• Resize textA -AA +
  • Dark Mode Icon
  • en English
    en English hi Hindi te Telugu
Tirupati Logo Icon
Home  »  PMR FELLOWSHIP REPORT Reshma Babu 2

WRITE-UP FOR PMR FELLOWSHIP FROM FEB 2021 – NOV 2021

Reshma Babu Profile Pic

Reshma Babu

WRITE-UP FOR PMR FELLOWSHIP FROM FEB 2021 – NOV 2021

Academic Progress

  1. Open Seminar (the first stage of Ph. D.):
    • Tittle: Recent Advances in Catalytic Acceptorless Alcohol Dehydrogenation Reactions: Role of Pincer Ligands
    • Date: 11-02-21
      The presentation was rated as excellent by the committee members.
  1. Comprehensive exam (the second stage of Ph. D.):
    • Date: 22-03-21
      The viva-voce examination was highly appreciated and approved
  1. RAC-1 (the third stage of Ph. D.)
    • Tittle: 3d-Transition Metal Catalyzed Activation of Alcohols: Applications in Acceptorless Alcohol Dehydrogenation and Related Reactions
    • Date: 21-05-21
    • RAC Members:

      Prof. Ramakrishna G. Bhat (Chemistry, IISER-Pune)
      Dr. Sudipta Roy (Chemistry, IISER-Tirupati)
      Dr. Kiran Kumar (Chemistry, IISER-Tirupati)

      The presentation was good and RAC committee recommended JRF to SRF upgradation

    • First RAC’s presentation involved three chapters

Chapter 1:

Iron Catalyzed Direct Julia-Type Olefination of Alcohols

Olefins are valuable for synthetic chemistry and ubiquitous in polymer, agrochemical, pharmaceutical, and functional materials. Herein, we have carried out the first iron-catalyzed convenient, and expedient strategy for the synthesis of styrene and naphthalene derivatives with the liberation of dihydrogen. The present olefination has a broad substrate scope with primary and secondary alcohols. Interestingly, unprecedented synthesis of 1-methyl naphthalenes proceeds via tandem methenylation/double dehydrogenation was reported.

Chapter 2:

Nickel-Catalyzed Guerbet Type Reaction: C-Alkylation of Secondary Alcohols via Double (de)hydrogenation

The construction of functionalized diverse molecules from simple abundant chemicals by C‒C bond-forming reactions is one of the fundamental reactions in organic synthesis. Herein, we have done the selective β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols, using a commercially available, inexpensive NiBr2/TMEDA as an efficient catalytic system through acceptorless double dehydrogenative cross-coupling strategy. Interestingly, more challenging substrate conversions were achieved under benign conditions using primary alcohols as potential alkylating agents with various secondary alcohols. A broad range of substrates including aromatic, cyclic, acyclic, and aliphatic alcohols was well tolerated. Interestingly, the C-alkylation of cholesterol derivatives and the double C-alkylation of cyclopentanol with various alcohols were also demonstrated.

Chapter 3:

Manganese Catalyzed Double Borrowing Hydrogenation: N,N-Dialkylation and Cyclization of Acylhydrazides Using Alcohols

The construction of functionalized diverse molecules from simple abundant chemicals by C‒C bond-forming reactions is one of the fundamental reactions in organic synthesis. Herein, we have done the selective β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols, using a commercially available, inexpensive NiBr2/TMEDA as an efficient catalytic system through acceptorless double dehydrogenative cross-coupling strategy. Interestingly, more challenging substrate conversions were achieved under benign conditions using primary alcohols as potential alkylating agents with various secondary alcohols. A broad range of substrates including aromatic, cyclic, acyclic, and aliphatic alcohols was well tolerated. Interestingly, the C-alkylation of cholesterol derivatives and the double C-alkylation of cyclopentanol with various alcohols were also demonstrated.

External Teaching Assistantships

  1. Coordination Chemistry and Spectroscopy (at Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Tirupati)

Achievements

  1. Academic Excellence Award
  2. Delivered a talk on Mole Day symposium, 23rd October 2021 at IISER-Tirupati.

Publications

  1. J. Rana, R. Babu, M. Subaramanian and E. Balaraman*, Ni-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of primary and secondary alcohols with methyl-N-heteroaromatics, Org. Chem. Front., 2018, 5, 3250–3255.
  2. V. Landge, R. Babu, V. Yadav, M. Subramanian, Gupta, V, and E. Balaraman*, Iron-Catalyzed Direct Julia-type Olefination of Alcohols, J. Org, Chem., 2020, 85, 9876−9886.
  3. R. Babu, M. Subaramanian, S. P. Midya and E. Balaraman*, Nickel-catalyzed Guerbet type reaction: C-alkylation of secondary alcohols via double (de)hydrogenation, Org. Lett., 2021, 23, 3320–3325.
  4. S. P. Midya, M. Subaramanian, R. Babu, V. Yadav and E. Balaraman*, Tandem acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling-decyanation under nickel catalysis, J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 7552-7562.

Papers in preparation

  1. R. Babu, G. Sivakumar and E. Balaraman*, Selective N,N-dialkylation and cyclization of acylhydrazides using alcohols under manganese catalyzed double borrowing hydrogenation conditions