Project description
Novel methods for the synthesis of chiral sulfur compounds
Chiral sulfur compounds are encountered in natural products, pharmaceutical ingredients such as penicillin as well as in flavours and fragrances. In the last case, their configuration endows them with specific olfactory properties. For their wide implementation in manufacturing processes, there is a need for sustainable methods to construct stereospecific C–S bonds. Scientists of the EU-funded BioPhoCS project will explore visible light photocatalysis and oxidoreductase enzymes to develop robust methods for the photo-biocatalytic synthesis of enantiomerically pure sulfur compounds. The successfully generated methods are expected to find application in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical ingredients, agrochemicals and fragrances.
Objective
Organic sulphur compounds containing C-S chiral centres represent one of the most intriguing classes of chemicals due to their peculiar properties conferred by the unique chemistry of sulphur. Chiral sulphur compounds are known for their olfactory properties as flavours and fragrances and are ubiquitous in natural products and pharmaceutical ingredients such as penicillins and verticillins. Both the flavouring and pharmaceutical properties of chiral sulphur compounds are often determined by their absolute configurations. Therefore, the development of novel, robust and sustainable methods for the enantioselective construction of C-S bonds is of great importance in chemistry. In view of the lack of efficient and stereoselective methods in assembling asymmetrical C-S bonds, within this project we aim to construct enantiopure sulphur compounds through photo- and bio-catalysis. Various strategies have been designed to achieve this target, exploiting blue/green light photocatalysis and biocatalysis by reductase enzymes such as KRED, ADH and ERED. The ability of these enzymes to biocatalyse the enantioselective reduction of thioketones and thioalkenes obtained via photocatalysis, will be investigated. In addition, the combination of photocatalytic synthesis of substrates with the biocatalytic construction of enantiomerically pure C-S bonds in one-pot cascade processes will be developed. These methods will be finally applied to the synthesis of chiral volatile sulphur compounds as odorous excipients, while in-situ NMR kinetic studies of the photo-biocatalytic reactions will be carried out to get a better understanding of the reaction mechanisms. The successful development of these strategies will allow chemists and industries to access facile and sustainable approaches to prepare a wide range of challenging chiral thiols and sulphides to be used in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical ingredients, fine chemical tools (ligands, catalysts), agrochemicals and fragrances.
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 catalysis photocatalysis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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.1.3. - 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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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-2018
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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.
WC1E 6BT London
United Kingdom
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.