"Chemical Synthesis and Tomorrow's Medicine" is the latest talk in the 2001-02 Discover the Physical Sciences at UC Irvine breakfast lecture series. Larry Overman, distinguished professor of chemistry, will offer insights into how new chemical syntheses are being used in the discovery and development of new drugs.

Materials made by organic chemical synthesis are all around us-in the cars we drive, the computers we use, the clothing we wear and the vitamins and prescription drugs we take daily. The importance of organic chemical synthesis to our economy and the quality of modern life is enormous.

During the past 25 years, Larry Overman and his colleagues have invented a number of organic chemical reactions and synthesis strategies that are widely used to prepare complex organic chemicals. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Overman will discuss how recently invented chemical synthesis tools are being used in the discovery and development of tomorrow's medicines. The event is free and open to the public. For reservations, call Anne Reese at (949) 824-2985, or e-mail breese@uci.edu.