In this CAREER project funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Beeler of the Department of Chemistry at Boston University is developing new chemical methods utilizing flow chemistry. Traditionally, chemical transformations have been carried out in batch reactors such as flasks and beakers. Instead, the Beeler lab carries out reactions by continuously flowing reagents inside of tubing. This approach may lead to significantly more efficient methods for synthesizing molecules with applications in human health, materials science, and agriculture. The Beeler lab is involved in efforts to bring science education to high school students in the Boston area. This award supports the development of outreach activities including a science summer camp for local high school students.
The research projects focus on three reaction classes that are significantly enabled by flow chemistry. Photochemistry may be considered one of the most powerful complexity-generating reaction classes available to chemists. When utilizing a flow chemistry platform, it may be possible to overcome issues inherent to batch photochemical reactions, such as long reaction times, poor reproducibility, and difficult scalability. This aspect of the project explores a number of powerful photochemical reactions such as [2+2]-photocycloaddition, reactions of photoinduced phenyl cations, and photoinduced electron transfer reactions. Electrochemical reactions are often underutilized and can be difficult to optimize and scale. This project develops a practical and scalable electrochemical flow platform that is utilized in the development of oxidative coupling of phenols. Many examples of flow chemistry utilize highly toxic and/or reactive species or reactions under extreme conditions. This project focuses on generating and utilizing highly reactive diazoalkanes in complexity-generating reactions. In addition to this research, the educational outreach focuses on developing a science summer camp at the high school level for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. New laboratory experiments are being developed to introduce flow chemistry into the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory curriculum at Boston University.
