University of East Anglia

Fully funded PhD Studentship
New Green Technologies for Organocatalytic Asymmetric Epoxidation Applications in Synthesis
School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy
This fully funded studentship is available to start in October 2009, under the supervision of Prof Phil Page, in the internationally recognised School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, UEA Norwich (RAE 5). The project is funded by the School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy.
UK/EU APPLICANTS ONLY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS FUNDING (this is because of the eligibility rules of the funding body)
Project description:
FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR UK/EU STUDENTS. FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT WILL COVER TUITION FEES AND STIPEND FOR UK STUDENTS, EU STUDENTS WILL NORMALLY BE ELIGIBLE FOR TUITION FEES ONLY. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS FUNDING; THEY ARE STILL WELCOME TO APPLY FOR THIS PROJECT BUT WOULD HAVE TO FIND ALTERNATIVE FUNDING. The central aim of this proposal is to design a novel scalable organocatalytic system for asymmetric oxidation, that can be driven by any of a range of stoicheiometric oxidants, that will have generic efficacy, that will provide high selectivity, that will not involve the use of toxic and/or scarce heavy metals, and that will produce very little waste material. We intend to apply these findings to the synthesis of challenging natural products and biologically active compounds. The chemistry builds on a procedure recently developed in our laboratories, permitting catalytic enantioselective oxygen transfer to alkenes over a short timescale, in the presence of as little as 0.1 mol% of catalyst. The catalysts are readily-prepared iminium salts, which are indefinitely stable at room temperature. In recent experimentation we have achieved ees of over 97% in very clean 1 hour reactions carried out at 0 ºC.
Contact:
For informal enquiries about this position please contact Prof Phil Page at p.page@uea.ac.uk or the Faculty of Science Admissions Office at scipg@uea.ac.uk or +44 (0) 1603 593002.
How to apply:
An application can be downloaded from our website at http://www1.uea.ac.uk/cm/home/services/units/mac/aao/courses/PG. Completed application forms should be submitted to the Admissions Office, Faculty of Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ.
The deadline for receipt of completed applications is Friday 13th March 2009.