Scientific Career

Thesis Title	Synthetic Transformations Based on b-Hydroxy Selenides.
Research Summary	Flora discovered the "Chow" reaction (also known as the Reich-Krief reaction), the catalyzed reductive elimination of b-hydroxy selenides to give olefins. The reaction conditions she developed for this reaction (methanesulfonyl chloride-triethylamine) continue to be the preferred ones in use today. She perfected the handling and application of unstable a-lithio selenoxides (first successfully done by Shrenik Shah) for the preparation of olefins using the sequence below: After finishing her thesis work at Wisconsin Flora did a post-doc in Carruther's laboratory at the U. of Colorado.
Papers	"SeIenium Stabilized Anions. Conversion of beta-Hydroxy Selenides to Olefins," H. J. Reich and F. Chow, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1975, 790. PDF "Seleninic Acids as Catalysts for Oxidations of Olefins and Sulfides Using Hydrogen Peroxide," H. J. Reich, F. Chow and S. L. Peake, Synthesis, 1978, 299. "Syn Elimination of Alkyl Selenoxides. Side Reactions Involving Selenenic Acids, Structural and Solvent Effects on Rates," H. J. Reich, S. Wollowitz, J. E. Trend, F. Chow and D. F. Wendelborn, J. Org. Chem. 1978, 43, 1697. "Selenium Stabilized Carbanions. Preparation of a-Lithio Selenides and Application to the Synthesis of Olefins by Reductive Elimination of b-Hydroxy Selenides and Selenoxide Syn Elimination," H. J. Reich, F. Chow and S. K. Shah, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 6638. PDF "Selenium Stabilized Carbanions. a-Lithio Selenoxides as Reagents for the Synthesis of Olefins, Allyl Alcohols and Dienes," H. J. Reich, S. K. Shah and F. Chow, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 6648. PDF "Synthetic Applications of Organoselenium Reagents. Synthesis of Epi-7-Hydroxymyoporone," H. J. Reich, P. M. Gold and F. Chow, Tetrahedron Lett. 1979, 4433.
Current Position