| This thesis is broken down into two main projects. First, studies of the Kaneda reaction in the synthesis of oocydin A/haterumalide NA and, second, polyurethanes from renewable resources: polyols from soybean oil. In Chapter I, the stereoselectivity of the Kaneda reaction was studied. The driving interest stemmed from the hypothesis that one epimer of an acyclic precursor could give the desired bicyclic core of oocydin A/haterumalide NA. In Chapter II, the work toward new polyols from soybean oil is discussed. Renewable content in polyurethanes on the market is still low because of economics and performance. Our ideas for new polyol systems are presented. |
