Turan Öztürk was born in Kizilcaören, a small village in Divrigi area in east central Anatolia, Turkey. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Middle East Technical and Istanbul Technical Universities, respectively.
He completed his Ph.D. study at the University of East Anglia as a Turkish Government scholarship holder under the supervision of Professor A. McKillop on the synthesis of amphimedine alkaloid in 1990. He was then moved to the University of Kent at Canterbury to join Dr. John D. Wallis’ group as a postdoctoral fellow (1991 – 1994), financed by SERC Molecular Electronics Committee and 21st Century Material Initiative, and visiting research fellow (1995), where he worked on the synthesis of new bis(etylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) type organic superconductors and developed a new method for the synthesis of fused 1,4-dithiin and thiophene rings from 1,8-diketones using Lawesson’s Reagent and P4S10.
Employment
Sept. 2003- Today
Professor, Istanbul Technical University, Art and Science Faculty, Chemistry Department, Organic Chemistry, Istanbul, Turkey
April-2003-Sept. 2003
Lecturer, Middle East Technical University, Art and Science Faculty, Chemistry Department, Organic Chemistry, Ankara, Turkey
April 1996-June 2002
Head of Organic Technologies Division,
Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey-Marmara Research Centre, Chemistry Department, Gebze-Kocali, Turkey.
During my employment at Marmara Research Centre, I directed a PhD and two MSc studies. The PhD study and one of the MSc studies were on the synthesis of new BEDT-TTF analogues, employing 1,8-diketone ring closure reaction, and the other MSc study was, in cooperation with Kiev Shevcheuko University, Ukraine, on “Design and Synthesis of New Florescence Probes based on 3-Hydroxyflavones”. My other duties involved various analyses and industries’ problem-solving, particularly pharmaceutical industries.
April 1994- March 1996
Visiting Research Fellow, University of Kent at Canterbury,Chemical Laboratory, Canterbury Kent CT2 7NH, England.
During the course of my visiting research fellowship, I wrote a chapter for The Alkaloids entitled “Alkaloids Containing Quinolinequinone and Quinolinequinoneimine Units”, The Alkaloids, Ed. Cordell, Academic Press, San Diego, 1997, Vol. 49, Chapter 2, page 79-219. (A second chapter entitled “Alkaloids Containing An Isoquinolinequinone Unit” for the same series has been published recently, The Alkaloids, Ed. Cordell, Academic Presss, San Diego, 2000, 119-238). I also carried out my own projects. One of them resulted in the development of a new reaction of Lawesson’s Reagent with 1,8-diketones, Tetrahedron Lett. 1996, 37, 2821.
During the postdoctoral posts, I gave assistance to the PhD students and supervised undergraduate project students.
April 1991- April 1994
Research Fellow with Dr J. D. Wallis, University of Kent atCanterbury Chemical Laboratory, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, England.
Title of the Study: “The Synthesis and Properties of New Organic Superconductors”.
Financial Source: The SERC Molecular Electronics Committee and 21st Century Materials Initiative, England.
The purpose of the study was to develop new crystalline organic substances which superconduct at significantly higher temperatures than the currently known organic superconductors (i.e.>12.8 K). The best materials to date are radical cation salts of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (‘BEDT-TTF’ or ‘ET’). The aim of the research was to make derivatives of ET (or similar heterocyclic systems) with functional groups on ethylene bridges which can hydrogen bond or make other attractive interactions with the anions in the salt. Important parts of the study involved the introduction of the desired chirality on the ethylene bridges, and either self or cross-coupling of the asymmetric ketones or thiones.
1984-1986
Research Assistant, Demonstrator, Istanbul Technical University, Chemistry Dep. Organic Chemistry, Maslak Istanbul, Turkey
Referee
Research of Interest
- J. Organic Chemistry
- Synlett
- J. Natural Products
- Current Organic Synthesis
- Turkish Journal of Chemistry
Research interests focused on the design and synthesis of new organic conductors and superconductors, synthesis of natural products, mainly containing isoquinolinequinone and quinolinequinone units. Development of new reactions and methodologies.
Advisor to M.Sc. – Ph.D Thesis
Scholarship – Awards
- 1999 Andrey Klymchenko, MSc, Co-advisor, Kiev Taras Shevchenko University, “Design of Fluorescent Probes Based on 3-Hydroxyflavone: Development of the Chromophobic System and New Transmembrane Potential Probes.”
- 2002 Erdal Ertas, MSc, Co-advisor, Marmara University, “Thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dithiin Temelli Iletken Polimerlerin Sentezleri”.
- 2004 Figen Türksoy, PhD, ITU, “1,8-Diketondan Halka Olusturma Yöntemi ile Foksiyonel Gruplu Potansiyel Organik Süperiletkenlerin Dizayn ve Sentezleri.”
- 2005 Erdal Ertas, PhD, Marmara University, “Yeni Potansiyel Organik Süperiletken Bilesikler ve Iletken Polimerler için Yeni Yöntemle Ditiyenotiyofen Temelli Monomerlerin Sentezi.”
- 2005 Bahar Tasan, MSc, ITU, “4′-Dibutilamino-3-Hidroksiflavon Temelli Floresans Problarin Sentezleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi”
- 2005 Simay Çikrikci, MSc, ITU, “4′-Dioktilamino-3-Hidroksiflavon Temelli Floresans Problarin Sentezleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2005 Sule Taskiran, MSc, ITU, “4′-Didodesilamino-3-Hidroksiflavon Temelli Floresans Problarin Sentezleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2007 Engin Aytaç Aydin, MSc, ITU, “BEDT-TTF Temelli Yeni Organik Süperiletkenlerin Sentezleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2007 Oguz Turan, MSc, ITU, “Nitrofenil-BEDT-TTF Temelli Yeni Organik Süperiletkenlerin Sentezleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi”
- 2008 Asli Çapan, MSc, ITU, “3-HIdroksiflavon türevlerinin Sentezlenmesi ve Mikroheterojenik Sistemlerle Etkilesimlerinin Floresans Spektroskopi Yöntemi ile Incelenmesi.”
- 2008 Ali Senol Gundogan, MSc, ITU, “3,5-Difenil Ditiyeno[3,2;2’,3’-d]tiyofen-S,S-Dioksid ve Kopolimerlerinin Sentezlenmesi ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2009 Ipek Ösken, MSc, IU, “Elektrokromik 3,5-Bis-(4-Bromofenil)-Ditiyeno[2,3-d;3′,2′-b] tiyofen-4,4-Dioksit Sentezi, Fluoren Kopolimerleri ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2009 Onur Sahin, MSc, ITU, “Ditiyenotiyofen Temelli Optoelektroaktif Materyallerin Hazirlanmasi ve Özelliklerinin Incelenmesi.”
- 2010 Pınar Dündar, MSc, ITU
- 2011 Hakan Bildirir, MSc, ITU
- 2011 Öznur Suçsoran, MSc, ITU
1975-1977 Turkish Maritime Scholarship for High School Education
1987-1990 Turkish Government Scholarship for PhD, Univ. of East Anglia,Norwich, UK
1991-1994 Postdoctoral Fellowship, 21st Century Material Initiative, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury, UK
1994-1996 Visiting Research Fellowship, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury, UK
1997 British Council Research Fellowship, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury,UK
1997-1999 NATO Research Fellowship, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Honorary Lecturer, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Senior Research Fellow, University of Waterloo, Canada
2005 Visiting Professor, Royal Society of Chemistry, Univ. of Durham, UK