Project description
Unleashing the potential of inexpensive, sustainable carbides for high-end synthesis
Carbon’s ability to form diverse allotropes underpins major technological applications, yet controlling synthesis remains a fundamental challenge. Carbenes are highly reactive intermediates widely used in organic and inorganic synthesis and catalysis. Related carbynes and carbides remain less accessible despite their promise. The ERC-funded Carb2Mol project aims to transform abundant ionic carbides into soluble molecular building blocks for C1, C2 and C3 transfer. By integrating coordination chemistry, advanced spectroscopy and quantum chemical predictions, it aims to access elusive species including super-reductants, odd cumulenes and carbon(0) materials while enabling carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus transfer catalysis. Ultimately, Carb2Mol could convert sustainable precursors into high-value molecules and advance bottom-up diamond synthesis for next-generation technologies.
Objective
Disubstituted carbon species, specifically carbenes (“CR2”) and their metal complexes, drive innovation across synthesis, catalysis, materials science, and medicine. In stark contrast, the corresponding carbynes (“CR”) and carbides (“C”) remain curiosity compounds or elusive entities. In fact, C1, C3 and to some extent C2 transfer generally remains a pressing challenge in the molecular sciences, while the controlled synthesis of carbon allotropes represents a millenial challenge.
CARB2MOL seeks to achieve this mission by introducing sustainable solid-state materials, namely abundant ionic carbides, as resources for molecules. Solubilized, and thus molecularized, aluminium, calcium and magnesium carbides will serve as long-sought general C1, C2 and C3 building blocks, enabling the synthesis of much-desired molecular inorganic and organic compounds. Specific elusive targets with relevance for synthesis, optoelectronics, and spintronics include super-reductants, carbon(0) allotropes, cumulenes with an odd number of carbon atoms, and nanoclusters. These metal clusters will provide a pioneering entry not only to carbon transfer catalysis but also nitrogen- and phosphorus functional group transfer.
While interdisciplinary CARB2MOL relies on solid-state materials, its foundation lies in molecular coordination chemistry. It integrates concepts from organic- and main-group synthesis and leverages advanced spectroscopy as well as quantum chemical predictions. CARB2MOL uncovers vast chemical space by converting affordable and sustainable base chemicals into valuable molecules for high-end applications and even opens avenues to address the alchemists’ dream: Efficient, mild and bottom-up diamond synthesis.
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 human-validated.
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 human-validated.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- natural sciences chemical sciences physical chemistry quantum chemistry
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry post-transition metals
- natural sciences physical sciences molecular and chemical physics
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
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)
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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-2025-COG
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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.
66123 Saarbrucken
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.