My research interests are primarily within the field of undergraduate education, currently with specific emphasis on designing new microscale and semi-microscale organic laboratory experiments. Recent years have seen movement away from traditional macroscale synthetic procedures within the undergraduate organic laboratory. Smaller scale experiments are more cost effective and afford benefits such as minimized waste disposal and reduced reaction times. Although exposing students to essential laboratory techniques and illustrating fundamental reactivity, many current experiments fail to spark an interest in organic chemistry. The aim is to construct small-scale synthetic procedures where the isolated product has an everyday relevance. Examples include: a prostate cancer treatment (1), a UV light blocking sunscreen analog (2), the active ingredient in a cough syrup (3), an anti-depressant (4), or an anti-anginal drug (5). Synthetic experiments designed should:
be demonstrative of appropriate lecture material – e.g. basic organic reactions, mechanisms and spectroscopy
be demonstrative of laboratory techniques such as vacuum/gravity filtration, reflux, recrystallization etc.
involve the synthesis of a "real-world" compound - one that has a well-defined use in society (see examples below)
involve cheap, readily available, safe starting materials
involve basic laboratory apparatus
generate a product at a semi-microscale (~ 500 mg) or microscale (~ 100 mg) level
