Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Photochemical Elimination Reactions That Proceed Via Triplet Excited State Electrocyclic Ring Closures, Himali Devika Jayasekara

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cage compounds have become an important tool for the study of biological processes. The research focuses on new cage compounds that can unmask functional groups present in biologically important molecules such as proteins, peptides, and oligonucleosides. The project focuses on certain functional groups that are often difficult to release photochemically. These are the thiolate groups present in cysteine residues of proteins and peptides. Thiolate groups are fairly basic leaving groups, unlike the more labile groups such as the carboxylates that are present in proteins and peptides, or the phosphate groups present in nucleosides. The research takes advantage of the ability …