The PI seeks to continue his work in the use of zeolites to help effect diastereoselective and enantioselective photochemical reactions. The PI proposes that the cations which are present in the zeolite cage, along with the photoreactive molecule and chiral auxiliary, are critical to the success or failure of the asymmetric photoreactions. Cations present, hydronium ion concentrations present, and chiral inductors or auxiliaries present will be systematically varied. The main goal of the project period is to use this information to develop a model to help one predict and plan enantioselective photoreactions within zeolites.
With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research of Dr. V. Ramamurthy of the Department of Chemistry at Tulane University. Dr. Ramamurthy will work on using zeolites to facilitate asymmetric photochemical reactions. The photochemical reactions to be studied produce molecules which are chiral (have two nonsuperimposable mirror images) and make only one of the two possible forms (a single enantiomer). Development of this family of reactions is one of the most important problems facing the pharmaceutical industry today. When developed, Dr. Ramamurthy's work could be applied to the syntheses of a number of biologically active molecules. Students trained during the course of this work will gain skills needed by the pharmaceutical industry which now produces a number of single enantiomer compounds.
