Congratulations Dr. Homs!

Anna Homs, PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Antonio M. Echavarren, has defensed her PhD Thesis entitled “Digging into Gold(I) Catalysis: Silver and Counterion Effects and Total Synthesis of Nardoaristolone B” (assigned to the Organic and Analytical Chemistry Department of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili) publicly on January 29th at the ICIQ auditorium.

The members of her evaluation committee were: Prof. Alexandre Alexakis (Université de Genève), Prof. Mercedes Amat (Universitat de Barcelona) and Dr. Alexandr Shafir (ICIQ).

Dr. Homs with her supervisor, Prof. Antonio M. Echavarren, and the evaluation committee

Abstract:

In order to shed some light on a series of gold(I)-catalyzed processes, the influence of the addition of silver salts in gold(I)-catalyzed reactions has been evaluated. In addition, a new generation of gold(I) complexes containing BARF as counterion has been designed and the mechanism of the intermolecular gold(I)-catalyzed [2+2]-cycloaddition of alkynes and alkenes has been evaluated. Finally, the first enantioselective total synthesis of nardoaristolone B has been accomplished in 7 steps and 13% overall yield featuring a gold(I)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization as the key step.