Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci

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

The synthesis of salmeterol using solid supported reagents.

SV Ley, RN Bream

ABSTR PAP AM CHEM S

(2002)

224

U115

Total synthesis of the amaryllidaceae alkaloid (+)-plicamine using solid-supported reagents

IR Baxendale, SV Ley, M Nessi, C Piutti

Tetrahedron

(2002)

6285

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4020(02)00628-2)

Total Synthesis of Polycephalin C and Determination of the Absolute Configurations at the 3″,4″ Ring Junction

DA Longbottom, AJ Morrison, DJ Dixon, SV Ley

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

(2002)

2786

(doi: 10.1002/1521-3773(20020802)41:15<2786::aid-anie2786>3.0.co;2-z)

New tools and concepts for modern organic synthesis

SV Ley, IR Baxendale

Nat Rev Drug Discov

(2002)

573

(doi: 10.1038/nrd871)

A polymer-supported [1,3,2]oxazaphospholidine for the conversion of isothiocyanates to isocyanides and their subsequent use in an ugi reaction.

SV Ley, SJ Taylor

Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters

(2002)

1813

(doi: 10.1016/s0960-894x(02)00269-x)

A concise synthesis of carpanone using solid-supported reagents and scavengers

IR Baxendale, A-L Lee, SV Ley

Journal of the Chemical Society Perkin Transactions 1

(2002)

1850

(doi: 10.1039/b203388g)

Synthesis of taurospongin A: a potent inhibitor of DNA polymerase and HIV reverse transcriptase, using pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes.

CJ Hollowood, SV Ley, S Yamanoi

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)

(2002)

1624

(doi: 10.1039/b204994p)

Total synthesis of the amaryllidaceae alkaloid (+)-plicamine and its unnatural enantiomer by using solid-supported reagents and scavengers in a multistep sequence of reactions.

IR Baxendale, SV Ley, C Piutti

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2002)

2194

(doi: 10.1002/1521-3773(20020617)41:12<2194::aid-anie2194>3.0.co;2-4)

Synthesis of trifluoromethyl ketones using polymer-supported reagents

IR Baxendale, SV Ley, W Lumeras, M Nesi

Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening

(2002)

197

(doi: 10.2174/1386207024607220)

Immobilization of Thallium by Tandem Oxidation/Reduction-Complexation of Thallium(I/III)

IA Kahwa, D Miller, M Mitchel, FR Fronczek, RG Goodrich, DJ Williams, CA O'Mahoney, AMZ Slawin, SV Ley, CJ Groombridge

Inorganic Chemistry

(2002)

3963

(doi: 10.1021/ic00045a020)

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

Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci

Director of Research

Completed Natural Products

Publications

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

Email address

College

Papers of Interest

About the Department

Departmental Services

Contact Professor Steven V. Ley Research Group

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge