个人简介

EDUCATION Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, 2003 Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri Advisor: Professor Scott R. Gilbertson M.A., Organic Chemistry, 2000 Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri Advisor: Professor Scott R. Gilbertson B.S., Chemistry, 1998 Evangel College, Springfield, Missouri Advisor: Professor Joseph Bohanon PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2005 – Present Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 2003 – 2005 Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York AWARDS • NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, Awarded 2005, Declined • Departmental Award for Teaching Excellence, Washington University, 1999 • Outstanding Chemistry Graduate, Evangel College, 1998 • Summa Cum Laude, Evangel College, 1998

研究领域

Organic Chemistry

Research in the DeBoef group spans the fields of organic and organometallic chemistry and attempts to use these tools for solving medicinal and pharmaceutical problems. These efforts are divided into two separate research programs. Development of New Reactions Using C-H Functionalization We are developing new methods by which strong carbon-hydrogen bonds can be selectively transformed into new carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bonds. We have discovered a new process by which indoles and benzofurans can be oxidatively coupled to unfunctionalized arenes such as benzene using a combination of two catalysts and molecular oxygen as the stoichiometric oxidant. We have discovered that the chemoselectivity between cross-coupling and homo-coupling can be controlled by the reaction’s solvent and acidity. We are now expanding these discoveries to a new class of substrates, electron-deficient heterocycles. Additionally, we are now beginning to explore methods by which carbon-nitrogen bonds can be formed by oxidative cross-coupling. Development of MRI Contrast Agents for Monitoring Biochemistry in Vivo Molecular probes that can monitor biochemical events are of increasing value as diagnostic and theranostic devices. We are currently synthesizing novel molecules that will produce a relaxivity enhancement, which can be detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), when they interact with neurochemicals or neuroreceptors. The probes contain two functional parts: one that binds the neurochemical target, and one that produces a magnetic signal by altering the relaxivity of neighboring water molecules. Our first efforts to develop a contrast agent for imaging the dopamine transporter have been successful, and a publication on the work is forthcoming. The future of this research program will involve the synthesis and evaluation of probes for detecting other neurochemical phenomena such as glutamate-mediated synapse activity or the gene expression that is associated with long-term memory. In addition to gadolinium-based contrast agents, we are interested in synthesizing probes that contain cryptophane cages for encapsulating hyperpolarized xenon (HP-Xe) that can be dissolved in an organism’s blood stream. This event has been shown to produce a HyperCEST signal, which is 10,000-100,000 times more sensitive than a traditional MRI relaxation measurement. For this work, we collaborate with Mitchell Albert, a prominent leader in the field of HP-Xe MRI.

近期论文

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Abhishek A. Kantak, Shathaverdhan Potavathri, Rose A. Barham, Kaitlyn M. Romano†, and Brenton DeBoef* ”Metal-Free Intermolecular Oxidative C-N Bond Formation via Tandem C-H and N-H Bond Functionalization” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011[DOI: 10.1021/ja2087085] Joshua Potvin†, Erin Sorlien†, Jessica Hegner, Brenton DeBoef*, Brett L. Lucht* “Effect of NaCl on the conversion of cellulose to glucose and levulinic acid via solid supported acid catalysis” Tetrahedron Lett. 2011[DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2011.09.013] Shathaverdhan Potavathri, Abhishek Kantak, and Brenton DeBoef* “Increasing synthetic efficiency via direct C-H functionalization: Formal synthesis of an inhibitor of botulinum neurotoxin,” Chem. Commun., 2011[DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10755K] Shathaverdhan Potavathri, Kyle C. Pereira, Serge I. Gorelsky, Andrew Pike†, Alexis P. LeBris, and Brenton DeBoef* ”Regioselective Oxdative Arylation of Indoles Bearing N-Alkyl Protecting Groups: Dual C-H Functionalization via a Concerted Metalation-Deprotonation Mechanism” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010[DOI: 10.1021/ja107159b] Jessica Hegner†, Kyle C. Pereira, Brenton DeBoef*, and Brett L. Lucht* “Conversion of cellulose to glucose and levulinic acid via solid-supported acid catalysis” Tetrahedron Lett. 2010[DOI: 10.1021/ja107159b] Matthew M. Hooper† and Brenton DeBoef* “Teaching Green Chemistry and Combinatorial Chemistry in One Laboratory Module: The Aqueous Passerini Reaction,” J. Chem. Ed. 2009[DOI: 10.1021/ed086p1077] Shathaverdhan Patavathri, Timothy A. Dwight, Ashley Dumas, Gregory Naumiec, Jeffery Hammann†‡, and Brenton DeBoef* “Oxidant Controlled Regioselectivity in the Oxidative Arylation of N-Acetylindoles” Tetrahedron Lett. 2008[DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2008.04.073] Timothy A. Dwight, Nicholas R. Rue†, Dagmara Charyk†, Ryan Josselyn†, and Brenton DeBoef* “C-C Bond Formation via Double C-H Functionalization: Aerobic Oxidative Coupling as a Method for Synthesizing Heterocoupled Biaryls” Org. Lett. 2007[DOI: 10.1021/ol071308z] Brenton DeBoef, W. Richard Counts, and Scott R. Gilbertson*, “Rhodium Catalyzed Synthesis of Eight-Member Rings” J. Org. Chem. 2007[DOI: 10.1021/jo0620462] Brenton DeBoef, Stefan J. Pastine, and Dalibor Sames* “Cross-Coupling of sp3 C-H Bonds and Alkenes: Catalytic Cyclization of Alkene-Amide Substrates” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004[DOI: 10.1021/ja049111e ] Scott R. Gilbertson* and Brenton DeBoef “Rhodium Catalyzed [4+2+2] Cycloaddition and Alkyne Insertion: A Novel Route to Eight-Membered Rings” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002[DOI: 10.1021/ja026536x]