School of Science Department of Chemistry 13 Virtual Reality in Chemistry Supervisor: SU Haibin / CHEM Student: AU YEUNG Yuet / CHEM Course: UROP 1100, Fall Virtual Reality (VR) technology is revolutionizing the way we perceive and interact with the world around us. In the field of chemistry, VR offers innovative ways to visualize and understand complex molecular structures, reactions, and concepts that are often difficult to grasp through traditional teaching methods. By leveraging VR, students and researchers can explore molecular structures or even carry out virtual experiments in an immersive 3D space, providing a deeper comprehension of spatial arrangements and interactions. This technology facilitates an interactive learning environment that can enhance engagement and retention of information. The potential applications of VR in chemistry are vast, ranging from educational purposes, such as enhancing the learning experience of students, to advanced research applications, such as simulating chemical reactions in real-time to remove the possible danger. In this report, we will explore the current state of VR in chemistry, review existing studies, evaluate what could be incorporated with VR within an online learning platform, and discuss the implications and future possibilities of this technology in the field. Development of New Catalytic Organic Processes Supervisor: SUN Jianwei / CHEM Student: LI Zexuan / CHEM Course: UROP 1100, Spring During this term’s UROP program, I conducted research in Professor Sun’s laboratory, focusing on the synthesis and functionalization of allene compounds. Building upon prior studies, I expanded the variety of α-allenylic alcohol starting materials and modified their structural features to gain deeper insight into the reaction mechanism, while aiming to enhance product yield and enantiomeric excess (ee). This work could contribute to future applications involving allenes and α-allenylic alcohol derivatives. Additionally, I investigated a novel ruthenium-catalyzed synthetic pathway to multi-substituted indoles from allene precursors—an approach that has not been previously reported but holds potential for the synthesis of valuable natural products and pharmaceuticals. The process posed unforeseen challenges due to the structural similarity between the endo allene and its isomer, complicating separation by flash column chromatography. Despite these difficulties, effective solutions were implemented by the conclusion of the project. Development of New Organocatalytic Reactions Supervisor: SUN Jianwei / CHEM Student: KWAN Yuk Cheuk / CHEM Course: UROP 1000, Summer Chromatography has been discovered in 1901-1905 by M.S. Tswett, and since then, many techniques have been built upon this concept. By using the inherent differences of different compounds, for example their different solubilities in different solvents, or their chiralities, they can be successfully separated either for refining or further analysis. In this report, I would like to provide an overview of different chromatography techniques, and look into Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), regarding analysis details and the pros and cons of using TLC. Some solutions and their issues to these potential problems will also be discussed.
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