Name:

 

Kamil Godula

 

 

 

Affiliation:

 

Department of Chemistry, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, USA

 

 

 

E-mail:

 

kg282@columbia.edu

 

 

 

Web:

 

http://www.columbia.edu/
cu/chemistry/groups/sames

 

 

 

Research:

 

development of synthetic methods based on C-H activation / functionalization; C-C bond formation via C-H bond activation in complex organic synthesis.

 

 

 

Short CV:

 

1996-1998 Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech Republic
 
1998-2000 MSc. with W.A. Donaldson, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
 
since 2000 Ph.D. candidate with Dalibor Sames, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
 

 

 

 

Awards:

 

2001-2002 Alfred Bader Fellow in Organic Chemistry
 
2003 Jack Miller Award for Excellence in Teaching, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
 

 

 

 

Publications:

 

Godula, K., Donaldson, W.A. Synthesis of Cyclopropanes via Organoiron Methodology: Preparation of 2-(2'-carboxy-3'-ethylcyclopropyl)glycine. Tetrahedron Lett. 42: 153-154 (2001).
 
Godula, K., Baermann, H., Donaldson, W.A. A simple and Efficient Synthesis of Optically Pure Tricarbonyl(methyl 6-oxo-2,4-hexadienoate)iron. J. Org. Chem. 66: 3590-3592 (2001).
 
Dangel, B. D., Godula, K., Youn, S. W., Sezen, B., Sames, D. C-C Bond Formation via C-H Activation: Synthesis of the Core of Teleocidin B4. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124: 11856-11857 (2002).
 
Yun, Y. K., Godula, K., Cao, Y., Donaldson, W.A. Iron-Mediated Preparation of Vinylcyclopropanecarboxylates: Scope, Mechanism, and Applications. J. Org. Chem. 68: 901-910 (2003).
 

 

 

 

Research interest:

 

My research interest has been centred on the area of development of novel transition metal-mediated C-C bond forming reactions. This involved work with professor William A. Donaldson at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA, on the development of organoiron methodology for the stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted cyclopropanes. Some of the products accessible by our methodology were cyclopropane analogues of glutamic acid. Such rigid glutamate variants were shown to be useful for structure/activity-relationship studies of glutamate receptors.

My interest in transition metal chemistry then led me to join the group of professor Dalibor Sames at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. There I became involved in work utilizing unactivated sp3 C-H bond activation in the synthesis of complex organic substrates. C-H activation is of a tremendous potential. The possibility to directly transform a C-H bond into a C-C bond without the need for prior functionalization would lead to new unconventional disconnections in retrosynthetic analyses and subsequently to more direct and more efficient syntheses. Implementation of this idea resulted in the stereoselective synthesis of Teleocidin B4 core.

Currently, my research interest has shifted towards the development of new methodology for direct arylation of electron deficient heterocycles, such as pyridines, pyrazines, pyrimidines, quinolines as well as many other more complex substrates such as, for instance, azaindoles. This work involves not only the development of new catalysts and exploration of the scope of the reaction, but also elucidation of the reaction mechanism.