Randy Vivian E-Mail: vivian@chem.ucsb.edu Education Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, California State University, Chico, May 1997 (summa cum laude). Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, June 2002 (expected). NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, beginning July 2002. Publications Lipshutz, B. H.; Keith, J.; Papa, P.; Vivian, R. W. A Convenient, Efficient Method for Conjugate Reductions Using Catalytic Quantities of Cu(I). Tetrahedron Letters,1998, 39, 4627. Lipshutz, B. H.; Vivian, R. W. Cu(I)-Catalyzed Substitution of Activated Vinyl Triflates with Functionalized Organozinc Reagents. Tetrahedron Letters,1999, 40, 2871. Lipshutz, B. H.; Buzard, D. J.; Vivian, R. W. Reductions of Aryl Perfluoro-sulfonates with DimethylamineoBorane (Me2NHoBH3) Catalyzed by Pd(0): An Operationally Simple, Inexpensive, and General Protocol. Tetrahedron Letters,1999, 40, 6871. Lipshutz, B. H.; Chrisman, W.; Noson, K.; Papa, P.; Sclafani, J. A.; Vivian, R. W.; Keith, J. M. Copper Hydride-Catalyzed Tandem 1,4-Reduction/Alkylation Reactions. Tetrahedron,2000, 56, 2779. Current Research Previous efforts within our group have proven successful for assembling all (E) conjugated oxopentaenes and oxohexaenes representative of the mycoticin and dermostatin families of antibiotics. My current research is directed toward the assembly of all (E)-conjugated heptaenes representative of the amphotericin family of antibiotics. This goal in being pursued with the investigation of polyenyl dioxaborolanes as substrates for Suzuki-like cross-coupling reactions with prepared dienyl iodides catalyzed by palladium(0) reagents. This challenging research has produced some encouraging results, but has yet to supply the desired all (E)-heptaenes in synthetically significant yields. Further evaluation of alternate palladium catalysts and methods of activation for the polyenyl borolane precursors is underway.