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New Chemical Synthetic Methods for Reacting Phenols Selectively with Different Molecules and With Itself: Use of Electricity as a Sustainable, Economic and Traceless Reagent.

Project description

Functionalisation of plant-based phenols is about to get greener

Phenols are potentially the largest group of plant secondary metabolites, the simplest of which is referred to as phenol, or carboxylic acid. Phenol is widely used in the production and manufacture of numerous products from adhesives to disinfectants to anaesthetics. Given the industrial relevance of organic phenol-based compounds, the PhenAnOx project is exploiting a more sustainable and green way to synthesise them. Organic electrochemistry significantly decreases energy requirements and the use of expensive and often toxic chemicals. Further, it is inherently scalable and highly selective. PhenAnOx is developing organic synthetic electrochemistry technology to functionalise phenols, delivering natural products and biologically active substances already of high value to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, now with a smaller environmental impact.

Objective

Inventing new green and inexpensive synthetic methods for relevant chemical compounds is one of the ways how organic chemist can contribute to the well-being of humans and Earth. One of the most promising chemical method for this is synthetic organic electrochemistry. It can replace chemical reducing agents and oxidizers with sole cheap electrons or electron-holes and, at the same time, reduce both the amount of waste and the expense of chemical synthesis. Syntheses are easily controllable as they can be ‘switched-off’ and they are implementable on a large industrial scale with ease. Interestingly, organic electrosynthesis can be used to stabilize electrical grids as fluctuating electric currents are tolerated in certain reactions.

The aim of this project is to develop new sustainable, selective and economic electro-organic synthetic methods for the functionalization of phenols. Particularly, we will concentrate on our efforts for finding new ways to form C-heteroatom bonds between phenols and different substrates. At first, we will study the conversion of phenols to diarylethers and dibenzofurans that are important building blocks and core structures of natural products and biologically active substances. Later, we will try to extend the reactivity for phenol-analogues as wll. On the next step, we will study the cross-coupling between phenols and benzoxazoles and its analogues. In this way, we also obtain important synthetic intermediates for organic chemistry in a sustainable and ecologic manner. The proposed action is divided in two research and three additional work packages.

The project will be implemented at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of Johannes-Gutenberg-University in Mainz in the research group of Professor Siegfried Waldvogel. He has been one of the driving forces of electro-organic synthesis already for 18 years and made seminal contributions during that time. It is therefore the top laboratory worldwide for performing the proposed action.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

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Coordinator

JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ
Net EU contribution
€ 162 806,40
Address
SAARSTRASSE 21
55122 Mainz
Germany
Region
Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinhessen-Pfalz Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 162 806,40