Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Organic Chemistry:

Several Claisen-Schmidt condensation reactions were carried out to form a variety of benzylidene acetophenones, more commonly known as chalcones. A bromination reaction using “green” reagents was applied to each chalcone to form chalcone dibromides. Each product was purified through crystallization and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The melting point of each dibromide was obtained and compared to literature or experimental values. A total of 13 combinations of chalcones and chalcone dibromides were successfully synthesized, resulting in a wide range of yields for the overall two-step reaction. The effect of the electron-withdrawing groups on the starting aromatic aldehyde was also observed and a high atom economy was successfully maintained.

Allison Hurley Predecki Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

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