The Chemical Catalysis Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation supports Professor Allan Headley and co-PI Bukuo Ni from Texas A&M University-Commerce to develop, synthesize, and study application of homogeneous organocatalysts that are effective at accelerating asymmetric reactions. These organocatalysts are unique in that they contain ionic liquid moieties, which convey a wide range of properties to the catalysts. These ionic liquid-supported (ILS) organocatalysts are tunable and their properties will be adjusted to meet a wide variety of reaction conditions, including being effective in aqueous media and thus be readily recyclable. Since the asymmetric carbon-carbon forming reactions are cornerstone reactions in synthetic organic chemistry, the reactions that will be investigated utilizing these organocatalysts include the asymmetric aldol, Michael, Mannich, and the Diels-Alder reactions. In addition, computational modeling studies will be carried out to determine the nature of the transition states leading to the formation of stereochemical products to better understand the nature of the interactions involving these organocatalysts.
The knowledge gained from this research will advance the field of synthetic organic catalysis by providing fundamental insights to better understand how new categories of chiral organocatalysts influence the outcomes of asymmetric reactions and also determine the factors that influence asymmetric synthesis. Even though present catalysts can be used to accomplish these transformations, the organocatalysts of this research have the added advantage of being recyclable and are also effective under aqueous conditions, making them environmentally friendly "green" organocatalysts. These recyclable organocatalysts have the potential to transform organic catalysis, especially in industry, where large amounts of catalysts are utilized. The proposed research not only serves to increase our knowledge in the field of organic catalysis through the development and study of new types of recyclable catalysts, but also will give students at this primarily undergraduate institution the opportunity to gain valuable research experience.
