Margaret Steward | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Margaret Steward
Title: One Ring to Rule Them All: Demonstrating the Synthetic Capabilities of 7-bromoquinolin-2(1H)-one in the Synthesis of 1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-7 quinolinecarboxylic Acid and its Ellagic Acid Conjugate
Major: Chemistry
Minor: German Studies
Advisor: Sara Martin
Quinolinones are medically relevant molecules that are found in pharmaceuticals due to their significant antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative properties. While ample research has been conducted on many analogues of quinolinones, one version of the molecule has been relatively understudied: the 7-substituted isomer. This is primarily due to the challenges associated with synthesizing exclusively the desired molecule without forming any extraneous bonds. As a result, there are some drugs on the market using the 7-substituted structure, but further research should be employed to understand its reactivity patterns to potentially enable future pharmaceutical research. Toward that end, this thesis develops and carries out a multi-step synthesis to create an exemplar molecule containing the 7-substituted quinolinone structure. To do this, the quinolinone itself is first synthesized, methylated to create a molecule capable of resisting harsher conditions, transformed at the 7-position to a carboxylic acid group, and finally coupled with ellagic acid, which is another biologically active molecule. Trouble arose in the carboxylic acid formation portion of the multi-step synthesis, though successful production of the first two target molecules was achieved. It is inconclusive whether the carboxylic acid was successfully synthesized. Future work for the project includes further molecular investigation to determine whether the carboxylic acid was actually made, repeating the successful experiments on a larger scale, and continuing forward with the planned synthesis of the ellagic acid coupling compound once the carboxylic acid is formed. Though this research is certainly not a direct precursor to drug development, the project has been worthwhile to conduct because it has contributed to the known literature regarding quinolinones’ reactivity patterns and behaviors.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
