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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Attar Research Group

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picture of a student working on a blood alcohol project

Areas of Research

Dr. Attar’s primary research interests lie in areas of organic and organometallic synthesis and catalysis.  In this respect, the focus is on the design and synthesis of chiral organic compounds and their transition-metal complexes for potential applications in asymmetric organic reactions.  The development of new synthetic methodologies is a natural outcome of this research.  An additional area of interest is bio-organometallic chemistry of ferrocene derivatives.  Students in this group obtain hands on experience with synthetic and spectroscopic techniques as well as those in chromatographic methods of separation.

Recent Publications

  1. Attar, S.; O’Brien, Z.; Alhaddad, H.; Golden, M. L.; Calderon-Urrea, A., Ferrocenyl Chalcones vs. Organic Chalcones: A Comparative Study of Their Nematocidal Activity. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 2011, 19, 2055-2073.
  2. Thiesen, K. E.; Maitra, K.; Olmstead, M. M.; Attar, S., A New Synthetic Route to Optically Active Cyclomercurated Ferrocenylimines. Journal of Organometallic Chemistry 2011 , 696, 1355-1358.
  3. Thiesen, K. E.; Maitra, K.; Olmstead, M. M.; Attar, S.,  Synthesis and Characterization of New, Chiral P-N Ligands and Their Use in Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation. Organometallics 2010, 29, 6334-6342.

Recent Presentations

  1. Thiesen, K. E.; Maitra, K.; Olmstead, M. M.; Attar, S., Synthesis of New Chiral P-N Ligands from 2-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene Carboxaldehyde and L-Amino Acids and Their Use in the Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation of 1,3-Diphenyl-2-propenyl Acetate. 239th American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, March 2010; Division of Organic Chemistry, Abstract No. 566.
  2. Grove, C. I.; Attar, S., Ruthenium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones using a new planar chiral, diferrocenyl diaminodiphosphine ligand. 235th American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, April 2008; Division of Organic Chemistry, Abstract No. 660.
  3. Vue, B.; Attar, S.,  Cycloruthenated complexes of chiral, bidentate secondary amines: Pre-catalysts for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones. 235th American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, April 2008; Division of Organic Chemistry, Abstract No. 578.