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

Synthesis of a hydroxy dihydrofuran acetal related to azadirachtin: A potent insect antifeedant

SV LEY, D SANTAFIANOS, WM BLANEY, MSJ SIMMONDS

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

221

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)95691-0)

Use of S-t-butyl acetothioacetate in the preparation of milbemycin seco-analogues

T CLARKE, SV LEY

Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1

(1987)

131

(doi: 10.1039/p19870000131)

Microbial oxidation in synthesis: A six step perparation of (+)-pinitol from benzene

SV LEY, F STERNFELD, S TAYLOR

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

225

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)95692-2)

An x-ray crystallographic, mass spectroscopic, and NMR study of the limonoid insect antifeedant azadirachtin and related derivatives

JN BILTON, HB BROUGHTON, PS JONES, SV LEY, Z LIDERT, ED MORGAN, HS RZEPA, RN SHEPPARD, AMZ SLAWIN, DJ WILLIAMS

Tetrahedron

(1987)

43

2805

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4020(01)86886-1)

The use of β-ketothioesters for the exceptionally mild preparation of β-ketoamides

SV LEY, PR WOODWARD

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

3019

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)96273-7)

A conformational study of bafilomycin A1 by x-ray crystallography and nmr techniques

GH BAKER, PJ BROWN, RJJ DORGAN, JR EVERETT, SV LEY, AMZ SLAWIN, DJ WILLIAMS

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

5565

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)96783-2)

CORRECTION

SV LEY

TETRAHEDRON LETTERS

(1987)

28

1594

SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL 3,4-DIHYDROMILBEMYCIN ANALOG

C GRECK, P GRICE, AB JONES, SV LEY

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

5759

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4039(00)96834-5)

PREPARATION OF TERT-BUTYL 4-DIETHYLPHOSPHONO-3-OXOBUTANETHIOATE AND USE IN THE SYNTHESIS OF (E)-4-ALKENYL-3-OXOESTERS AND MACROLIDES

SV LEY, PR WOODWARD

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

345

(doi: 10.1016/s0040-4039(00)95725-3)

Synthesis of a hydroxy dihydrofuran acetal related to azadirachtin: A potent insect antifeedant

SV Ley, D Santafianos, WM Blaney, MSJ Simmonds

Tetrahedron Letters

(1987)

28

1595

(doi: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)95369-3)

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