UCLA

Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium 247: Timothy Cernak
2024-04-25 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Combinatorial Explosion: From Atom-Bond Arrangements to Exotic Diseases
Abstract: Chemical synthesis and data science are two fields that operate in synergy. Molecules and the routes to synthesize them are easily represented as graphs while automated chemical synthesis strategies allow more and more synthesis data to be captured, for instance to feed machine learning algorithms. This talk will detail our work in this area focused on a new class of amine-acid cross coupling reactions, and the computer-assisted synthesis of drugs and natural products. We have been exploring the breadth of all reactions that could exist, navigating combinatorial explosions of virtual and plausible reaction methods, routes to complex molecules, and the interconnectedness of reaction conditions, transformations, and biological functions. Our agnostic view of reactions and their mechanisms has recently extended to diseases, with a focus on One Health.

Cernak Flyer

Dickerson Biochemistry Seminar Series - Noe Rodriguez and Alexandra Turmon Midstream Presentation
2024-04-26 15:30 - 16:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Noe Rodriguez (Gelbart Group)
Alexandra Turmon (Backus Group)

Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series – Prof. Piotr Kaszyński
2024-04-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Flyer: Prof. Piotr Kaszyński Flyer
Title: Closo-Boranes: Unique Structural Elements for Functional Materials
Abstract: closo-Boranes are inorganic 3-D sigma aromatic compounds with steric and electronic properties attractive for designing multifunctional materials. Earlier work demonstrated that 10- and 12-vertex p-carboranes are suitable building blocks for liquid crystals. Anionic closo-carbaborates have been used to design highly polar materials for LCD applications and ionic self-organizing electrolytes for battery applications. The high-lying HOMO of the decaborate dianion [closo-B 10 H 10 ] 2- has been exploited in the design of materials exhibiting photo-induced intra- and inter-molecular charge transfer processes. The synthesis of these new materials has required the development of new
functionalization methods. For example, phenyliodination activates B-H bonds towards
highly regioselective nucleophilic substitution.

Chem 263 Seminars In Chemical Biology - Prof. Fleur Ferguson
2024-04-30 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series – Prof. Zednek Sofer
2024-05-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Flyer: Prof. Zdenek Sofer Flyer
Title: 2D Magnets and Dielectrics
Abstract: The recent progress in methods of high quality and low defect 2D magnetic materials will be discussed. Beside the group of transition metal halides and chalcogens also the rapidly growth family of mixed halogen-chalcogenides will be introduced. The dominantly explored material, chromium sulfo-bromide adopt FeOCl structure and possess A type antiferromagnetic ordering at low temperature. By various methods of exfoliation or defect formation, this material can be converted to ferromagnetic state. The chemistry of CrSBr including doping and possible covalent and non-covalent functionalization and its effect on magnetic and optical properties will be presented together with possible applications in electronic devices.
Beside the two dimensional magnets, the 2D dielectric exhibit important group of materials with crucial rule in device fabrication. The broad spectra of novel high-k 2D dielectric materials growth and applications will be presented together with large scale crystal growth of hexagonal boron nitride at atmospheric pressure using various metal flux.

Chem 218 Student Exit Seminar: Xuanheng Tan
2024-05-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium 247: Christopher Uyeda
2024-05-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Mautner-Perkins Department Scientific Lecture
2024-05-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Mautner-Perkins Lecture Flyer
Reticular Chemistry and ChatGPT
Abstract: Our recent work on digitalization of reticular chemistry will be reported. We have been experimenting with ChatGPT and machine learning in the discovery of new MOFs for clean air, water, and energy applications.

Special Chemistry Seminar: Professor Michael Reppert
2024-05-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Physical Chemistry Seminar 228: Professor Victor Batista
2024-05-06 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Chem 263 Seminars In Chemical Biology - Michael Bollong
2024-05-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Mautner-Perkins Public Lecture
2024-05-07 16:30 - 18:30 | CNSI Auditorium
Mautner2024_Poster
Title: Water Harvesting from Desert Air
Reception at 4:30 pm
Lecture at 5:30 pm
The lecture will be followed by the presentation of 2024 Mautner Perkins Graduate Awards
Questions? Contact College Events, CollegeEvents@support.ucla.edu
Please RSVP here

Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series – Prof. Aleksandr Zhukhovitskiy
2024-05-08 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Flyer:Prof. Alex Zhukhovitskiy Flyer
Title: Advancing Inorganic Methods for Polymer Synthesis, Modification, and Degradation
Abstract: The polymer backbone is fundamental to the polymer’s identity and properties. My seminar will focus on the development of metathesis mechanisms to access heteroatom-rich polymer backbones, new editing tools to transform existing polymer backbones into different ones, and both strategies and tactics to depolymerize commodity polymeric materials into valuable small molecules. Specifically, I will discuss iridium-guanidinate catalyzed ring-opening metathesis of cyclic carbodiimides and the current directions toward diazene metathesis, as well as an array of transformations—including C-H amination using sulfur-based reagents—applied to edit the backbones of polymers. Besides the focus on polymer backbones, retrosynthetic logic applied to polymeric materials will be another common thread woven throughout this seminar, as it is a central element of the research in the Zhukhovitskiy group.

Chem 218 Student Exit Seminar: Ken Mei
2024-05-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium 247: Prof. László Kürti
2024-05-09 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Advances In the Synthesis And Application Of Strained-Ring Compounds: Catalytic & Stoichiometric Approaches
Abstract: “The synthesis of highly substituted and strained nitrogenous molecules remains a challenging task since installing substituents on small ring systems gets increasingly difficult as the degree of substitution increases. Similarly, it is difficult to install nitrogen bridges onto highly substituted and electronically diverse unsaturated systems. In this presentation a number of synthetic routes to these valuable nitrogenous building blocks will be discussed: (1) The direct and stereospecific synthesis of N-H- and N-alkyl aziridines from unactivated olefins using both transition metal-catalyzed and organocatalytic approaches that proceed through very different N-transfer processes; (2) Fully-substituted N-acyl aziridines are produced in one-pot by the reaction of N-electrophilic iminomalonates with ketone enolates – this transformation is in essence an aza-quasi-Favorskii rearrangement reaction which proceeds via a 1,2-attack followed by a low-barrier intramolecular nitrenoid-insertion into a C-C bond and (3) Structurally diverse spiro N-H azetidines are formed in a single step during the Ti(IV)-mediated reaction between oxime ethers and alkyl-Grignard reagents or via a ligand-exchange process using terminal olefins – the overall transformation proceeds via a Kulinkovich-type mechanism: a titanacyclopropane intermediate is formed and serves as a 1,2- dialkyl anion equivalent, inserting into the 1,2-dielectrophilc oxime ether substrate to ultimately give rise to the desired N-heterocyclic four-membered ring.
Kurti Flyer

Dickerson Biochemistry Seminar Series - Angel Arce and Thomas Underwood Midstream Presentation
2024-05-10 15:30 - 16:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Angel Arce (Chanfreau Group)
Thomas Underwood (Wollman Group)

Special Chemistry Seminar: Professor David Leibrandt
2024-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Physical Chemistry Seminar 228: Professor Eric Detsi
2024-05-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Chem 263 Seminars In Chemical Biology - Lisa Boatner
2024-05-14 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series – Prof. Lane Baker
2024-05-15 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Flyer: Prof. Lane Baker Flyer
Title: Expanding the Electrochemical Toolbox: A Story in Two Parts
Abstract: Advances in electrochemistry, and in particular electroanalytical chemistry, are driven by advances in tools and methods to perform electrochemical measurements. In this talk, I will present two vignettes into very different tools we have developed recently for electrochemical measurements. The first vignette consists of an electrochemical array we have developed that allows scalable high-throughput electrochemistry in a conventional 96-well format, a tool we colloquially call “Legion”. The operation and performance of Legion, along with applications towards materials synthesis and electro-organic chemistry will be highlighted. In a second vignette, recent advances in a new scanning electrochemical microscopy platform will be described. The approach, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry – scanning electrochemical microscopy – scanning ion conductance microscopy (FSCV-SECM-SICM) makes use of precision fabricated carbon electrodes and an adaptable programming platform for imaging control. The general operation and performance of the instrument will be described, along with applications in imaging of neurotransmitter release from primary cultured neurons.

Chem 218 Student Exit Seminar: Santiago Vargas
2024-05-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium 247: Andy Thomas
2024-05-16 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Reimagining Ancient Reactions for the 21st Century
Abstract: The ability to prepare highly functionalized molecules in general and predictable ways is central to modern drug design and discovering new treatments for human disease. The aim of our program is to create new methods to solve the longstanding synthetic challenge of asymmetrically constructing biologically active small molecules. Classical synthetic approaches based on CH activations are ubiquitous but limited by the inherent directing effects of embedded heteroatoms. This presentation will discuss our recently discovered scheme to access highly basic ion pairs with organolithiums which provides a new pathway to override intrinsic heteroatom directing effects. In addition, we will describe our progress in developing new methods for carbon-oxygen bond formation reactions that utilizes primary ozonide intermediates.
Thomas Flyer

Dickerson Biochemistry Seminar – Shashank Shekhar (Emory University)
2024-05-17 15:30 - 16:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Dickerson Biochemistry Seminar – Prof. Shashank Shekhar (Emory University)
2024-05-17 15:30 - 16:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Physical Chemistry Seminar 228: Professor Libai Huang
2024-05-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

2024 Departmental Awards Ceremony
2024-05-21 15:00 - 17:30 | CNSI Auditorium
Awards Ceremony Program

Chem 263 Seminars In Chemical Biology - Nikolas Burton
2024-05-21 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series – Prof. Michael Inkpen
2024-05-22 16:00 - 17:30 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Flyer: Prof. Michael Inkpen Flyer
Title: Molecular-Scale Electronics and Moore: From Interfacial Reactivity to Band Structure Design
Abstract: Junctions comprising individual molecules “wired” between nanoscale electrodes approach the limit of miniaturization for electronic circuits used in computation and data storage. While studies of these atomically precise systems expose molecular structure-charge transport property relationships critical for the development of useful electronic components (e.g., wires, switches, or diodes), the wider capabilities of such junctions, for example, to form and break chemical bonds, remain understudied. We are applying glovebox-based scanning tunnelling microscope-based break-junction (STM-BJ) methods to probe single-molecule junctions formed from reactive molecules and functional electrode metals such as Ag, Cu, and Co. Through STM-BJ conductance measurements of appropriate molecular models, we are also exploring an alternative “bottom-up,” approach to electronic (band) structure design in extended ordered polymers such as covalent organic and metal-organic frameworks (COFs and MOFs). Together, our work aims to develop a deeper understanding of molecular assembly, heterogeneous catalysis, and charge transport processes from the nanoscale to bulk that can be applied in the design of new devices and materials with improved properties.

Chem 218 Student Exit Seminar: Helen Cumberbatch
2024-05-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222

Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium 247: Prof. Malika Jeffries-El
2024-05-23 16:00 - 17:00 | Collaboratory Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall YH4222
Sponsored by: Organization for Cultural Diversity in Sciences Lectureship
