Date of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Chemistry BS

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Dr. Matthew Donahue

Advisor Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

Piperidine is a heavily utilized nitrogen containing heterocycle found in numerous pharmaceutical agents, solidifying its importance as a building block in drug development. The focus of this research is to investigate different mechanisms of action for adding and replacing various functional groups utilizing readily available lab materials. These findings would lead to determining the overall influence of substitution patterns and functional groups have on stereochemistry, reactivity, and overall conformation of the piperidine ring. The synthetic approach involves the formation of 3-bromo-5-methoxy-tosylpiperidine intermediate through acid promoted cyclization, followed by nucleophilic substitution reactions to introduce various functional groups. Reaction progress and product formation were monitored using thin layer chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared analysis were utilized to characterize structures. The work evaluates how cis, trans, and geminal substitution patterns affect transition states and product outcomes, which provides insight into stereochemical control during piperidine formation.

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