Juniper Partee | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Juniper Partee
Title: Two Rings to Rule Them All: Developing a Novel Synthesis for Exclusively 7-Substituted Coumarins
Major: Chemistry
Advisor: Sara Martin
Coumarins (2H-1-benzopyran-2-ones) are a class of molecules with a plethora of applications in fluorescence, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances. Exclusively 7-substituted coumarins in particular show potential as innovative treatments for cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, but no selective and accessible synthesis for them has been discovered. The Martin lab seeks to apply a novel two-step pathway to the synthesis of 7-substituted coumarins. The first reaction struggles with extremely poor yields and is difficult to monitor via 1H NMR, which has hampered experimentation with the second step in the past. Utilizing qualitative GC-MS to aid with spectral identification opened the door to exploring different reaction conditions to improve an unfavorable equilibrium and increase yields. Yields of the intermediate ester were increased from near 0% to 43% for both substrates examined, 3-bromophenol and 3-methoxyphenol.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
