ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
 | Room: 313/43 Phone: 074-7795478 Email:gonenash@bgu.ac.il |
Research Interests
The main research effort in our lab is devoted to the design and synthesis of multi-component chemical systems, termed as Molecular Networks, and for analysis of their dynamic self-organization. This study within the new field of Systems Chemistry is inspired by the complexity in structure and function observed within natural cells. We use peptides and proteins as the active components in these studies, and thus the observed structure-function relationships are further interpreted for understanding fundamental processes, such as protein folding as well as protein interactions with small molecules and bio-macromolecules.
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 | Room: 414/43 Phone: 074-7795494 Email:lemcoff@bgu.ac.il |
Research Interests
Current research in our group is mainly devoted to the synthesis, characterization and analysis of novel macromolecular synthetic compounds as well as new catalysts and reactions to produce them. Thus, our main goal is to investigate and better understand the breach between small molecules and nanoscopic structures.
Specific Research Interests:
S-Chelated ruthenium precatalysts for olefin metathesis: Latent thermo- and photoactivated precatalysts; Understanding of latency mechanism; Self-destructive latent catalysts
Advances in olefin metathesis: Dimer ring closing metathesis (DRCM); Olefin metathesis of bio-renewable materials; Asymmetric olefin metathesis; New monomers for ROMP.
Single-chain collapsed nanoparticles: Synthesis and characterization of mono- and bimetallic organometallic nanoparticles, applications in catalysis
Advances in macromolecular chemistry: Dendrimers with modifiable termini, Dendritic catalysts
Photochemistry: Development of chromatic orthogonality by "sunscreen effect", Application of "sunscreen effect" in synthetic chemistry and olefin metathesis
 | Room: 415/43 Phone: 074-7795495 Email:meijler@bgu.ac.il |
Research Interests
An important focus of my research will be the study of bacterial intra- and interspecies signaling molecules. Cell-to-cell communication is used by single-cell organisms to coordinate their behavior and function in such a way that they can adapt to changing environments and possibly compete with multicellular organisms. Chemical communication amongst bacteria has been termed “quorum sensing” (QS). Examples of QS-controlled behaviors are biofilm formation, virulence factor expression, antibiotic production and bioluminescence. These processes are beneficial to a bacterial population only when they are carried out in a coordinated fashion. Quorum sensing systems exist in both gram-positive and -negative bacteria and a variety of oligopeptides and N-acyl-homoserine lactones have been identified as QS molecules. Many QS molecules have not been characterized fully, and we will attempt to clarify the role of various QS molecules in bacterial signaling (in species such as Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhimurium, Helicobacter pylori) through synthesis and evaluation of QS molecules and potential antagonists and we will develop methodologies to study a wide variety of newly discovered and undiscovered QS molecules.
Associate Professor
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Research Interests
Classical physical organic molecular descriptors, such as logP, Hammett, Taft, or Charton parameters are often used for elucidating reaction mechanisms, yet, cannot always account for the intricate molecular interactions invoked in modern synthetic chemistry. Comprehensive experimental inquiry, complemented by data-intensive physical organic analysis, can bridge this gap and enable the study and optimization of increasingly complex systems. The overarching goal of our research program is to understand structural effects at the origin of chemical reactivity, selectivity, and functionality. To this end, novel parameter systems and data analysis strategies will be applied and developed, allowing the prediction of chemical outcomes and the study of reaction mechanisms. These techniques will be employed in the context of functional organic materials as well as organo-, organometallic, and biomimetic catalytic systems. Of particular interest are chemical processes driven not by rigid covalent or dative bonds, but by weaker, non-covalent interactions. The ubiquity and diversity of such interactions provide seemingly endless approaches to rational catalyst or functional material design, yet controlling them remains an exciting challenge.
 | Room: 29/108 Phone: 972-8-6428692 Email:pappod@bgu.ac.il |
Research Interests
Our main interest is in developing novel "ideal" transformations, meaning the formation of a target molecule in a single synthetic operation from readily available starting materials, in 100% yield and without side-product formation. The synthesis should be simple, safe, economically acceptable and environmentally friendly.
One of the projects, that we are excited to work on, is the development of new techniques for the preparation of complex phenolic architectures directly from simple phenols. These methods, based on iron catalysis, allow the direct coupling of phenols with different substrates under oxidation conditions.
In many cases, these reactions result in the formation of complex structures, whose preparation previously required several synthetic steps. Based on our new developments, important bioactive target molecules, such as coumestrol, are being prepared in a timely and sustainable manner, starting from simple and commercially available starting materials.
Senior Lecturer
 | Room: 205/43 Phone: 08-6461184 Email:bpalmer@bgu.ac.il |
More information:
Ben Palmer studied chemistry as an undergraduate in Cardiff University in the UK and continued there for a PhD with Prof. Kenneth Harris. His PhD work on polarized X-rays led to the development of the X-ray Birefringence Imaging technique. Ben moved to the Weizmann Institute as a postdoc in 2014 to work in the group of Profs. Lia Addadi and Steve Weiner. In June 2019 he started his current position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry in Ben-Gurion University. Ben explores the field of 'Organic Biomineralization' and is interested in how organisms make and use organic crystals to manipulate light for different optical functions, particularly in visual systems.
