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Despite the changing face of chemistry, the importance of enantioselective catalytic synthesis (the ability to generate chiral molecules in a controlled fashion) has not diminished. But new reactivity concepts and strategies are needed to solve the increasingly complex synthetic problems being posed by Nature, medicine, and materials. In drug discovery, one current challenge is to develop a new kind of chemistry that yields a screening collection of optimal chiral small molecules that increase the probability of success in identifying drug-candidate structures. The PHOTO-ORGANO CAT project aims to develop conceptually innovative catalytic methods that allow rapid and stereocontrolled access to biologically relevant chiral scaffolds.
We will pursue the proposed research under the guiding principle that compound development should be driven by discoveries and innovation in chemical methodology. The goal of this research is to combine the potential of metal-free enantioselective organocatalysis and visible light photocatalysis, two powerful strategies of modern chemical research with extraordinary potential for the sustainable preparation of organic molecules. Achieving this goal will address a synthetic problem of fundamental importance, since developing lightdriven enantioselective processes is a key challenge for organic chemists. By identifying innovative methodologies to address this issue, I will provide conceptually novel reactivity frameworks for effectively conceiving asymmetric photochemical transformations, expanding the way chemists think about making chiral molecules. Success could significantly advance the development of a more responsible and sustainable stereoselective chemistry while strengthening the chemistry toolbox to better face the challenges of modern organic chemistry. The development of photo-organocatalytic enantioselective strategies will proceed in concert with efforts toward a more applied approach.
On the one side, we will move toward a full process intensification so as to simplify scale-up and allow for higher production flexibility using continuous flow reactor methodology. Flow chemistry is perfectly suited for photochemical transformations because of the high surfacearea- to-volume ratios typical of flow reactors, which allow for efficient irradiation of a reaction mixture. On the other side, the resulting synthetic platform will be used as an ideal starting point for assembling libraries of chiral complex molecules. Together with biological screening carried out in collaboration with an internationally recognized pharma-company (Lundbeck A/S, Copenhagen, DK), these libraries will increase the probability of success in identifying drug-candidate structures.
Overall, this project is guided by the premise that investing in fundamental research into advanced synthetic chemistry is key to future advances in other scientific domains, such as biomedical research. We believe that the combination of photoredox and organocatalysis could offer a powerful synthetic platform for discovering new reactions to streamline the synthesis of compounds that may be relevant to human health, i.e. new bioactive compounds for the benefit of society. This will allow asymmetric catalysis to impact science and society in a way that many chemists feel is possible
PHOTORGANO CAT
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Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación