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 last 10 years we have completed the total synthesis of 28 natural products including spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent), rapamycin (immunosuppressant), thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor), azadirachtin (insect antifeedant) and bengazole A (fungicide), taking our group total to 150 completed total syntheses. In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also have a new state-of-the-art flow chemistry facility.

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

Publications

INSECT ANTIFEEDANTS

SV LEY, PL TOOGOOD

CHEMISTRY IN BRITAIN

(1990)

26

31

PREPARATION OF O-METHYL 3-ACYL TETRONIC ACIDS BY THE DIRECT ACYLATION OF STANNYL TETRONATES

SV LEY, DJ WADSWORTH

Tetrahedron Letters

(1989)

30

1001

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)95301-2)

Chemistry of insect antifeedants from azadirachta indica (part 4): synthesis towards the limonoid azadirachtin; preparation of a functionalised decalin fragment

SV LEY, AA SOMOVILLA, HB BROUGHTON, D CRAIG, AMZ SLAWIN, PL TOOGOOD, DJ WILLIAMS

Tetrahedron

(1989)

45

2143

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4020(01)80075-2)

A highly convergent total synthesis of the spiroacetal macrolide (+)-milbemycinβ1

SV LEY, NJ ANTHONY, A ARMSTRONG, MG BRASCA, T CLARKE, D CULSHAW, C GRECK, P GRICE, AB JONES, B LYGO, A MADIN, RN SHEPPARD, AMZ SLAWIN, DJ WILLIAMS

Tetrahedron

(1989)

45

7161

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4020(01)89182-1)

MICROBIAL OXIDATION IN SYNTHESIS - PREPARATION OF 6-DEOXY CYCLITOL ANALOGS OF MYOINOSITOL 1,4,5-TRISPHOSPHATE FROM BENZENE

SV LEY, M PARRA, AJ REDGRAVE, F STERNFELD, A VIDAL

Tetrahedron Letters

(1989)

30

3557

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4039(00)99439-5)

Substitution reactions of 2-benzenesulphonyl cyclic ethers with silyl enol ethers promoted by aluminium trichloride

DS BROWN, SV LEY, M BRUNO

Heterocycles

(1989)

28

773

(doi: 10.3987/com-88-s145)

THE 1ST CRYSTAL AND MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE OF LANTHANIDE HOMODINUCLEAR MACROCYCLIC COMPLEXES SHOWING METAL METAL PAIR INTERACTIONS

IA KAHWA, S FOLKES, DJ WILLIAMS, SV LEY, CA OMAHONEY, GL MCPHERSON

Chemical Communications

(1989)

1531

(doi: 10.1039/c39890001531)

Microbial Oxidation in Synthesis: Preparation of (+)- and (-)-Pinitol from Benzene

SV LEY, F STERNFELD

Tetrahedron

(1989)

45

3463

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4020(01)81025-5)

Total synthesis of (+)-milbemycin β1

NJ ANTHONY, A ARMSTRONG, SV LEY, A MADIN

Tetrahedron Letters

(1989)

30

3209

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)99203-7)

THE STRUCTURE OF 2 NEW CLERODANE DITERPENOID POTENT INSECT ANTIFEEDANTS FROM SCUTELLARIA-WORONOWII (JUZ) - JODRELLIN-A AND JODRELLIN-B

JC ANDERSON, WM BLANEY, MD COLE, LL FELLOWS, SV LEY, RN SHEPPARD, MSJ SIMMONDS

Tetrahedron Letters

(1989)

30

4737

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4039(01)80789-9)

Research Interest Groups

Synthetic Chemistry

Materials Chemistry

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