Advanced and Fundamental Techniques in Performing Modern Organic Reactions

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editor

Vijay K. Boda

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Dr. Vijay K. Boda completed his PhD in 2019 at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. His area of research was total synthesis of natural products and the development of novel synthetic methodologies. Thereafter, he worked for a couple of years at Syngene International, a CRO company, as a research investigator and received extensive training in drug discovery. In 2021, he joined Dr. Li’s lab at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as a postdoctoral research associate and has been working on developing novel drugs to treat neurodegenerative disorders. Perturbances in the calcium homeostasis in the body have been linked to various pathophysiological conditions including CNS disorders, and cardiovascular and immunity-related disorders. Calcium ion channel blockers have become critical as they are proven to improve these diseases significantly in animal models. He is currently designing and synthesizing numerous small molecules that can potentially cure CNS disorders by modulating the calcium ion channels, especially TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) family of ion channels. He harnesses his knowledge and experience in the total synthesis of natural products as well as the development of novel synthetic methods for designing and synthesizing intriguing structural motifs with improved drug-likeness. He believes that synthetic organic chemistry is a frontier that strengthens the power of drug discovery.

Collection Overview

Organic synthesis remains a cornerstone of modern chemistry, driving advances in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials science, energy technologies, and chemical biology. Continuous innovations in reaction design, catalysis, process intensification, and sustainable synthetic strategies have expanded the ability of chemists to construct increasingly complex molecular architectures with greater efficiency, selectivity, scalability, and environmental compatibility.

Despite remarkable progress, many techniques used in performing organic reactions remain difficult to reproduce due to the sensitivity of reaction conditions, specialized instrumentation, catalyst handling requirements, purification challenges, scale-up considerations, and intricate experimental workflows. Variations in laboratory practices can substantially influence reaction outcomes, creating barriers to reproducibility, technology transfer, and broader adoption of emerging synthetic methodologies.

In this context, visual demonstration of experimental procedures can bridge this gap by revealing critical operational details, experimental nuances, best practices, safety considerations, troubleshooting strategies, and optimization approaches that are often difficult to communicate through traditional text-based articles alone.

This Collection aims to serve as a comprehensive platform for methodologies that enable the design, execution, optimization, monitoring, purification, and scale-up of modern organic reactions. The scope encompasses both fundamental and advanced approaches, including synthetic, catalytic, electrochemical, photochemical, mechanochemical, flow-based, biocatalytic, automated, and data-driven methodologies. Additionally, methods related to reaction analysis, process development, sustainable synthesis, and emerging technologies that advance the practice of organic chemistry will also be included in this Collection.

By bringing together rigorously demonstrated protocols across diverse areas of organic synthesis, this Collection will provide researchers, educators, and industry scientists with a valuable resource for enhancing reproducibility, accelerating method adoption, fostering collaboration, and advancing innovation in chemical synthesis.