Synthesis of Organic Compounds with Biological and/or pharmaceutical interest

The synthesis of biologically active molecules is one of the most important and productive topics of modern Organic Chemistry. Laboratory of Organic Chemistry continues to be one of the most important research hubs for the synthesis of biologically active compounds in Greece. The research that is currently being carried out in the laboratory includes the synthesis of:

• Heterocyclic derivatives: Coumarins, Indoles, Pyrroles, Pyridines, Dihydropyridines and others.
• Modified nucleosides.
• Polyphosphorylated derivatives.
• Benzamide derivatives
• Carbohydrates and their use as starting materials for the synthesis of bioactive molecules and natural products.
• Active known pharmaceuticals
• Hybrid bioorganic products.

Development of New Selective Organic Synthetic Methodologies

The development of new synthetic organic methodologies and reactions for the selective synthesis of complex molecular structures is at the core of the laboratory’s interest. The research in this area cover the followings:

• Chemistry of hypervalent iodine.
• Asymmetric synthesis.
• Reactions with organometallic reagents.
• Organocatalytic Reactions.
• Photocatalytic processes of organic molecules using polyoxometallates.
• Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.
• CH-Activation
• Biomimetic Oxidations and Reductions.

Natural Products Synthesis

An important activity for the Lab is the synthesis of natural products possessing complicated structure and their analogues. This is an issue with extremely challenging requirements, which is internationally quite competitive. In the recent years, in the lab are synthesized mainly:

• Pheromones.
• Alcaloids.
• Terpenoids.
• Non-natural α-aminoacids.
• Peptides analogous.
• Fused coumarin derivatives.

Chemical Biology and Synthesis of Biomolecules

The Lab deals with the development of the issue of Chemical Biology emphasizing in the synthesis of new small molecules as protein’s modifiers in order to utilize them in the study of biological processes and/or in the discover of new curative agents. These studies are realized by the application of the principle for the structure optimization in combination to the synthesis of bioactive compounds and natural products, and to the new synthetic methodologies developed in the Lab. Additionally, other scientific targets afford the synthesis of novel organic or organometallic photo-sensitizers for applications in organic synthesis, photo-diagnosis, bio-imaging, photo-medicine, pest control in agriculture and environmental protection.

Tele-education

Development of tele-education systems for the education without the necessity for somebody to be present in the class.