Project description
Alkenes and CO2 for eco-friendly organocatalytic reactions
Alkenes and CO2 can be used to develop asymmetric organocatalytic reactions for environmentally-friendly manufacturing of medicinally-important building blocks which are abundant in drug molecules and agrochemicals. This will be the aim of the EU-funded SusCat project, following an interdisciplinary approach that combines theory, experiment and cheminformatics. The project will perform advanced computational analysis and physical organic experiments to increase understanding of the molecular level. SusCat will connect organic synthesis, computational modelling and physical organic studies, providing a unique alternative to environmentally harming metal mediated synthesis and contributing to Europe 2020 strategy priorities for sustainable growth and resource efficiency.
Objective
SusCat aims to develop asymmetric organocatalytic reactions using cheap, commonplace starting materials (alkenes and CO2) to achieve environmentally-friendly manufacturing of medicinally important building blocks, which are abundant in drug molecules and agrochemicals. An atom economical manufacturing of these value-added products will be realized avoiding the use of intrinsically toxic reagents and production of waste chemical byproducts. We will adopt an interdisciplinary approach by combining experiment, theory and cheminformatics. SusCat promises to open new vistas in organocatalytic unbiased olefin activation, a longstanding quest in organic synthesis. This approach will also pave the way for the use of CO2 as a C1 synthon under mild conditions, which will not only help to reduce the carbon footprint but also add to the understanding of how nature uses CO2 as a source of energy. Moreover, the state-of-the-art computational analysis and physical organic experiments will be performed to gain insights on the molecular level. A detailed cheminformatics-based approach will be adopted to build a predictive statistical model and understand the structure activity relationship between the catalyst and the substrate. SusCat will equip the Experienced Researcher with new knowledge and skills in theory and experimentation, thus broadening his scientific background and enhancing his prospects as an independent researcher. At the same time, the Action and the Host group will benefit from the advanced knowledge in chemical catalysis acquired by the researcher during his stay. Overall, this study will create a bridge among organic synthesis, computational modelling and physical organic studies, providing not only a unique alternative to environmentally deleterious metal-mediated synthesis, but also contributing towards achieving the Europe 2020 strategy priorities: sustainable growth and resource efficiency.
Fields of science
Not validated
Not validated
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
45470 Muelheim An Der Ruhr
Germany