New methods for organic compound compositions
The 'Application of SOMO catalysis towards the synthesis of complex steroidal frameworks' (SOMO) project employed a powerful new technique to examine the structure of a range of organic compounds known as amines. Project partners demonstrated the applicability of the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) technique to the analysis of amines. This enabled reactions to take place using a variety of substrates that was not previously possible, resulting in enormous progress in the field of organocatalysts. Project partners demonstrated the applicability of the SOMO methodology to a range of chemical structures. This included the formation of benzylamine, a common precursor in the synthesis of organic compounds. Traditionally, a number of well established techniques are used to produce benzylamine, and involve a series of time-consuming and impractical steps. The SOMO consortium, however, envisaged a room-temperature reaction requiring only visible light and simple experimental protocols. The new process was shown to be very general and produced exceptionally high yields. These characteristics proved useful in enantioselective reactions, which catalyse the reaction of only one pair of enantiomers. Enantiomers are defined as compounds with the same chemical formula but are mirror images, in the way that one's left and right hands are the same but opposite. Success by the SOMO project has proven the worth of a powerful new technique for the analysis of amines and enabled the EU to become a leader in the area of organocatalysts.