Project description
Synthetic catalyst finds large scale use in hydroxylation
Hydroxylation – a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group into an organic compound – is an important area of study in modern chemistry. The process is key to the production of commodity chemicals from natural feedstock. Although significant progress has been achieved in performing catalytic hydroxylation of methane and ethane, the selective hydroxylation of heavier alkanes is still only enabled by metalloenzymes. These natural catalysts are unsuitable for large scale application due to their low stability and high cost. The EU-funded Met_Cav project will develop a new generation of synthetic catalysts based on metal-functionalised cavitands. These container-shaped molecules will help achieve the desired selective oxidation, and help overcome the barrier to large-scale catalyst production for hydroxylation.
Objective
Selective hydroxylation of abundant, but chemically inert C-H bonds remains one of the great challenges in modern chemistry. Given that the resulting alcohols can easily be converted into a variety of other functional groups, this process is key to the large-scale production of commodity chemicals from a natural feedstock. Consequently, developing sustainable and environmentally benign catalysts capable of performing this transformation by utilizing cheap oxidants is of utmost importance. Such catalysts must be reactive enough to overcome the chemical inertness of C-H bonds, yet avoid over-oxidation, and be able to distinguish the target reaction site from other C-H bonds present. Although in recent decades significant progress has been achieved in catalytic hydroxylation of methane and ethane, selective hydroxylation of heavier alkanes (as well as of alkyl chain residues particularly at the terminal position) is still only possible by natural metalloenzymes. While being environment-friendly and functioning under mild conditions, these natural catalysts are poorly applicable to large-scale industrial processes due to their low stability and high cost. Nevertheless, the underlying principles such as (1) reactive metal centers embedded in hydrophobic pockets, (2) structurally defined reaction environment, and (3) affinity-based differentiation between substrates and products, can be capitalized upon for constructing a new generation of synthetic catalysts.
The project will demonstrate how these rationales can be implemented with novel metal-functionalized cavitands – inner cavity containing molecules with a rigid metal-binding site accessible only from their interior. This fresh design combines the oxidative power of high valent metal-oxo species with the chemoselectivity for hydrophobic substrates, necessary to avoid product over-oxidation, while the desired site-selectivity is achieved by a well-defined spatial orientation of the encapsulated substrate molecules.
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.
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.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry alcohols
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - 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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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-2019-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.
91904 JERUSALEM
Israel
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.