Bunnett Lecture

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Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California
230 Physical Sciences Bldg.
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: (831) 459-4002
Fax: (831) 459-2935
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Previous Joseph F. Bunnett Research Organic Chemistry Lectures

This annual event was established in 2001 to honor and celebrate Professor Joseph F. Bunnett's seminal contributions to Organic Chemistry. Professor Bunnett has had an exceptionally distinguished career in Physical Organic Chemistry. His research has contributed understanding to a multitude of reaction mechanisms whose impact extends well beyond his specific field of research. The goal of his event is to gather for an afternoon and evening of reflection accompanied by exposure to ideas at the forefront of chemistry.

The annual Joseph F. Bunnett Research Organic Chemistry Lecture began thanks to the generosity of members of the Chemistry faculty. Our goal is to bring the endowment fund to a level sufficient such that this lecture will be a guaranteed annual event.

Fifth annual "Joseph F. Bunnett Research Organic Chemistry Lecture"
Friday, May 13, 2005

Professor Larry E. Overman presented the fifth annual lecture. Prof. Larry Overman received his early education in Richmond, IN, obtaining a B.A. degree from Earlham College in 1965 and completing his doctoral dissertation in 1969 at the University of Wisconsin. In 1971 he joined the faculty at the University of California, Irvine where he is now Distingushed Professor of Chemistry. Professor Overman’s research centers on the invention of new reactions and strategies in organic synthesis and the total synthesis of natural products and their congeners. Early in his career, Professor Overman invented a broadly useful method for preparing allylic nitrogen compounds from readily available allylic alcohols. Using synthesis strategies developed largely in his laboratory, Professor Overman’s group has completed total syntheses of more than 90 structurally complex natural products.

The symposium was held at the UCSC University Center, located near Science Hill. The events began with Professor Smith's talk in the Bhojwani Dining Room and an award ceremony, followed by a reception in the Ringold Rotunda and Levin Lanai featuring taste treats and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains and poster session of ongoing research in the department held in the Alumni Room, and a banquet in the Bhojawani Dining Room.

Professor Amos B. Smith III presented the fourth annual lecture. Professor Smith's research interests encompass three diverse areas: natural product synthesis, bioorganic chemistry and materials science. To date more than 75 architecturally complex natural products have been prepared in his laboratory. He is Editor-in-Chief of Organic Letters, the first journal developed through a collaboration between the American Chemical Society and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition), which was established with the goal of distributing research results faster and at significantly less cost.

The symposium was held at the UCSC University Center, located near Science Hill. The events began with Professor Smith's talk in the Bhojwani Dining Room and an award ceremony, followed by a reception in the Ringold Rotunda and Levin Lanai featuring taste treats and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains and poster session of ongoing research in the department held in the Alumni Room, and a banquet in the Bhojawani Dining Room.

Professor Herbert C. Brown presented the third annual lecture. Professor Brown is most famous for his studies on boron-containing organic compounds and his 1979 shared Nobel Prize in Chemistry with G. Wittig. It is incredible to realize that he has been actively engaged in scientific discovery at Purdue University for more than a half- century.

The symposium was held at the newly constructred UCSC University Center, located near Science Hill. The events began with Professor Brown's talk in the Bhojwani Dining Room, followed by a reception in the Ringold Rotunda, featuring taste treats and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a banquet.

Professor George A. Olah presented the second annual lecture. Professor Olah is most famous for his research on carbocations which earned him the 1994 Nobel prize; however, he is also well known for his numerous contributions to synthetic and mechanistic chemistry.

The symposium was held at the UCSC Seymour Marine Discovery Center. The beautiful facility is located two miles from the main campus and overlooks the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The events began in the Seymour Center Auditorium, followed by a reception in the exhibit hall, featuring taste treats and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a banquet.

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Professor Claude F. Bernasconi presented the inaugural lecture. The title of Professor Bernasconi lecture was "What Every Chemist Should Know About Chemical Reactivity: Lessons Learned from the Study of Proton Transfers."

The symposium was held at the UCSC Seymour Marine Discovery Center. The beautiful facility is located two miles from the main campus and overlooks the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The events began in the Seymour Center Auditorium, followed by a reception in the exhibit hall, featuring taste treats and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a banquet.