Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CARBYNE (New carbon reactivity rules for molecular editing)
Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-02-28
The art of organic synthesis and reaction discovery relies on logic-guided thought processes that often involve hypovalent carbon reactive species and their corresponding stabilized equivalent forms. However, not all of the possible carbon reactive intermediates and their reactivity rules have attracted the same attention by the synthetic community. This is mainly because of the perception of the lack of synthetic utility and importantly, because of the challenges associated with controlling its extreme reactivity and lack of efficient sources.
The major goal of this project is to develop the catalytic generation of conceptually-novel carbyne equivalents and related species, and to study their reactivity towards organic matter. The catalytic activation of designed sources will reveal new reactivity rules at carbon that have been missing, not only in the design and discovery of new chemical reactions, but also in their use to build molecular complexity. Our approach will rely on novel activation modes that unlock elusive and useful tools for molecular editing that may access molecular complexity faster and to new chemical space not possible to reach by current strategies. Such new methodologies will impact on drug and agrochemical design and in the way how complex molecules are made.
The major goal of this project is to develop the catalytic generation of conceptually-novel carbyne equivalents and related species, and to study their reactivity towards organic matter. The catalytic activation of designed sources will reveal new reactivity rules at carbon that have been missing, not only in the design and discovery of new chemical reactions, but also in their use to build molecular complexity. Our approach will rely on novel activation modes that unlock elusive and useful tools for molecular editing that may access molecular complexity faster and to new chemical space not possible to reach by current strategies. Such new methodologies will impact on drug and agrochemical design and in the way how complex molecules are made.
During this period, we have been able to test the high-risk/high-gain concepts and hypothesized described in the CARBYNE proposal. We are glad to say that some of those were successfully unveil and represent milestones in this project.
The novelty reached during this period beyond the state-of-the-art suggests that the results would be published in some of the most important journals in chemistry and in non-specialist journals. In addition, due to the potential impact in drug discovery, the new concept are likely to be registered as intellectual property.