Fourth
Annual Grant Winners 2003-2004
Veljko Dragojlovic, Ph.D., Oceanographic Center
Dean Richard Dodge – Oceanographic Center
Title: Catalytic Ruthenium Tetroxide
Oxidations of Iodoalkanes, Ethers and Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Abstract:
 In the course of research supported by the previous
President’s Faculty Scholarship Award (2001/2002),
my students and I developed an environmentally friendly
process for a catalytic ruthenium tetroxide oxidation.
Broad, long-term objectives of this project are to further
develop this methodology and apply it on catalytic ruthenium
tetroxide oxidation of iodoalkanes, ethers and polychlorinated
biphenyls. Specific goals of the project are to: investigate
the role of the stochiometric oxidant, develop a method
for catalytic ruthenium tetroxide oxidation of secondary
iodoalkanes (primary iodoalkanes have already been successfully
oxidized), further develop a methodology for catalytic
ruthenium tetroxide oxidation of ethers, and develop
a methodology for catalytic ruthenium tetroxide oxidative
degradation of organic pollutants such as polychlorinated
biphenyls.
This will be accomplished by doing a series of short research
projects with undergraduate students. In the follow up
to the proposed work, we plan to investigate oxidation
of bi- and polyfunctional compounds and apply the developed
methodology to a total synthesis of pharmacologically active
compounds. Two centers (Oceanographic Center and Farquhar
School of Arts and Sciences) will be involved in this project.
The results will be reported at conferences and in peer
reviewed journals.
With the results of this research I intend to make applications
for external funding to support the continuation of the
research (to National Institutes of Health) as well as
development of discovery-based organic chemistry labs related
to this project (to Dreyfus Foundation).
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