Synthesis of Eumelanin Analogue

Science Center, Bent Corridor

Melanins are some of the least understood biopolymers, but they have the potential to have a significant positive impact, potentially acting as water purification tools and organic semiconductors. Of the three different kinds of melanin, the type being studied in the Belitsky lab is eumelanin, the form that gives rise to black and brown coloration in hair and skin. Currently, the Belitsky lab is carrying out a series of reactions on functionalized indoles, compounds that when trimerized likely emulate the characteristics of eumelanin. This summer we investigated a series of reactions to develop efficient synthetic pathways for this trimerization. This poster describes our efforts on modifications of the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction with dimethoxyindoles, toward the goal of constructing eumelanin analogues.