The position as NMR specialist, and later as lecturer in physical organic chemistry at Rhodes University has resulted in my involvement in a wide range of projects, from education to research, from NMR of small molecules to that of 87Kda proteins. This seminar is a walk through the NMR aspects of these diverse projects, including a short background on NMR at Rhodes as it is taught from undergraduate through to Masters, and the use of modern NMR techniques.

Selected Topics:

1.      ¹H NMR-based kinetic and mechanistic study of unusual skeletal rearrangements of a spirobornyl tosylate derivative [1,2].

2.      Synthesis of potential Plasmodium Falciparum DOXP Reductoisomerase (pfDXR) inhibitors: Formation of a series of phosphonate esters and their subsequent hydrolysis via an Arbuzov-type reaction has lent itself to an intensive 1-d NMR study, from ¹H and ¹³P observation of kinetics [3], through to screening of the phosphonates against DOXP reductoisomerase using Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) spectroscopy [4].

3.       Current projects, including marine bis-indoles as MRSA pyruvate kinase inhibitors, and NMR Structure determination of eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A): challenges for the NMR spectroscopist.

[1]           K. Lobb, P. T. Kaye, S. Afr. J. Chem., 2003, 56, 60.

[2]           K. Lobb, P. T. Kaye, J. Phys. Org. Chem., 2011, 24, 38.

[3]           A. C. Conibear, K. A. Lobb, P. T. Kaye, Tetrahedron, 2010, 66, 8446.

[4]           T. Bodill, A. C. Conibear, G. L. Blatch, K. A. Lobb, P. T. Kaye, Bioorg. Med. Chem., 2011, 19, 1321.

Date:     Friday, 2 November 2012

Time:    11:30 - 12:30

Venue: The Avagadro (3.22) – Chemistry Building