06/2012

The CCHF has a program that provides graduate students with the opportunity to perform exchanges with other institutions within the CCHF to take advantage of advanced equipment and expertize otherwise unavailable. In the summer of 2012 Hengbin Wang, a graduate student in the Davies Group at Emory travelled to California to perform a research exchange in the Yu Lab at The Scripps Research Institute.

As part of an ongoing program within the Center to streamline the synthesis of complex molecules of biological function and interest, the Yu and Davies groups were collaborating on a synthesis of the Lithospermic acid family of natural products. The approach employed three sequential C–H Functionalization reactions, one established by the Davies group, one by the Yu group and one novel reaction that required significant development.

Hengbin's visit to the Yu lab significantly accelerated the progress of the project, allowing the transfer of knowledge and ideas and provide an excellent opportunity for learning for all involved. These exchanges also help to strengthen the bonds in this collaborative network.