James Lincoln Leighton (born February 12, 1964) is an American chemist.
After 2 years with Merck Research Laboratories, Leighton began his graduate studies with Abbott and James Lawrence Professor David A. Evans at Harvard University (Ph.D. 1994), culminating in the total syntheses of both Calyculin A [1] and Zaragozic acid.
[2] Leighton continued his chemical studies as an NSF postdoctoral fellow with Sheldon Emery Professor Eric N. Jacobsen, also of Harvard University, developing initial methods for what became known as the Jacobsen hydrolytic kinetic resolution.
In 1996, Leighton began his independent career at Columbia, becoming a full professor in 2004.
[4] In addition to Leighton's novel methods for synthesizing natural products, including: CP-263,114,[5] Leucascandrolide A,[6] Mycoticin A,[7] SCH 351448, Dolabelide D,[8] Manzacidin C, Zincophorin, he has also pioneered the concept of strain-release silane Lewis acids.