With support from the Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program in the Division of Chemistry at NSF, the Center for Selective Carbon-Hydrogen (C-H) Functionalization (CCHF) will coordinate and support a highly collaborative research team advancing new synthetic chemistry methodologies and approaches. Almost all carbon-based organic molecules contain several C-H bonds. CCHF researchers are designing advanced catalysts that can promote reaction at specific C-H bonds. This enables new approaches to making molecules in a streamlined and sustainable way. These new approaches will have impact on modern medicine and manufacturing, including drug discovery and materials science. CCHF will connect to scientists in colleges and companies, large and small, across the globe, through online symposia as well as traditional conferences. CCHF will contribute teaching materials to facilitate the inclusion of C-H functionalization into curricula and engage with the public in a broad range of activities, including large public science festivals, across the United States.
The goal of the CCHF is to revolutionize organic synthesis by developing chemistries for C-H Functionalization. While the ubiquity of C-H bonds in organic molecules is a key advantage in the CCHF approach, the similarity in bond energy makes selective product formation a challenging and stimulating problem. To date, the most effective strategies have relied on properties inherent to the substrate, either through steric and electronic bias, or through reagent-chelation and direction to specific C-H bonds. Moving forward, the CCHF will also explore catalyst control of selectivity through sophisticated reaction design. These efforts will be focused on three strategies to impart selection; 1) catalyst-controlled site selection: employing small molecule catalysts with ligand frameworks capable of controlling substrate trajectories to selectively form single products, 2) substrate coordination assisted site selection: designing a suite of catalysts and ligands that can weakly assemble around a substrate and deliver reagents to specific C-H bonds, 3) bio-inspired catalyst site selection: employing and repurposing enzymes to selectively functionalize an expanded scope of substrates. The Center will demonstrate the power of these distinct strategies in the context of natural products synthesis, drug discovery and preparation, creation of organic materials, and the preparation of agrochemicals. Immersion in a collaborative environment such as the CCHF will provide an excellent forum to prepare Center members for future participation in interdisciplinary team science, and the Center will deliver programming to enhance this experience. CCHF will also educate the broader scientific community on how to best deploy C-H functionalization strategies and tactics to solve synthetic problems via activities such as the Virtual Frontiers of C-H Functionalization virtual symposia and the Organic Pedagogical Electronic Network (OPEN) which distributes educational materials related to C-H functionalization. The CCHF is committed to be actively engaged in broadening participation, offering programs such as the Network for Diversity in Chemical Research (NDCR). The primary goal of the NDCR is to assist faculty in their early career by offering research and networking opportunities with CCHF scientists.
