Project description
A sustainable route to the production of organic compounds
Carbon–hydrogen bond functionalisation replaces an inert carbon–hydrogen bond with a functional group, altering the properties of the parent molecule. Although the reaction offers a green pathway to forming new compounds, its efficiency is limited by two factors. First, it is difficult to functionalise a carbon–hydrogen bond without affecting other carbon–hydrogen sites in the molecule. Second, commonly used precious transition metals need to be replaced with earth-abundant materials. The EU-funded MLCat project will design multifunctional ligands that can simultaneously bind to the substrate and the transition metal catalyst. Carbon–hydrogen bonds will be replaced by desired functional groups using earth-abundant transition metal catalysts. Tailor-made organic compounds could help unlock many industrial applications, such as the production of food, drugs and dietary supplements.
Objective
Transition metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization replaces an inert carbon-hydrogen bond with a functional group, expediently altering the properties of the parent molecule to access new classes of compounds. Although the C-H functionalization represents a green chemistry approach as it precludes the need for pre-functionalized starting materials, there are still two main sustainability shortcomings with most current methodologies. The first challenge is achieving functionalization of specific C-H bonds without affecting other C-H sites in the molecule. A widely employed strategy to control the selectivity of metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions has relied upon the covalent attachment of directing groups (i.e. pyridine, oxime, diazo) to the parent molecule. The requisite installation and removal of directing groups make the overall transformation less appealing from an atom- and step-economy perspective. The second challenge is to substitute commonly used precious transition metals with more benign earth-abundant alternatives. The proposed research program will address these shortcomings by developing an innovative and more efficient way for selective metal-catalyzed functionalization of aromatic and aliphatic C-H bonds without pre-attaching a directing group. The proposed strategies will rely on the design of multifunctional ligands capable of simultaneous binding to the substrate and the transition metal catalyst. The proposed approach will take advantage of the ability of Cr(0) to form an pi-arene complex and activate the aromatic and benzylic C-H bonds. Addressing these challenges associated with C-H activation technology would have the power to unlock many industrial applications, such as valorizing fine chemicals and modifying complex natural products, drug leads, or polymers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
53113 BONN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.