Descrizione del progetto
La corrente elettrica potrebbe spianare la strada a una funzionalizzazione semplificata e più ecologica
Numerose reazioni chimiche sono note come reazioni redox, nelle quali una specie viene ossidata (ossia perde elettroni) e l’altra ridotta (ovvero guadagna elettroni). Anziché utilizzare sostanze chimiche speciali che richiedono molteplici fasi di reazione e spesso passaggi di depurazione, generando al contempo rifiuti, l’elettrosintesi molecolare impiega la corrente elettrica come agente redox, il che consente un’elettrofunzionalizzazione diretta dei legami inerti e apre la porta a prodotti attualmente inaccessibili, riducendo allo stesso tempo l’impatto ambientale esercitato dalla sintesi organica. Nonostante sia promettente, questo metodo non è esente da difficoltà. Il progetto ElectroFun, finanziato dall’UE, le sta affrontando istituendo un insieme completo di strategie sostenibili per l’elettrocatalisi organica.
Obiettivo
The impressive progress in organic chemistry during the past century has propelled this discipline to its current central position as the enabling technology in the physical and life sciences. Despite remarkable advances, our ability to assemble molecules of even moderate structural complexity remains unsatisfactory, since these syntheses continue to be inefficient, rely on a high number of reaction and purification steps, and generate undesired, often toxic waste. These features led to the general consensus on the need for greener chemical transformations that will stimulate the transition to more sustainable chemical industries.
Conventional strategies in molecular syntheses make use of chemical redox reagents and directing groups, the installation of which results in costly reaction steps. Therefore, an environmentally-sound alternative is represented by molecular electrosynthesis to enable direct electro-functionalization of inert bonds. This strategy avoids prefunctionalizations, and prevents undesired waste formation, overall enabling a streamlining of organic synthesis for late-stage diversification.
While significant recent progress has been achieved in electrosynthesis, available methods are limited, and key challenges remain, particularly metalla-electrocatalyzed transformations beyond the realm of innate reactivity are in high demand.
I aim at addressing these major obstacles of selective electrochemical functionalizations. Thus, I will devise efficient electrochemical C–H and CO2 functionalizations without directing groups, gain full selectivity control in molecular electrocatalysis, and achieve late-stage polymer and peptide diversifications. Establishing a comprehensive set of sustainable strategies for organic electrocatalysis, including paired electrolysis, hybrid catalysts and electrophotocatalysis, will undeniably have a tremendous impact on applied areas, such as medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, chemical industries and material sciences.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-ADG - Advanced GrantIstituzione ospitante
37073 Gottingen
Germania