From Molecules to Molecular Surfaces and Back Again. Exploiting the Synergy Between Electrochemistry and Synthesis
Capabilities
Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 9:15 am (China Standard Time) / Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 8:15 pm (CT).
About our Virtual Chemistry Lecture on Electrochemistry and Synthesis
Electrochemistry has long held potential as a tool for constructing a wide variety of organic molecules, and the organic chemistry community is both recognizing and impressively exploiting that potential with increasing regularity. Those efforts have taught us a great deal about how to think about electrochemical reactions and how to use the technique to accomplish new transformations that enrich the synthetic enterprise. For our part, we have investigated a series of anodic cyclization reactions and utilized these reactions to both establish a mechanistic framework for developing direct electrochemical reactions and to develop strategies for addressing the unique aspects of electrochemical experiments.
The relationship between organic synthesis and electrochemistry can also be viewed in the opposite direction, with new synthetic chemistry being developed to facilitate exciting opportunities for expanding the scope of electrochemical experiments. For example, new synthetic methods that enable the site-selective generation of chemical reagents have allowed for the construction of complex molecular surfaces on addressable microelectrode arrays. The efforts set the stage for developing the microelectrode arrays as analytical devices for rapidly screening the binding behavior of small molecule libraries with biological targets and developing rapid “point of care” diagnostics.
The exploration of these new electrochemical tools is beginning to “give back” to the synthetic arena. Several preparative-scale synthetic applications have emerged based on the concept of site-selective reagent generation. These applications range from the use of paired electrochemical reactions for more sustainable reagent generation to the recent discovery that chemical reagents can be confined to specific regions within a preparative response. This development presents a novel approach to controlling the selectivity of chemical transformations.
In the talk to be given, the interplay between organic synthesis and electrochemistry will be highlighted with an emphasis on lessons learned and challenges being undertaken.
About our Speaker
Prof. Kevin D. Moeller
Prof. Moeller joined the chemistry faculty at Washington University in St. Louis in 1987 where he is now Professor of Chemistry. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1958, earned a BA degree in Chemistry from the University of California – Santa Barbara in 1980, and then his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry (Professor R. Daniel Little) from the same institution in 1985. He was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (Professor Barry M. Trost) from 1985 to 1987.
Professor Moeller’s independent research primarily focuses on how the interplay between electrochemistry, physical organic chemistry, and synthesis can be used to address a variety of topics. His group has explored the chemistry of highly reactive radical cation intermediates in the context of exploiting electrochemistry as a method for triggering unique synthetic transformations, they have examined the use of modern synthetic chemistry as a method for building complex molecular surfaces on microelectrode arrays, and they are examining how electrode design can be used to impart new avenues for selectivity in chemical reactions. His work continues to play a significant role in defining for the synthetic chemistry community how they can think about and take full advantage of electrochemical methods. The Moeller group’s research is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and has led to the publication of over 175 papers and the presentation of over 300 talks and invited lectures.
About the Virtual Chemistry Lecture Series
Pharmaron’s monthly Virtual Lecture Series, launched in July 2020, provides our team and partners with online educational opportunities. World-class academic researchers are invited to present novel research related to synthetic and medicinal chemistry through this virtual forum. The lectures have been insightful and very well received by the audience and have contributed to cultivating a vibrant learning culture at Pharmaron.