By Aliya Ather, Lauren Tant

Faculty Mentor: Davis Oldham

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis attacks the lungs, resulting in a bacterial infection which may be fatal if left untreated. KasA inhibitors prevent enzymes, which synthesize the cell wall of the bacteria, from being produced. 2-(Chloromethyl)naphthalene (1) was synthesized by reacting 2-Naphthalenemethanol (2) with thionyl chloride and pyridine, producing 2.32g of product. (1) was reacted with 4-Piperidone hydrochloride and triethylamine to form 2.09g of 1-benzylpiperidin-4-one (3) which was then used to perform a Grignard reaction with bromobenzene and magnesium turnings. This will produce the final KasA inhibitor that will ideally block production of the targeted enzymes. IR spectra were taken of each intermediate, resulting in peaks consistent with expected products, indicative of successful reactions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry also confirmed the presence of substituents corresponding to the necessary products.