Max Majireck

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Areas of Study

Name

Chemistry

Name

Biochemistry / Molecular Biology

Contact

Phone

315-859-4742

Email Address

mmajirec@hamilton.edu

Website

website

Location

Taylor Science Center 1073

Max Majireck earned his doctorate in organic chemistry from Penn State, and completed his postdoctoral research in chemical biology at Harvard University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, designing small molecules to study disease biology. At Hamilton, he combined his passion for teaching, mentoring and research by designing a new course to highlight the role of organic synthesis in human health. His research laboratory develops new chemical reactions for the synthesis of biologically active compounds, and collaborates with several biomedical laboratories to develop new drug leads for infectious disease and cardiovascular medicine.

Recent Courses Taught

Organic Chemistry I
Organic Chemistry II
Organic Synthesis Toward Improved Human Health
Research Methods

Distinctions

National Science Foundation Grants for Research at Undergraduate Institutions (2022-25, 2025-27)
American Heart Association Institutional Enhancement Research Award (AIREA), 2022-2024
Dean of Faculty Scholarly Award for Early Career Achievement, 2022
Organic Syntheses, Inc. PUI Summer Research Grant, 2021-22
Levitt Center Research & Innovation Award; Hamilton College, 2019
New York Six (NY6) New Academic Working Group Seed Grant, 2017
Class of 1963 Excellence in Teaching Award, Hamilton College, 2015
Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research, 2015
Social Innovation and Transformational Leadership Grant; Sponsored by the Levitt Center & DOF at Hamilton College, 2015
Class of 1966 Career Development Award, Hamilton College, 2014

Selected Publications

Merklin, J. C.; Sinardo, B. A.; Cooper, C. Y.; Udomphan, S.; Boger, M. H.; Majireck, M. M. “Room temperature nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 2-halopyridinium ketene hemiaminals with sulfur nucleophiles.” ACS Omega, 2025, 10, 57335-57347.
Akter, N.; Kennedy, A.; Majireck, M.; Cooley, M. Extractions at the Intersection of Chemistry and History - Or, Historical Pharmacopeias for Scientists. History of Pharmacy & Pharmaceuticals 2025, 66, 203-235.
Bote, I. C.; Krevlin, Z. A.; Crespo, M. C. F.; Udomphan, S.; Levin, C. T.; Lam. C. C.; Glanzer, A. M.; Hutchinson, H. L.; Blades, A. M.; McConnell, D. L.; Lin, C.; Frank, J. P.; Strutton, W. R.; Merklin, J. C.; Sinardo, B. A.; Gueye, K. J.; Leiman, K. V.; Thayaparan, A.; Adade, J. K. A.; Martinez, N. L.; Kramer, W. W.; Majireck, M. M. Bench-Stable 2-Halopyridinium Ketene Hemiaminals as Reagents for the Synthesis of 2-Aminopyridine Derivatives. Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 9805-9810.
Frank, J. P.; Strutton, W. R.; Adade, J. K. A.; Majireck, M. M. Preparation of 2-Chloro-1-(1-ethoxyvinyl)pyridinium Triflate. Org. Synth. 2024, 101, 242-257.
Krevlin, Z. A.; Bote, I. C.; Crespo, M. C. F.; Lam, C. C.; McMillen, C. D.; Majireck, M. M. Synthesis and crystal structure of a bench-stable pyridinium ketene hemiaminal, 1-(1-ethoxyvinyl)-2-(methyl(phenyl)amino)pyridin-1-ium trifluoromethanesulfonate. Acta Cryst. E. 2023, 79, 698-701.

Blades, A. M.; McConnell, D. L.; Rodrigues, D. G.; Keyes, P. V.; Sonberg, J. C.; Anthony, C. E.; Rachad, S.; Simone, O. M.; Sullivan, C. F.; Shapiro, J. D.; Williams, C. C.; Schafer, B. C.; Thayaparan, A. T.; Hutchinson, H. H.; Glanzer, A. G.; Krevlin, Z. A.; Bote, I. C.; Haffary, Y. A.; Bhandari, S.; Goodman, J. A.; Majireck, M. M. “Synthesis of Bench-stable N-Quaternized Ketene N,O-Acetals and Preliminary Evaluation as Reagents in Organic Synthesis.” J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 13025-13040.
Parry, C. S.; Grossmann, M. D.; Thomas, A.; Majireck, M. M.; Reinheimer, E. W.; Kriley, C. E. “Alternative Synthesis and Structural Analysis of the Antioxidant and Antitumor Agent 2-(3,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-one.” J. Chem. Crystallograph. 2022, 55, 122-19.
Majireck, M. M.; Bennett, J. M.** “1,2-Oxazines and their Benzo Derivatives.” In: Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry IV. Weinreb, S. M. (Ed.) Elsevier, 2020 In press. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12- 818655-8.00013-5. **former undergraduate research student
Rajamani, R.; Lee, L.*; Smith, E.*; Majireck, M.; Mohan, R. Modulation of Bacterial Quorum Sensing by Eukaryotes. In Recent Advances and Applications in Microbial Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation; Bramhachari P. (Ed.) Springer: Singapore, 2019; pp. 39-56.
Shapiro, J. D.*; Sonberg, J. C.*; Schafer, B. C.*; Williams, C. C.*; Ferris, H. R.*; Reinheimer, E. W.; Van Wynsberghe, A. W.; Kriley, C. E.; Majireck, M. M. “Synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of N-(1-ethoxyvinyl)pyridinium triflates, an unusual class of pyridinium salt.” Molecules, 2018, 23, 412. [Open Access]
Bennett, J. M.*; Shapiro, J. D.*; Choinski, K. N.*; Mei, Y.*; Aulita, S. M.*; Dominguez, G. M.* Majireck, M. M. “Preparation of N-(2-alkoxyvinyl)sulfonamides from N-tosyl-1,2,3-triazoles and subsequent conversion to substituted phthalans and phenethylamines” J. Vis. Exp. 2018, 131, e56848. [Invited Article]
Shapiro, J. D.; Sonberg, J. C.; Schafer, B. C.; Williams, C. C.; Ferris, H. R.; Reinheimer, E. W.; Van Wynsberghe, A. W.; Kriley, C. E.; Majireck, M. M. “Synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of N-(1-ethoxyvinyl)pyridinium triflates, an unusual class of pyridinium salt.” Molecules, 2018, 23, 412.
Bennett, J. B.; Shapiro, J. D.; Choinski, K. N.; Mei, Y.; Aulita, S. M.; Dominguez, G. M.; Majireck, M. M. "Preparation of N-(2-alkoxyvinyl)sulfonamides from N-tosyl-1,2,3-triazoles and subsequent conversion to substituted phthalans and phenethylamines" J. Vis. Exp. 2018, 131, e56848.
Bennett, J.; Shapiro, J.; Choinski, K.; Mei, Y.; Aulita S.; Reinheimer, E.; Majireck, M. M. "Synthesis of phthalan and phenethylamine derivatives via addition of alcohols to rhodium(II)-azavinyl carbenoids" Tetrahedron Lett. 2017, 58, 13.
Chattopadhyay, S.; Stewart, A. L.; Mukherjee, S.; Huang, C.; Hartwell, K. A.; Miller, P. G.; Subramanian, R.; Carmody, L.; Yusuf, R. Z.; Sykes, D. B.; Paulk, J.; Vetere, A.; Vallet, S.; Santo, L.; Cirstea, D.; Hideshima, T.; Dancik, V.; Majireck, M. M.; Hussain, M. M.; Singh, S.; Quiroz, R.; Iaconelli, J.; Karmacharya, R.; Tolliday, N. J.; Clemons, P. A.; Kapoor, T. M.; Moore, M. A. S.; Stern, A. M.; Shamji, A. F.; Ebert, B. L.; Golub, T. R.; Raje, N. S.; Scadden, D. T.; Schreiber, S. L. “Niche-Based Screening in Multiple Myeloma Identifies a Novel Kinesin-5 Inhibitor with Improved Selectivity over Hematopoietic Progenitors.” Cell Reports, 2015, 10, 755.
Feng, Y.; Majireck, M. M.; Weinreb, S. M. “Total Syntheses of the Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids (±)- Alstilobanine A and E and (±)-Angustilodine” J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 7.
Feng, Y.; Majireck, M. M.; Weinreb, S. M. “Total Synthesis of the Unusual Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid (±)-Alstilobanine A” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 12846; Angew. Chem. 2012, 124, 13018.

Professional Affiliations

American Chemical Society
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

Appointed to the Faculty

2013

Educational Background

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard University/Broad Institute
Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
B.S., Grove City College

Dissertation

“Intermolecular Conjugate Addition of Carbon Nucleophiles to Nitrosoalkenes and Studies Toward a Total Synthesis of Angustilodine, Alstilobanine A, and Alstilobanine E