DQB Talks – Leiv Kristen Sydnes

Seminar: Organic Chemistry | February 2 | 3.00 p.m.-4.00 p.m. | Room 1.3.15

Speaker: Leiv Kristen Sydnes, Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Norway

Conjugated ynones, which are easy to prepare from a variety of starting materials, show a rich chemistry due to their ability to react with nucleophiles, electrophiles, dipolar species, dienophiles, and radicals. We have studied the reactivity of a group of such compounds (1) with nucleophilic species and dienophiles and developed new methods for the synthesis of several groups of heterocycles and some highly functionalized molecules with synthetic potential. In the lecture the results and the scope of these studies will be presented.

Biographical sketch:
Leiv K. Sydnes received the PhD in organic chemistry at University of Oslo in 1978. After 2 years as Postdoc with Professor Paul de Mayo in Canada, he became Associate Professor and Full Professor at the University of Tromsø. In 1993 he was called to University of Bergen as Full Professor. His research has been focused on organic synthesis with emphasis on cyclopropane chemistry, photochemistry and development of synthetic methodology. Using these tools problems in environmental chemistry, cancer treatment, medicinal chemistry, geochemistry, and fish farming have been studied. He has been visiting professor at universities in many countries including Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Spain and USA. He has also been very active in many international organizations, including IUPAC (where he was President 2004-2005), International Science Council (where he chaired the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science), UNESCO (where he was a member of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, and OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). He is currently Professor Emeritus at University of Bergen, doing research in medicinal and environmental chemistry and a member of the CHEMRAWN committee in IUPAC.