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Ken Houk, Ph.D.

Website:

Ken Houk's Laboratory.

Email Address:

houk@chem.ucla.edu

Work Email Address:

houk@chem.ucla.edu

Laboratory Address:

Mol Sci Bldg 5440

Work Address:

Mol Sci Bldg 5505B

Fax Number:

1 (310) 206-1843

Work Phone Number:

1 (310) 206-0515
Saul Winstein Chair, Organic Chemistry
Professor
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry
Member
California NanoSystems Institute, NanoElectronics, Photonics, Architectonics, NanoMechanical and Nanofluidic Systems

A Short Biography:

Professor Houk received his A.B., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard University. He began his academic career at Louisiana State University in 1968, then taught at Princeton (Visiting Professor, 1975-1976) and Pittsburgh (1980-1986) before coming to UCLA in 1986. He was Director of the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation (1988-1990) and is currently Director of the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program at UCLA.

Awards and Honors:

Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research ACS Award for Computers in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Research ; American Academy of Arts and Sciences American Academy of Arts and Sciences ; Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow of the JSPS ; Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel Lise Meitner Lecturer ; Technion, Israel Lady Davis Fellow ; American Chemical Society Southern California Section Tolman Medal ; World Association of Theoretical Organic Chemistry Schrodinger Medal ; University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Visiting Erskine Fellow ; Herbert Newby McCoy Award, UCLA ; James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry ; Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award ; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ; Akron Section of the American Chemical Society Award ; Von Humboldt U.S. Senior Scientist Award ; LSU Distinguished Research Master Award ; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship ; Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Grant ; American Association for the Advancement of Science American Chemical Society Chemical Society of London International Society of Quantum Biology Inter-American Photochemical Society International Academy of Quantum Moelcular Science

Research Interest:

Professor Houk is an authority on theoretical and computational organic chemistry, and his group is involved in developments of rules to understand reactivity, computer modeling of complex organic reactions, and experimental tests of the predictions of theory. Among current interests are the modeling and design of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, the quantitative modelling of asymmetric reactions used in synthesis, the prediction of properties of materials and nanoscale devices and the molecular dynamics of organic reactions. His group is involved in collaborations all over the world.


Detailed Biography:

K. N. Houk was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1943. He received his A.B. (1964), M.S. (1966), and Ph.D. (1968) degrees at Harvard, working with R. A. Olofson as an undergraduate and R. B. Woodward as a graduate student in the area of experimental tests of orbital symmetry selection rules. In 1968, he joined the faculty at Louisiana State University, becoming Professor in 1976. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Princeton. In 1980, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh, and in 1986, he moved to U.C.L.A., becoming a Distinguished Professor in 1987.

He has served on the Advisory Boards of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, a variety of journals, including Accounts of Chemical Research, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Chemical and Engineering News, the Journal of Computational Chemistry, Chemistry-A European Journal, and the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation. He was a member of the NIH Medicinal Chemistry Study Section and the NRC Board of Chemical Sciences and Technology. From 1988-1990, he was Director of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation. He was Chairman of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 1991-1994 and was Chair of the AAAS Chemistry Section in 2005. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists (new name of WATOC). He was co-chair, with Professor Cynthia Friend of Harvard, of a NSF-NIH-DOE-sponsored Workshop on Building Strong Academic Chemistry Departments Through Gender Equity in 2006. He currently is the Director of the UCLA Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program and Senior Editor of Accounts of Chemical Research . He is a member of the NIH SBC-A Study Section and is Chair for 2007-2008. On July 1, 2009, he becomes the Saul Winstein Chair of Organic Chemistry at UCLA

He has published more than 750 articles in refereed journals, is among the 100 most-cited chemists, and is an avid runner, biker, and swimmer.

Publications:

Branden Brough, Brian H. Northrop, Jacob J. Schmidt, Hsian-Rong Tseng, Kendall N. Houk, J. Fraser Stoddart, and Chih-Ming Ho   "Evaluation of Synthetic Linear Motor-Molecule Actuation Energetics" PNAS, 2006; 103(23): 8583-8588.
Mitsumori, S. Zhang, H. Ha-Yeon Cheong, P. Houk, K. N. Tanaka, F. Barbas, C. F., 3rd   Direct asymmetric anti-Mannich-type reactions catalyzed by a designed amino acid J Am Chem Soc, 2006; 128(4): 1040-1.
Doubleday, C. Suhrada, C. P. Houk, K. N.   Dynamics of the degenerate rearrangement of bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene J Am Chem Soc, 2006; 128(1): 90-4.
Pryor, W. A. Houk, K. N. Foote, C. S. Fukuto, J. M. Ignarro, L. J. Squadrito, G. L. Davies, K. J.   Free Radical Biology and Medicine: It's a Gas, Man! Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2006; .
Gordillo, R. Houk, K. N.   Origins of stereoselectivity in Diels-Alder cycloadditions catalyzed by chiral imidazolidinones J Am Chem Soc, 2006; 128(11): 3543-53.
Cheong, P. H. Zhang, H. Thayumanavan, R. Tanaka, F. Houk, K. N. Barbas, C. F., 3rd   Pipecolic acid-catalyzed direct asymmetric mannich reactions Org Lett, 2006; 8(5): 811-4.
Pieniazek, S. N. Houk, K. N.   The origin of the halogen effect on reactivity and reversibility of Diels-Alder cycloadditions involving furan Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 2006; 45(9): 1442-5.
Cheong, P. H. Yun, H. Danishefsky, S. J. Houk, K. N.   Torsional Steering Controls the Stereoselectivity of Epoxidation in the Guanacastepene A Synthesis Org Lett, 2006; 8(8): 1513-1516.
Miranda, K. M. Katori, T. Torres de Holding, C. L. Thomas, L. Ridnour, L. A. McLendon, W. J. Cologna, S. M. Dutton, A. S. Champion, H. C. Mancardi, D. Tocchetti, C. G. Saavedra, J. E. Keefer, L. K. Houk, K. N. Fukuto, J. M. Kass, D. A. Paolocci, N. Wink, D. A.   Comparison of the NO and HNO donating properties of diazeniumdiolates: primary amine adducts release HNO in Vivo J Med Chem, 2005; 48(26): 8220-8.
Liu, Y. Vignon, S. A. Zhang, X. Houk, K. N. Stoddart, J. F.   Conformational diastereoisomerism in a chiral pretzelane Chem Commun (Camb), 2005; (31): 3927-9.
Palmer, L. C. Zhao, Y. L. Houk, K. N. Rebek, J., Jr.   Diastereoselection of chiral acids in a cylindrical capsule Chem Commun (Camb), 2005; (29): 3667-9.
Liu, Y. Vignon, S. A. Zhang, X. Bonvallet, P. A. Khan, S. I. Houk, K. N. Stoddart, J. F.   Dynamic chirality in donor-acceptor pretzelanes J Org Chem, 2005; 70(23): 9334-44.
Miranda, K. M. Dutton, A. S. Ridnour, L. A. Foreman, C. A. Ford, E. Paolocci, N. Katori, T. Tocchetti, C. G. Mancardi, D. Thomas, D. D. Espey, M. G. Houk, K. N. Fukuto, J. M. Wink, D. A.   Mechanism of aerobic decomposition of Angeli's salt (sodium trioxodinitrate) at physiological pH J Am Chem Soc, 2005; 127(2): 722-31.
Ozturk, C. Aviyente, V. Houk, K. N.   Modeling the stereoselectivity of the Johnson-Claisen rearrangements in the Danishefsky synthesis of gelsemine J Org Chem, 2005; 70(18): 7028-34.
Saphier, S. Hu, Y. Sinha, S. C. Houk, K. N. Keinan, E.   Origin of selectivity in the antibody 20F10-catalyzed Yang cyclization J Am Chem Soc, 2005; 127(1): 132-45.
Fukuto, J. M. Bartberger, M. D. Dutton, A. S. Paolocci, N. Wink, D. A. Houk, K. N.   The physiological chemistry and biological activity of nitroxyl (HNO): the neglected, misunderstood, and enigmatic nitrogen oxide Chem Res Toxicol, 2005; 18(5): 790-801.
Caramella, P. Quadrelli, P. Toma, L. Romano, S. Khuong, K. S. Northrop, B. Houk, K. N.   The three corrugated surfaces of 1,4-divinyltetramethylene diradical intermediates and their connections to 1,2-divinylcyclobutane, 4-vinylcyclohexene, 1,5-cyclooctadiene, and two butadienes J Org Chem, 2005; 70(8): 2994-3008.
Dutton, A. S. Fukuto, J. M. Houk, K. N.   Theoretical Reduction Potentials for Nitrogen Oxides from CBS-QB3 Energetics and (C)PCM Solvation Calculations Inorg Chem, 2005; 44(21): 7687-8.
Zhang, X. Houk, K. N.   Why enzymes are proficient catalysts: beyond the Pauling paradigm Acc Chem Res, 2005; 38(5): 379-85.
Davies, I. W. Marcoux, J. F. Kuethe, J. T. Lankshear, M. D. Taylor, J. D. Tsou, N. Dormer, P. G. Hughes, D. L. Houk, K. N. Guner, V.   Demonstrating the synergy of synthetic, mechanistic, and computational studies in a regioselective aniline synthesis J Org Chem, 2004; 69(4): 1298-308.
Tantillo, D. J. Hoffmann, R. Houk, K. N. Warner, P. M. Brown, E. C. Henze, D. K.   Extended barbaralanes: sigmatropic shiftamers or sigma-polyacenes? J Am Chem Soc, 2004; 126(13): 4256-63.
Davies, I. W. Guner, V. A. Houk, K. N.   Theoretical evidence for oxygenated intermediates in the reductive cyclization of nitrobenzenes Org Lett, 2004; 6(5): 743-6.
Leach, A. G. Houk, K. N. Reymond, J. L.   Theoretical investigation of the origins of catalysis of a retro-Diels-Alder reaction by antibody 10F11 J Org Chem, 2004; 69(11): 3683-92.
Allemann, C. Gordillo, R. Clemente, F. R. Cheong, P. H. Houk, K. N.   Theory of asymmetric organocatalysis of Aldol and related reactions: rationalizations and predictions Acc Chem Res, 2004; 37(8): 558-69.
Tuzun, N. S. Aviyente, V. Houk, K. N.   A theoretical study on the mechanism of the cyclopolymerization of diallyl monomers J Org Chem, 2003; 68(16): 6369-74.
Zhang, X. Houk, K. N. Lin, S. Danishefsky, S. J.   Mechanism of cis-enamide formation from N-(alpha-silyl)allyl amides: synthetic potential of stepwise dyotropic rearrangements J Am Chem Soc, 2003; 125(17): 5111-4.
Singleton, D. A. Hang, C. Szymanski, M. J. Meyer, M. P. Leach, A. G. Kuwata, K. T. Chen, J. S. Greer, A. Foote, C. S. Houk, K. N.   Mechanism of ene reactions of singlet oxygen. A two-step no-intermediate mechanism J Am Chem Soc, 2003; 125(5): 1319-28.
Hamilton, D. S. Zhang, X. Ding, Z. Hubatsch, I. Mannervik, B. Houk, K. N. Ganem, B. Creighton, D. J.   Mechanism of the glutathione transferase-catalyzed conversion of antitumor 2-crotonyloxymethyl-2-cycloalkenones to GSH adducts J Am Chem Soc, 2003; 125(49): 15049-58.
Khaledy, M. M. Kalani, M. Y. Khuong, K. S. Houk, K. N. Aviyente, V. Neier, R. Soldermann, N. Velker, J.   Origins of boat or chair preferences in the Ireland-Claisen rearrangements of cyclohexenyl esters: a theoretical study J Org Chem, 2003; 68(2): 572-7.
Olson, L. P. Bartberger, M. D. Houk, K. N.   Peroxynitrate and peroxynitrite: a complete basis set investigation of similarities and differences between these NOx species J Am Chem Soc, 2003; 125(13): 3999-4006.
Bahmanyar, S. Houk, K. N. Martin, H. J. List, B.   Quantum mechanical predictions of the stereoselectivities of proline-catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions J Am Chem Soc, 2003; 125(9): 2475-9.
Vogel, E. Michels, M. Zander, L. Lex, J. Tuzun, N. S. Houk, K. N.   Spirodiporphyrins--as binuclear metal complexes Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 2003; 42(25): 2857-62.
Prakesch, M. Gree, D. Gree, R. Carter, J. Washington, I. Houk, K. N.   Stereoselectivity of nitrile oxide cycloadditions to chiral allylic fluorides: experiment and theory Chemistry, 2003; 9(22): 5664-72.
Zhu, X. Heine, A. Monnat, F. Houk, K. N. Janda, K. D. Wilson, I. A.   Structural basis for antibody catalysis of a cationic cyclization reaction J Mol Biol, 2003; 329(1): 69-83.
Wilsey, S. Houk, K. N.   H-vinyl conical intersections for dienes: a mechanism for the photochemical hula twists Photochem Photobiol, 2002; 76(6): 616-21.
Limanto, J. Tallarico, J. A. Porter, J. R. Khuong, K. S. Houk, K. N. Snapper, M. L.   Intramolecular cycloadditions of cyclobutadiene with olefins J Am Chem Soc, 2002; 124(49): 14748-58.
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