Rudolph Abramovitch
Professor
Organic Chemistry
E-mail: raa@clemson.edu
Research Interests | Publications | Resume | Complete List of Publications
Dr. Abramovitch earned his B.S. (honors program, 1950) from the University of London, Ph.D. (1953) at King's College, London, and D.Sc. (1964) from the University of London. Dr. Abramovitch held faculty appointments as professor at the University of Saskatchewan and as research professor at the University of Alabama before coming to Clemson as head of the department (1977-82). He received the Clemson University Sigma Xi Award for Outstanding Research in 1981 and was a Fulbright Fellow in France in 1983. He received a Fulbright Travel grant to Portugal in 1991. He serves on several editorial boards, including Heterocycles, Organic Preparations & Procedures International, and Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry. He is the editor of the multi-volume series, "Reactive Intermediates."
Research Interests
The Abramovitch group studies the chemistry of electron-deficient reactive intermediates, which are used to prepare novel ring systems and natural products (computer molecular modeling and new synthetic methodology). Remote functionalization, which was developed at Clemson, is often used.
The group has discovered a number of new reactions that have led to the direct introduction of substituents into heteroaromatic six-membered nitrogen compounds useful in medicine and agriculture. Microwave energy in organic synthesis and in the in situ remediation of environmental pollutants (e.g., PCBs, PAHs and toxic metal ions) is being investigated. Finally, intra- and inter-molecular recognition will lead to predictable crystal structures (crystal engineering) and to macrocycles.
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Publications
Intramolecular Cyclization of Ethyl ω-(Azidophenyl) 2-phenylalkanoates. The formation of Medium-sized Rings. With A. P. Rauter and Orlando da Silva Pinto. J. Org, Chem. In preparation 2005.
Diastereoselective Synthesis of Cularine Alkaloids via Enium Ions and an Easy Entry to Isoquinolines by Aza-Wittig Electrocyclic Ring Closure. With J. A. R. Rodrigues, J.D.F. de Sousa, and G. C. Leiva. J. Org, Chem. 2004, 69, 2920-2928.
The Formation of Medium-Sized Rings by the Intramolecular Cyclization of Arylnitrenium Ions. With Joseph Miller and Antonio J. C. de Souza. Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 6965-6967.
In Situ Remediation of Soils Contaminated with Toxic Metal Ions Using Microwave Energy. With Lu Changing, E. Hicks, and J. Sinard Chemosphere 2003, 53, 1077-1085.
Remediation of Waters Contaminated with Pentachlorophenol. With Michael Capracotta. Chemosphere 2003, 50, 955-957.
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