About

The Peczuh Research Group investigates the inter-relationship between structure and function of small molecules in the context of biological activity. Organic synthesis is an integral tool in our research program. We develop new routes to molecules of intermediate complexity to address structure-activity relationships. The Group supports an inclusive research environment that encourages inquiry through rigorous experimentation, sound logic and unconventional thinking.

What We’re Reading

Journal: Science

Journal: Nature

Journal: ACS Publications

Journal: RSC Publications

Journal: Wiley Chemistry

Blog: In the Pipeline

Blog: Chemjobber

Blog: Master Organic Chemistry

The Offset

  • Accumulating a foundation
    Full Title: “Accumulating” a foundation: The philosophy behind organic cumulative exams1 Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, put it best when he said, “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” Cumulative exams are about setting the foundation for your training. They are a signature part of […]
  • Twenty Year Takeaways
    The headline from the recent “Building UConn Chemistry for Another 20 Years,” panel discussion wasn’t the whiz-bang technical stuff you might expect from an event like this, although that element was definitely present. What really jumped out were the timeless bits of advice from the panelists: “Challenge the conventional wisdom.” – Gary Brudvig, Yale University […]
  • Neighboring Group Participation
    For Toni Planas, a sabbatical in rural Connecticut has accelerated a sweet collaboration with Mark Peczuh’s research group. The Glycosidase Team: (L to R) Sergi Pascual, Aditya Pote, Antoni Planas, Mark Peczuh Carbohydrate chemists are readily familiar with the concept of neighboring group participation (NPG), where the electrons of…
  • Hypocrellin A, With a Twist
    Some time ago my research group stumbled upon a family of macrocycles whose structure contained a somewhat uncommon stereogenic element, a plane of chirality. A plane of chirality arises when restricted rotation around a planar unit in a molecule leads to the formation of stereoisomers. The textbook example (seriously, look at Eliel) is E-cyclooctene. The […]
  • Still Working Toward Convergence in Total Synthesis
    I was at the Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds Gordon Research Conference (GRC) last summer. During the usual free time one afternoon, there was a roundtable discussion about the challenges faced by women in science and strategies to overcome those challenges. The conversation was promoted by the GRC organization, which made sure there was an […]

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Peczuh Research Group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut

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