BSc (UFS), BSc (Hon) (UFS), MSc (UFS), PhD (Chemistry) (UFS)

Charlene Marais (née Rabe) completed both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of the Free State. These projects entailed the isolation, identification and synthesis of metabolites from rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) and also a biomimetic investigation of the fermentation of rooibos.  Charlene has worked on a SASOL project as post-doctoral fellow, as a Senior Medical Scientist at the Department of Pharmacology (UFS), was a facilitator and coordinator in the Access Programmes and, since 2008, co-supervisor and supervisor of various M.Sc. and Ph.D. projects in Industrial Process Chemistry, homogeneous catalysis and organic synthesis in general.

Her current research focuses on the modification of industrial and other catalytic methodology (e.g. hydroformylation, olefin metathesis, transfer hydrogenation) for the preparation of flavonoids, stilbenoids and other compounds with potential anti-cancer, anti-HIV and antimalarial activities. The reaction mechanisms are investigated and the reaction conditions optimized by analysis of the reaction mixtures and products by different NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) techniques, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC), GC-MS, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. 

Organic synthesis

Catalysis

Natural product chemistry

CHEM1623 (Organic Chemistry)

CHEM1551

CHEM1661

CHEM2621

CHEM6853 (Retrosynthesis)