Associate Professor
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Synthetic organic chemistry, development of antitumor drugs

The McMills group is involved with several areas in organic chemistry, especially devoted to synthesis, methodology, and mechanisms of biologically active or medicinally important natural products. Another area of expertise comprises the use of metallocarbenoid intermediates to form various types of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur ylides. These extremely useful intermediates have found applications in many areas, but specifically in the formation of carbon-carbon, and carbon-heterocyclic bonds. The formation of these bonds are the cornerstone of synthetic organic chemistry. We have contributed to both synthetic methodology and specifically toward the synthesis of a number of highly active compounds with short, imaginative sequences. In each case we believe we have made a significant impact in the area. Below are brief summaries of the on-going projects in the group.

• Azacycle Formation

• Phorbol and Ingenol

• Colchicine

• Taxol

• Quinocarcin

• Furan Cyclizations

• Computational Chemistry Interests

"Dipeptide Ser-His Cleaves DNA, Protein, and Ester," Yunsheng Li*, Yufen ZhaoÝ, Scott Hatfield*, Rong WanÝ, Qin Zhu*, Xionghong LiÝ, Mark McMills|§, Yuan MaÝ, Jing Li|, Kenneth L. Brown|§, Chen He, Fang Liu*, and Xiaozhuo Chen*| Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 2000, In Press .

"Intramolecular Heck Cyclization of 2-Bromofurans With Tethered Olefins Utilized for the Construction of Bi- and Tricyclic Substrates" Michael Rupp, Stephen King, and Mark C. McMills* Organic Letters , 2000, Submitted .

"The Preparation of Highly Functionalized Aromatic Systems. Novel Selectivities Of Intra- and Intermolecular Friedel-Crafts Acylation Reactions," Dennis L. Wright, R. Matt Weekly and Mark C. McMills* Synthetic Communications , 2000, Submitted.

"Novel Cyclization Reactions for h2-Furan Complexes." Chen, H.; Caughey, R.; Liu, R.; McMills, M.; Rupp, M.; Meyers, W.; Harman, W.D.; Tetrahedron, Symposia in Print , 2000, 56 , 2313.

"Intramolecular Aziridination: Diazodecomposition of Diazoamides with Tethered Imino Bonds," Dennis L. Wright and Mark C. McMills, Organic Letters , 1999, 1, 667-670 .