Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry

18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California 91330-8241

Phone: (818) 677-1200
Fax: (818) 677-4068M
E-mail: chemistry@csun.edu

Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8:00am-5:00pm

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Thomas G. Minehan

Thomas G. Minehan

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
California State University, Northridge
Northridge, California, 91330-8262

telephone: (818) 677-3369
e-mail: thomas.minehan@csun.edu
fax: (818) 677-4068

Office: Science 2325



Weekly Schedule



EDUCATION

  • B.A., Columbia University, 1992
  • Ph.D., Harvard University, 1998

POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTMENT

  • California Institute of Technology, 1999-2001

COURSES TAUGHT

  • Chemistry 102, General Chemistry II
  • Chemistry 333, Principles of Organic Chemistry I
  • Chemistry 334, Principles of Organic Chemistry II
  • Chemistry 531, Survey of Organic Reactions
  • Chemistry 534, Advanced Organic Chemimstry

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Organic Chemistry
Research in the Minehan laboratory is focused primarily in two areas: development of synthetic methodology directed toward the preparation of biologically-active natural products, and the development of environmentally-friendly reactions for organic synthesis. We have recently discovered that organoindium compounds serve as efficient reagents for carbon-carbon bond-formation (both in the presence and absence of transition-metal catalysts), even in protic solvents. We would like to further investigate the reactivity of the organometallic intermediates generated upon single-electron transfer from indium species to organic substrates in aqueous media. Furthermore, we have embarked on a detailed study of the reactivity of 1-alkynyl ethers and their utility for forming multiple carbon-carbon bonds in a single synthetic operation. It is hoped that these studies will lead to new and efficient cyclopentannulation strategies. Finally, using the above methodologies, we are developing a practical approach to the terpenoid natural products Dactylol and Xerantholide through investigation of model studies on formation of fused 7-5 and 8-5 carbocyclic ring systems.


REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

  1. "An Environmentally Benign Synthesis of cis-2,6-Disubstituted Tetrahydropyrans via Indium-Mediated Tandem Allylation / Prins Cyclization Reaction" Pham, M.; Allatabakhsh, A.; Minehan, T.G. J. Org. Chem. (2008), 73, 741-744.

  2. "Synthesis of Oxa-Bridged 7- and 8-Membered Rings Via Indium-Mediated Annulation of 1,4- and 1,5-Dicarbonyl Compounds with 3-Iodo-2-[(trimethylsilyl)methyl]propene" Allatabakhsh, A.; Pham, M.; Minehan, T.G. Heterocycles (2007), 72, 115-122.

  3. "Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions of Acetoxyenynes with Triorganoindium Reagents" Metza, J.T.; Terzian, R.A.; Minehan, T. G. Tetrahedron, (2006), 47, 8905-8910.

  4. “Low-Temperature n-Butyllithium-Induced Rearrangement of Allyl 1,1-Dichlorovinyl Ethers,” Christopher, A., Brandes, D., Kelly, S., Minehan, T. G. Organic Lett., (2006), 8, 451-454.

LINKS

DR. MINEHAN'S RESEARCH PAGE

DR. MINEHAN'S TEACHING PAGE