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Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry Lab

Purdue University has a history of excellence in organic chemistry as exemplified by pioneering work in boron chemistry and transition-metal catalyzed cross-coupling, two areas recognized by Nobel Prizes awarded to Prof. H. C. Brown and Prof. Ei-ichi Negishi. We continue to build on this legacy in order to tackle global challenges related to health and human disease; synthesis and manufacturing; sustainability and the environment; and modern computing, artificial intelligence, and automation. With 20 faculty members and over 100 graduate and undergraduate researchers, our research activities are multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and highly collaborative.


Our Faculty

Ryan Altman

Ryan Altman

  • Methods Development
  • Organofluorine Chemistry
  • Medicinal Chemistry
Bram Axelrod

Bram Axelrod

  • Carbohydrate Synthesis
  • Glycoprotein Chemistry
  • Small Molecule Natural Products
Bryan Boudouris

Bryan Boudouris

  • Polymer Science
  • Soft Matter
  • Organic Electronics
Jean Chmielewski

Jean Chmielewski

  • Drug Discovery
  • Drug Delivery
  • BioMaterials
Gaurav Chopra

Gaurav Chopra

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Machine Learning
  • Drug Discovery
Bryon Drown

Bryon Drown

  • Chemical Proteomics
  • Protein-Drug Interactions
  • Chemical Tool Synthesis
Arun Ghosh

Arun Ghosh

  • Bioactive Natural Products Synthesis
  • Development of New Reactions and Applications
  • Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry
  • Structure-Based Molecular Design
Hilkka Kenttämaa

Hilkka Kenttämaa

  • Organic Reaction Intermediates
  • Analysis Methods for Drug Metabolites and Impurities
  • Organic Chemistry Related to Energy
Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton

  • Organic Synthesis
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Peptide Chemistry
Chengde Mao

Chengde Mao

  • DNA Nanotechnology
  • Self-Assembly
  • Biosensing/Nanomedicine
Jianguo Mei

Jianguo Mei

  • Organic and Polymer Synthesis
  • Organic Electronics that are Flexible and Stretchable 
  • Bioelectronics that connect Biology with Electronics
Ming-Yu  Ngai

Ming-Yu Ngai

  • Photoredox/Excited-State Catalysis
  • Transition Metal Catalysis
  • Organofluorine Chemistry
  • Carbohydrate Chemistry
Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson

Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson

  • Natural Product Synthesis and Biosynthesis
  • Biocatalysis
  • Medicinal Chemistry
P. Ramachandran

P. Ramachandran

  • Catalytic Reaction Methodology
  • Antibacterial Research
  • Chemoproteomics
  • Materials Chemistry
Herman Sintim

Herman Sintim

  • Multi-component Synthesis
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Chemical Biology
Severin Schneebeli

Severin Schneebeli

  • Supramolecular Chemistry
  • New Affinity Reagents
  • Biopharmaceutical Production, Stabilization, and Delivery
David Thompson

David Thompson

  • Drug Synthesis Using Flow Chemistry
  • Lipid- & Protein-Based Drug Delivery Systems
  • Affinity Capture Materials for cryoEM
Christopher Uyeda

Christopher Uyeda

  • Synthesis and Methodology
  • Organometallic Chemistry and Transition Metal Catalysis
  • Organic Materials
Alexander Wei

Alexander Wei

  • Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy
  • Fluorescent Dyes for Imaging of Cellular Signals
  • Sustainable Hybrid Thermoplastics
Paul Wenthold

Paul Wenthold

  • Physical Organic Chemistry
  • Mass Spectrometry
Zhong-Yin Zhang

Zhong-Yin Zhang

  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Chemical Biology
  • Drug Discovery