Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay

David Aitken

Professeur
Bât. 670, bureau 3116 / 2109 – CP3A – ICMMO - UMR 8182
Université Paris-Saclay
Bâtiment 670
17-19 Avenue des Sciences
91400 Orsay
FRANCE

+33 1 69 15 32 38
david.aitken@u-psud.fr

Born in 1963, David studied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, obtaining his BSc in 1983 and PhD in 1986. His doctoral research on the chemical modification of enzymes with a view to generating new catalysts for organic chemists was carried out with Hamish Wood and Colin Suckling. Following a NATO-Royal Society post-doctoral fellowship working with Henri-Philippe Husson at the Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Gif-sur-Yvette (1987-89) he was appointed CNRS Researcher in the new Husson group at the University of Paris 5, working mainly on the stereoselective preparation of cyclopropane-containing compounds through the exploitation of aminonitrile chemistry. In 1998, he became Professor at the University of Clermont-Ferrand 2, where he set up a new research group working on photochemical routes to cyclobutane β-aminoacids and the development of methodologies for the total synthesis of macrocyclic peptides containing β-aminoacids. In 2006, he transferred to his present position as Professor of Organic Chemistry at Orsay. Research interests include all aspects of synthetic methodology, including photochemistry, and the preparation of molecules and molecular scaffolds of biological and therapeutic interest. He is currently Director of the ICMMO research institute.

 

 

Dernières publications

Synthesis of cyclobutane-fused oxazolidine-2-thione derivatives. S. Barranco, F. Cuccu, F. Devoto, R. Guillot, P. Caboni, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Tetrahedron Letters, 2024, 139, 155009

High anti Diastereoselectivity in a Tandem Oxyhomologation−Coupling Protocol for the Preparation of Amides and Peptides Incorporating α‑Hydroxy β‑Amino Acids. X. He, R. Guillot, S. Deloisy, D. J. Aitken, Organic Letters, 2024, 26, published on line

Effects of sulfoxide and sulfone sidechain–backbone hydrogen bonding on local conformations in peptide models. D. Liu, S. Robin, E. Gloaguen, V. Brenner, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, Chemical Communications, 2024, 60, 2074-2077

A New Strategy for the Preparation of 3-Amino-4-hydroxypyrrolidinone-4-acetic Acid, an Unusual γ-Amino Acid found in Microsclerodermins. Y.-P. Liu, D. J. Aitken, V. Declerck, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2023, 26, e202300767

Functionalized alkylidenecyclobutanes from a cyclopent-2-enone substrate via a tandem photochemical transformation and an allylic substitution protocol. X. Yu, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2023, 365, 4002-4007

trans-3-Benzyloxycarbonylamino-1-methyl-3-(methylcarbamoyl)azetidine-1-oxide. D. Liu, R. Guillot, S. Robin, D. J. Aitken, Molbank, 2023, 2023, M1726

Length-Dependent Transition from Extended to Folded Shapes in Short Oligomers of an Azetidine-Based α-Amino Acid: The Critical Role of NH···N H-Bonds. D. Liu, J.-X. Bardaud, Z. Imani, S. Robin, E. Gloaguen, V. Brenner, D. J. Aitken, M. Mons, Molecules, 2023, 28, 5048

A Post-Synthetic Modification Strategy for the Preparation of Homooligomers of 3-Amino-1-methylazetidine-3-carboxylic acid. D. Liu, Z. Imani, C. Gourson, R. Guillot, S. Robin, D. J. Aitken, Synlett, 2023, 34, 1787-1790

β-N-Heterocyclic Cyclobutane Carboximides: Synthesis Via a Tandem Base-Catalyzed Amidation/aza-Michael Addition Protocol and Facile Transformations. S. Barranco, F. Cuccu, D. Liu, S. Robin, R. Guillot, F. Secci, V. Brenner, M. Mons, P. Caboni, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2023, 26, e202300183

Non-covalent interactions reveal the protein chain δ conformation in a flexible single-residue model. Z. Imani, V. R. Mundlapati, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, K. Le Barbu-Debus, A. Zehnacker-Rentien, S. Robin, D. J. Aitken, M. Mons, Chemical Communications, 2023, 59, 1161-1164

Solvent-Free Synthesis of Quaternary Oxazolidine-2-thione β3-Amino Ester Analogs. F. Soddu, F. Devoto, V. Marras, P. Caboni, F. Secci, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2022, 2022, e202201115

Preparation of Thietane Derivatives through Domino Photochemical Norrish Type II/Thia-Paternò–Büchi Reactions. M. I. Lapuh, G. Cormier, S. Chergui, D. J. Aitken, T. Boddaert, Organic Letters, 2022, 24, 8375-8380

Characterization of Asx Turn Types and Their Connate Relationship with β-Turns. V. D'Mello, G. Goldsztejn, V. R. Mundlapati, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, F. Charnay-Pouget, D. J. Aitken, M. Mons, Chemistry - A European Journal, 2022, 28, e202104328

A case study of the MAC (Masked Acyl Cyanide) oxyhomologation of N,N-dibenzyl-L-phenylalaninal with anti diastereoselectivity: preparation of (2S,3S)-allophenylnorstatin esters. X. He, M. Buchotte, R. Guillot, S. Deloisy, D. J. Aitken, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2022, 20, 1769-1781

N–H···X interactions stabilize C5 intra-residue hydrogen bonding in heterocyclic α-amino acid derivatives. V. R. Mundlapati, Z. Imani, V. C. D'Mello, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, J.-P. Baltaze, S. Robin, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, Chemical Science, 2021, 12, 14826-14832

Ion Pair Supramolecular Structure Identified by ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy and Simulations in Explicit Solvent. J. Donon, S. Habka, T. Very, F. Charnay-Pouget, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, ChemPhysChem, 2021, 22, 2442-2455

A Brønsted acid catalyzed tandem reaction for the diastereoselective synthesis of cyclobuta-fused tetrahydroquinoline carboxylic esters. V. Marras, P. Caboni, F. Secci, R. Guillot, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2021, 19, 8912-8916

Pyrrolidinyl peptide nucleic acids bearing hydroxy-modified cyclobutane building blocks: Synthesis and binding properties. B. Ditmangklo, W. Sittiwong, T. Boddaert, T. Vilaivan, D. J. Aitken, Biopolymers (Peptide Science), 2021, 112, e23459

A theoretical and experimental case study of the hydrogen bonding predilection of S-methylcysteine. V. R. Mundlapati, Z. Imani, G. Goldsztejn, E. Gloaguen, V. Brenner, K. Le Barbu-Debus, A. Zehnacker-Rentien, J.-P. Baltaze, S. Robin, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, Amino Acids, 2021, 53, 621-633

A short synthesis of both enantiomers of 2-aminobicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2,7-dicarboxylic acid. F. Charnay-Pouget, M. Le Liepvre, H. Eijsberg, R. Guillot, J. Ollivier, F. Secci, A. Frongia, D. J. Aitken, Tetrahedron Letters, 2021, 68, 152912

Synthesis of Tryptamines through a Novel Brønsted Acid Mediated Tandem Reaction Initiated by α-Iminol Rearrangement of Transient 2-Substituted 2-Hydroxycyclobutylimines. L. Serusi, F. Cuccu, F. Secci, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Synthesis, 2021, 53, 673-681

Formation of tetrahydrothiophenes via a thia-Paternò-Büchi-initiated domino photochemical reaction. A. F. Kassir, R. Guillot, M.-C. Scherrmann, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, Org. Lett., 2020, 22, 8522-8527

Conformation control through concurrent N–H⋯S and N–H⋯O=C hydrogen bonding and hyperconjugation effects. Z. Imani, V. R. Mundlapati, G. Goldsztejn, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, R. Guillot, J.-P. Baltaze, K. Le Barbu-Debus, S. Robin, A. Zehnacker, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 9191-9197

Synthesis of α‐aminocyclopropyl ketones and 2-substituted benzoimidazoles from 2-hydroxycyclobutanones and aryl amines. L. Serusi, F. Soddu, F. Cuccu, G. Peretti, A. Luridiana, F. Secci, P. Caboni, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis, 2020, 362, 4159-4163

Local versus global control of helical folding in β-peptide segments using hydrazino turns. Z. Imani, R. Guillot, V. Declerck, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2020, 85, 6165-6171

Discoveries through organocatalyzed, Brønsted acid catalyzed and non-catalyzed transformations of 2-hydroxycyclobutanone. D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, F. Secci, Vietnam Journal of Chemistry, 2019, 57, 661-669

Tandem Wittig reaction-ring contraction of cyclobutanes: a simple route to functionalized cyclopropane carbaldehydes. F. Cuccu, L. Serusi, A. Luridiana, F. Secci, P. Caboni, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Org. Lett., 2019, 21, 7755-7758

Stereocontrolled Preparation of Diversely Trifunctionalized Cyclobutanes. Z. Chang, R. Guillot, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2019, 84, 10518-10525

Vibrational circular dichroism as a probe of solid-state organisation of derivatives of cyclic β-amino acids: Cis- and trans-2-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid. V. Declerck, A. Pérez-Mellor, R. Guillot, D. J. Aitken, M. Mons, A. Zehnacker, Chirality, 2019, 31, 547-560

Synthesis of β-sulfinyl cyclobutane carboxylic amides via a formal α to β sulphoxide migration process. L. Ghisu, N. Melis, L. Serusi, A. Luridiana, F. Soddu, F. Secci, P. Caboni, R. Guillot, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2019, 17, 6143-6147

Identification of ion pairs in solution by IR spectroscopy: crucial contributions of gas phase data and simulations. S. Habka, T. Very, J. Donon, V. Vaquero-Vara, B. Tardivel, F. Charnay-Pouget, M. Mons, D. J. Aitken, V. Brenner, E. Gloaguen, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2019, 21, 12798-12805

Reversal of Diastereoselectivity in a Masked Acyl Cyanide (MAC) Reaction: Synthesis of Protected erythro-β-Hydroxyaspartate Derivatives. M. Esgulian, M. Buchotte, R. Guillot, S. Deloisy, D. J. Aitken, Org. Lett., 2019, 21, 2378-2382

Brønsted acid catalysed synthesis of 3-(2-alkoxyethyl)indoles from α‐arylaminocyclobutanones and alcohols. L. Serusi, M. Bonnans, A. Luridiana, F. Secci, P. Caboni, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2019, 361, 1908-1912

A Selective Deprotection Strategy for the Construction of trans-2-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic Acid Derived Peptides. T. Boddaert, J. E. Taylor, S. D. Bull, D. J. Aitken, Org. Lett., 2019, 21, 100-103

Brønsted Acid Mediated Cascade Reaction to Access 3‑(2-Bromoethyl)benzofurans. S. Porcu, S. Demuro, A. Luridiana, A. Cocco, A. Frongia, D. J. Aitken, F. Charnay-Pouget, R. Guillot, G. Sarais, F. Secci, Org. Lett., 2018, 20, 7699-7702

Acid-catalyzed synthesis of functionalized arylthio cyclopropane carbaldehydes and ketones. S. Porcu, A. Luridiana, A. Martis, A. Frongia, G. Sarais, D. J. Aitken, T. Boddaert, R. Guillot, F. Secci, Chem. Commun., 2018, 54, 13547-13550

Strategic C to N Replacement in β-Peptides: Atomic Level Control of Helical Folding. V. Declerck, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2018, 83, 8793-8800

Preparation of cyclobutene acetals and tricyclic oxetanes through photochemical tandem and cascade reactions. J. Buendia, Z. Chang, H. Eijsberg, R. Guillot, A. Frongia, F. Secci, J. Xie, S. Robin, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2018, 57, 6592-6596

Cooperative 5- and 10-membered ring interactions in the 10-helix folding of oxetin homo-oligomers. S. S. Ragab, A. F. Kassir, R. Guillot, M.-C. Scherrmann, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, Chem. Commun., 2018, 54, 1968-1971

A Photochemical Route to 3- and 4-Hydroxy Derivatives of 2-Aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic Acid with an all-cis Geometry. Z. Chang, F. Boyaud, R. Guillot, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018, 83, 527-534

Identification of insulin-sensitizing molecules acting by disrupting the interaction between the Insulin Receptor and Grb14. A. Gondoin, C. Hampe, R. Eudes, C. Fayolle, C. Pierre-Eugène, M. Miteva, B. O. Villoutreix, F. Charnay-Pouget, D. J. Aitken, T. Issad, A.-F. Burnol, Scientific Reports, 2017, 7, 16901

Acid-catalyzed reaction of 2-hydroxycyclobutanone with benzylic alcohols. A. Martis, A. Luridiana, A. Frongia, M. Arca, G. Sarais, D. J. Aitken, R. Guillot, F. Secci, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 10053-10063

Synthesis of 2,2-bis(pyridin-2-yl amino)cyclobutanols and their conversion into 5-(pyridin-2-ylamino)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-ones. L. Ghisu, N. Melis, F. Secci, P. Caboni, M. Arca, R. Guillot, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 9779-9784

β-Cyclodextrin-Mediated Enantioselective Photochemical Electrocyclization of 1,3-Dihydro-2H-azepin-2-one. A. T. Mansour, J. Buendia, J. Xie, F. Brisset, S. Robin, D. Naoufal, O. Yazbeck, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2017, 82, 9832-9836

Stereoselective and regioselective pinacol-type rearrangement of a fused bicyclic oxetanol scaffold. N. Melis, A. Luridiana, R. Guillot, F. Secci, A. Frongia, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017, 2017, Issue 39, 5896–5902

Conformational effects through hydrogen bonding in a constrained γ-peptide template: from intra-residue 7-membered rings to a gel-forming sheet structure. H. Awada, C. M. Grison, F. Charnay-Pouget, J.-P. Baltaze, F. Brisset, R. Guillot, S. Robin, A. Hachem, N. Jaber, D. Naoufal, O. Yazbeck, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2017, 82, 4819–4828

Studies on cyclization reactions of 3-amino-2,4-dihydroxybutanoic acid derivatives. M. Esgulian, V. Belot, R. Guillot, S. Deloisy, D. J. Aitken, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 1453-1462

Synthetic access to all four stereoisomers of oxetin. A. F. Kassir, S. S. Ragab, T. A. M. Nguyen, F. Charnay-Pouget, R. Guillot, M.-C. Scherrmann, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, J. Org. Chem., 2016, 81, 9983-9991

An α-Helix-Mimicking 12,13-Helix: Designed α/β/γ-Foldamers as Selective Inhibitors of Protein–Protein Interactions. C. M. Grison, J. A. Miles, S. Robin, A. J. Wilson, D. J. Aitken, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2016, 55, 11096-11100

13-Helix folding of a β/γ-peptide manifold designed from a "minimal-constraint" blueprint. C. M. Grison, S. Robin, D. J. Aitken, Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 7802-7805

Deracemizing organocatalyzed Michael addition reactions of 2-(arylthio)cyclobutanones with β-nitrostyrenes. A. Luridiana, A. Frongia, D. J. Aitken, R. Guillot, G. Sarais, F. Secci, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2016, 14, 3394-3403

Thermodynamic and Structural Investigation of Synthetic Actinide–Peptide Scaffolds. S. Safi, A. Jeanson, J. Roques, P. L. Solari, F. Charnay-Pouget, C. Den Auwer, G. Creff, D. J. Aitken, E. Simoni, Inorg. Chem., 2016, 55, 877-886

Intrinsic Folding Proclivities in Cyclic β-Peptide Building Blocks: Configuration and Heteroatom Effects Analyzed by Conformer-Selective Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemistry. M. Alauddin, E. Gloaguen, V. Brenner, B. Tardivel, M. Mons, A. Zehnacker-Rentien, V. Declerck, D. J. Aitken, Chemistry – A European Journal, 2015, 21, 16479-16493

Enantioselective Organocatalyzed Desymmetrization of 3-Substituted Cyclobutanones through Michael Addition to Nitroalkenes. F. Capitta, A. Frongia, J. Ollivier, D. J. Aitken, F. Secci, P. P. Piras, R. Guillot, Synlett, 2015, 26, 123-126

Synthesis of functionalized tryptamines by Bronsted acid catalysed cascade reactions. N. Melis, F. Secci, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 15272-15275

The discovery of 9/8-ribbons, β/γ-peptides with curved shapes governed by a combined configuration-conformation code. C. M. Grison, S. Robin, D. J. Aitken, Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 16233-16236

Fine Tuning of β-Peptide Foldamers: a Single Atom Replacement Holds Back the Switch from an 8-Helix to a 12-Helix. A. Altmayer-Henzien, V. Declerck, J. Farjon, D. Merlet, R. Guillot, D. J. Aitken, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2015, 54, 10807-10810

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of α-(Benzylamino)cyclobutanones. N. Melis, L. Ghisu, R. Guillot, P. Caboni, F. Secci, D. J. Aitken, A. Frongia, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2015, 2015, 4358-4366

Pushing the limits of signal resolution to make coupling measurement easier. J. E. H. Pucheta, D. Pitoux, C. M. Grison, S. Robin, D. Merlet, D. J. Aitken, N. Giraud, J. Farjon, Chem Commun, 2015, 51, 7939-7942

Conformational preferences in the β-peptide oligomers of cis-2-amino-1-fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid. A. Hassoun, C. M. Grison, R. Guillot, T. Boddaert, D. J. Aitken, New J. Chem., 2015, 39, 3270-3279

Direct Spectroscopic Evidence of Hyperconjugation Unveils the Conformational Landscape of Hydrazides. E. Gloaguen, V. Brenner, M. Alauddin, B. Tardivel, M. Mons, A. Zehnacker-Rentien, V. Declerck, D. J. Aitken, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2014, 53, 13756-13759

Recent Progress in the Synthetic Assembly of 2-Cyclopentenones. D. J. Aitken, H. Eijsberg, A. Frongia, J. Ollivier, P. P. Piras, Synthesis, 2014, 46, 1-24

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Arylaminocyclobutanones. D. J. Aitken, P. Caboni, H. Eijsberg, A. Frongia, R. Guillot, J. Ollivier, P. P. Piras, F. Secci, Adv. Synth. Catal., 2014, 356, 941-945

Stereoselective intermolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition reactions of maleic anhydride: stereocontrolled and regiocontrolled access to 1,2,3-trifunctionalized cyclobutanes. F. Hernvann, G. Rasore, V. Declerck, D. J. Aitken, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2014, 12, 8212-8222

Practical Syntheses of Both Enantiomers of the Conformationally Restricted GABA Analogue cis-(2-Aminocyclobutyl)acetic Acid. H. Awada, S. Robin, R. Guillot, O. Yazbeck, D. Naoufal, N. Jaber, A. Hachem, D. J. Aitken, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2014, 2014, 7148-7155