Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci | Professor Steven V. Ley Research Group

Director of Research

In the Ley Group, we specialise in developing new synthesis methods and applying them to the construction of biologically important molecules. Over the years we have completed the total synthesis of many natural products, including: spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent); rapamycin (immunosuppressant); thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor); azadirachtin (insect antifeedant); and bengazole A (fungicide). In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also pioneered flow chemistry and machine assisted synthesis.

For more detailed research information and our publication list, please see our legacy group website.

Completed Natural Products

Publications

Total synthesis studies on macrocyclic pipecolic acid natural products: FK506, the antascomicins and rapamycin.

ML Maddess, MN Tackett, SV Ley

Progress in Drug Research

(2008)

66

13

(doi: 10.1007/978-3-7643-8595-8_2)

PtCl4‐Catalyzed Domino Synthesis of Fused Bicyclic Acetals

A Diéguez-Vázquez, CC Tzschucke, WY Lam, SV Ley

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2007)

47

209

(doi: 10.1002/anie.200704595)

Microwave reactions under continuous flow conditions

IR Baxendale, JJ Hayward, SV Ley

Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening

(2007)

10

802

(doi: 10.2174/138620707783220374)

A flow process for the multistep synthesis of the alkaloid natural product oxomaritidine: A new paradigm for molecular assembly

IR Baxendale, J Deeley, CM Griffiths-Jones, SV Ley, S Saaby, GK Tranmer

Chemtracts

(2007)

20

462

The development and application of supported reagents for multi-step organic synthesis

DC Sherrington, AP Kybett, SV Ley, IR Baxendale

SUPPORTED CATALYSTS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

(2007)

9

(doi: 10.1039/9781847551962-00009)

MR-based tridirectional flow imaging. Acquisition and 3D analysis of flows in the thoracic aorta

R Unterhinninghofen, S Ley, A Frydrychowicz, M Markl

Der Radiologe

(2007)

47

1012

(doi: 10.1007/s00117-007-1577-6)

A Relay Route for the Synthesis of Azadirachtin

GE Veitch, E Beckmann, BJ Burke, A Boyer, C Ayats, SV Ley

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2007)

46

7633

(doi: 10.1002/anie.200703028)

Synthesis of azadirachtin: A long but successful journey

GE Veitch, E Beckmann, BJ Burke, A Boyer, SL Maslen, SV Ley

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2007)

46

7629

(doi: 10.1002/anie.200703027)

Synthesis of Antifeedants for Insects: Novel Behaviour‐Modifying Chemicals from Plants

SV Ley

Ciba Found Symp

(2007)

154

80

(doi: 10.1002/9780470514009.ch7)

A sequential enantioselective, organocatalytic route to chiral 1,2-oxazines and chiral pyridazines.

S Kumarn, AJ Oelke, DM Shaw, DA Longbottom, SV Ley

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry

(2007)

5

2678

(doi: 10.1039/b708646f)

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336398

Email address

svl1000@cam.ac.uk

College

Trinity College

Papers of Interest

141. Preparation and use of tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP reagent) as new catalytic oxidants for alcohols J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun.,1987, 1625-1627.
659. The Synthesis of Azadirachtin Chem. Eur. J., 2008, 14, 10683-10704
366. Total synthesis of the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1998, 3907-3912.
608. Total Synthesis of Rapamycin Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2007, 46, 591-597.
669. MultiStep Synthesis using Modular Flow Reactors Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2009, 48, 4017-4021
626. A Fascination with 1,2-Diacetals J. Org. Chem., 2007, 72, 5943-5959.
536. Multi-step Application of Immobilized Reagents and Scavengers: A Total Synthesis of Epothilone C Chem. Eur. J., 2004, 10, 2529-2547.
595. A Flow Process for the Multi-Step Synthesis of Oxomaritidine: A New Paradigm for Molecular Assembly J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 2006, 2566-2568.
785. Accelerating spirocyclic polyketide synthesis using flow chemistry Angew. Chem. Int. Edn., 2014, 53, 4915-4920
854. A Lewis Base Catalysis Approach for the Photoredox Activation of Boronic Acids and Esters Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 15136-15140