Victor Lee

I received my B.Sc. and M.Phil. degrees from the University of Hong Kong and moved to Oxford and completed my D.Phil. studies in organic chemistry with Sir Jack Baldwin. 

My research interest is in natural product synthesis and methodology investigation. I have a special interest in pursuing biomimetic approaches in designing natural product synthesis. 

Through millions of years of evolution, nature has perfected the art and science of natural product synthesis. Based on the idea of how natural products are biosynthesised in nature, organic chemists may be able to utilise this concept to develop novel synthetic strategies for the natural products. Often, a successful biomimetic synthesis is elegant and imaginative.

Completed target molecules

Here are some examples of the natural products that my students and I have previously synthesised:

Methodology

An extremely efficient version of Stille coupling method is developed by simply using CuI and CsF as additives.  This method has been utilised by numerous research groups, both in the areas of natural product and materials synthesis.

Selected publications

Application of copper (I) salt and fluoride promoted Stille coupling reactions in the synthesis of bioactive molecules.

V. Lee Org. Bio. Chem. 2019, 17, 9095-9123.

Studies towards the total synthesis of Tetrodecamycin.

J. He, J. E. Baldwin, V. Lee Synlett 2018, 29, 1117-1121.

Synthesis of epi-chloranthalactones A, B, D and E.

T.W. Fenlon, M. W. Jones, R. M. Adlington, V. Lee Synlett, 2018, 29, 1020-1023.