed heteroaromatic homo-Nazarov reaction. The transfer of process variables from batch to continuous flow for each of these synthetic processes will be discussed.

Biography:

Dr. Charles Liotta is a Regents Professor Emeritus in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Dr. Liotta received his B.S. Chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1959; his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1963. His research activities involve both synthetic-organic and physical-organic chemistry.  His major interests lie in the areas of structure-property relationships, kinetics and mechanisms of organic reactions, asymmetric synthesis, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis (phase transfer catalysis), the development of environmentally benign tunable (supercritical fluids, near critical water, gas expanded liquids)and smart (reversible ionic liquids, DMSO substitutes) solvent systems, and molecular thermodynamics, solution theory, and phase equilibria. A fundamental goal of Dr. Liotta’s research is the development of sustainable and environmentally benign chemicals and chemical processes.  Dr. Liotta has been collaborating with Dr. Charles A. Eckert for approximately 20 years.

Reception at 3:30 p.m. in the GTMI Atrium