Prof. Dr. Paulo R. R. Costa

Prof. Paulo Costa joined NPPN-UFRJ in 1975, as assistant professor, soon after the completion of his Master's thesis. He is full professor of Organic Chemistry at this institution since 1995, where he coordinates the Laboratory Bioorganic Chemistry.

He was a pioneer in Brazil in the use of directed ortho-metalation reactions, development and use of chiral auxiliaries and conjugate addition to chiral enoates. In his laboratory were synthesized dozens of natural products such as naphthoquinones, anthraquinones, furonaftoquinonas, pterocarpans, cumestanos, nitrones, amino acids and their analogs. Asymmetric formal syntheses of terpenes, alkaloids and lignans were also performed.

In the last decade his laboratory devoted primarily to interdisciplinary programs in the area of ​​Medicinal Chemistry. Naturally occurring isoflavonoids and derivatives with cytoprotective, anticancer and antiparasitic action in mice have been prepared. The synthesis of such products involves reactions catalyzed by palladium (oxy-arylation, aza-arylation, a-arylation and intramolecular Heck reactions) and zinc (hydroarylations).