Project description
A halogen-free route to the reversible construction and deconstruction of dihalides
Polyhalogen compounds, carbon compounds that have more than one halogen atom, are commonly used in pharmaceutics and agriculture, and they also serve as promising building blocks in the chemical industry. Most halogenation reactions, however, involve the use of hazardous reagents such as dichlorine (Cl2) and diatomic bromine (Br2). This long-standing challenge can be addressed by shuttle catalysis. This powerful new strategy reversibly transfers a chemical moiety between two molecules to construct and deconstruct compounds without involving hazardous reagents. The EU-funded HaloCat project will employ shuttle catalysis to achieve reversible interconversion of 1,2-dihalides and alkenes without using Br2 or Cl2. Another goal will be to realise the enantioselective Br2 transfer between 1,2-dihalides and alkenes.
Objective
Multi-halogenated compounds play a significant role in our daily life, as they are not only widely used as materials, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals but also serve as practical and indispensable building blocks in the chemical industry. However, most of the existing halogenating protocols suffer from safety risks and harsh reaction conditions caused by toxic and corrosive halogenating reagents (Cl2, Br2). Moreover, the enantioselective 1,2-dihalogenation of alkenes remains an unmet challenge. Besides, practical approaches to the versatile 1,2-bromofluorine-containing building blocks are exceedingly rare. Recently, the shuttle catalysis strategy, which reversibly transfers a chemical moiety between two molecules to construct and deconstruct compounds without handling hazardous reagents, is emerging as a potential strategy to tackle these long-standing challenges. This proposal aims to achieve the shuttle catalysis enabled reversible interconversion of 1,2-dihalides and alkenes/alkynes without using or releasing hazardous chemicals (e.g. Br2, Cl2, and BrF) under mild conditions. The first part is devoted to developing the reversible interconversion between 1,2-dihalides and alkenes. The second part aims to realize the enantioselective Br2 transfer between 1,2-dihalides and alkenes. The last part proposes to develop the unprecedented formal transfer 1,2-bromofluorination of alkenes via a unique self-correcting mechanism. The world-leading research environment of ETH Zurich combined with Prof. Morandi’s unrivaled scientific expertise on shuttle catalysis and my excellent knowledge of asymmetric catalysis offer the best combination to achieve the proposed research. This fellowship will dramatically improve my knowledge and competences, helping me launch my independent career. With promising preliminary results demonstrating the project’s feasibility, the proposed work will significantly contribute to the research excellence and sustainable development of the EU.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
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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.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.