Indian Institute of Science

Institute colloquium by Prof. N. Jayaraman @ 4pm


Title: Branches-Upon-Branches as Structural Motif in Chemical Synthesis: Evolution of Dendrimers as Platform Materials

Speaker: Prof. N. Jayaraman
Professor, Department of Organic Chemistry
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Date & Time: 27th December 2021 at 4.00 pm. Click here for the MS Teams link.

Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc will preside.

Abstract: Chemical synthesis provides the most opportunity fora creative production of chemical entities that are natural and un-natural. Art in organic synthesis is often equated to an origami par excellence. The interplay of symmetry forms the core of design principles to designer chemical entities in practice. Branches-upon-branches is a contemporary structural motif in chemical synthesis and the wherewithal to achieve such a structural motif has attained a level of sophistication. The complete branching through-out a structure reaches a dendritic state, where growth would no longer be feasible at the structural surfaces. The Author’s laboratory has made tremendous in-roads to assemble designer dendritic structures from bench-top structural monomers. Began with a curiosity about a covalent assembly, the realization came in hand to establish such structures firmly in diverse areas of studies and in the exploration of applications. PETIM dendritic structures are a case in point, where assembling the branches, occurring from core to the surface, led to patented series of dendrimers. Diverse interests on PETIM dendrimers from across disciplines have been a pleasant journey to work with, enabling the platform stature of these materials. Developments in chemical, biological and materials applications occurred during over last couple of decades of work on the dendritic structures. The talk shall highlight the initial curiosities about the structure, their production as new chemical entities and subsequent studies conducted across disciplines, including industrial developments, particularly, in healthcare developments.

About the Speaker: Professor N. Jayaraman joined the Department of Organic Chemistry of the Institute in Dec. 1999. Earlier studies were at: Under-graduation at University of Madras (1984); Post-graduation at Annamalai University (1988); Doctorate at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (1994), under the supervision of Professor S. Ranganathan; Post-doctoral research in University of Birmingham, UK and University of California Los Angeles, USA, during 1994 – 1999, in the group of Professor Sir J. F. Stoddart (Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2016). He is currently Professor and Chairman of the Department. Independent research isfocused on two larger areas of Carbohydrates and Dendrimers. Accomplished with 160 primary research publications, reviews and book chapters, 23 research students have graduated under him so far. He was conferred with Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 2009. He is Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences; President of the International Carbohydrate Organization, during 2014 – 2016, and is a Board Member of the Organization currently. He serves as Associate Editor of Glycoconjugate Journal and Journal of Chemical Sciences, in addition to being Editorial Board Member of Carbohydrate Research journal.

All are welcome