A study of methods useful for the proof of structure of the alkaloids and other natural products. A study of the chemistry of steroids. The discussion will focus on interconversions, stereoselective syntheses, and structure-activity relationships of steroids, bile acids, D vitamins, and steroid hormones. The synthesis, chemistry, and properties of heteroaromatic heterocycles which represent important drug classes will be studied. Active Site Chemistry.
Chemical approaches to the design of specific inhibitors for labeling the active sites of enzymes.
Kinetics of Model Systems Related to Enzymic Reactions. Kinetics of model reactions related to biochemical reactions are studied. Implications from the results of model studies are applied to their biochemical counterparts with a view to rationalizing biochemical mechanisms using fundamental principles of organic chemistry. Molecular Structure in Drug Design. A study of the development of quantitative methods useful for the correlation of biological activities with structural properties.