R. W. Kierstead

Bio: R. W. Kierstead is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Reserpine & Total synthesis. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 361 citations.

The Diels--Alder reaction in total synthesis.

Abstract: The Diels-Alder reaction has both enabled and shaped the art and science of total synthesis over the last few decades to an extent which, arguably, has yet to be eclipsed by any other transformation in the current synthetic repertoire. With myriad applications of this magnificent pericyclic reaction, often as a crucial element in elegant and programmed cascade sequences facilitating complex molecule construction, the Diels-Alder cycloaddition has afforded numerous and unparalleled solutions to a diverse range of synthetic puzzles provided by nature in the form of natural products. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Alder's birth, selected examples of the awesome power of the reaction he helped to discover are discussed in this review in the context of total synthesis to illustrate its overall versatility and underscore its vast potential which has yet to be fully realized.

"Green" atom transfer radical polymerization: from process design to preparation of well-defined environmentally friendly polymeric materials.

Abstract: Chemical Reviews is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 “Green” Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: From Process Design to Preparation of Well-Defined Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials Nicolay V. Tsarevsky, and Krzysztof Matyjaszewski Chem. Rev., 2007, 107 (6), 2270-2299• DOI: 10.1021/cr050947p • Publication Date (Web): 27 May 2007 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on April 2, 2009

Polymers with Very Low Polydispersities from Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Abstract: A radical polymerization process that yields well-defined polymers normally obtained only through anionic polymerizations is reported. Atom transfer radical polymerizations of styrene were conducted with several solubilizing ligands for the copper(I) halides: 4,4′-di-tert-butyl, 4,4′-di-n-heptyl, and 4,4′-di-(5-nonyl)-2,2′-dipyridyl. The resulting polymerizations have all of the characteristics of a living polymerization and displayed linear semilogarithmic kinetic plots, a linear correlation between the number-average molecular weight and the monomer conversion, and low polydispersities (ratio of the weight-average to number-average molecular weights of 1.04 to 1.05). Similar results were obtained for the polymerization of acrylates.