With this award, the Chemistry Synthesis program is supporting the research of Professor Larry Overman of the University of California, Irvine. This project deals with a critical step in the efficient chemical synthesis of valuable, structurally complex, organic chemicals: the step that joins elaborate fragments. When the atoms joined in a fragment-coupling step are chiral, this union is particularly challenging. The objective of this research is the development and validation of new methods for combining complex fragments of this type. Specifically, the proposed research will investigate the general utility of bimolecular reactions of tertiary organometallic and tertiary carbon radicals with carbon-centered electrophiles for fragment coupling and the construction of quaternary-carbon stereocenters. Such chemical transformations are not currently part of the repertoire of organic synthesis, yet hold exciting potential to solve formidable challenges in constructing complex organic molecules. A majority of the synthesis methods under scrutiny will employ photo-redox catalysis, and, thus, are particularly attractive for their low environmental impact and their use of a sustainable energy source, visible light.
Constructing complex carbon stereocenters remains today a hurdle to be surmounted in evolving efficient chemical syntheses of many organic molecules. The chemical syntheses to be developed should prove valuable in the discovery and potentially production of fine chemicals in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, and related industries. In addition, this program of research will lead to the training synthetic organic chemists at the BS, PhD and postdoctoral levels; such scientists play an essential role in the US pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, and chemical industries, besides being essential elements of university and college departments of chemistry and material science.
