Modularly Designed Organocatalysts for Asymmetric Reactions

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。本项目的重点是开发一种利用预先设计的预催化剂模块的自组装形成有机催化剂的新方法，并将其应用于不对称催化。虽然在不对称诱导方面，有机催化剂已被证明可以与传统的过渡金属催化剂甚至生物催化剂相媲美，但目前基于纯共价键的有机催化剂的设计需要耗时的合成和纯化。该项目研究了一种组合方法，用于从精心设计的预催化剂模块中形成有机催化剂。这些模块可以通过非共价离子相互作用在反应条件下自组装，提供所需的有机催化剂，并且通过切换这些模块可以很容易地实现催化剂结构的修饰，而无需化学合成。研究将进一步阐明该催化体系的机理。假设驱动的研究该方法在不对称催化中的应用也将进行。通过这个奖项，有机和大分子化学项目支持德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校化学系赵聪贵教授的研究。赵教授的研究工作围绕着模块化设计的不对称反应有机催化剂的发展。这种化学将有助于环境友好的化学合成方法，因为催化系统是纯粹的小有机分子，来源于现成的手性池。该方法的成功发展将对制药和农业工业的合成产生积极影响。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project focuses on the development of a novel method for the formation of organocatalysts using the self-assembly of designed precatalyst modules and its application in asymmetric catalysis. While organocatalysts have been shown to rival the traditional transition- metal catalysts and even biocatalysts in asymmetric inductions, the current design of organocatalysts based on pure covalent bonds requires time-consuming syntheses and purifications. This project studies a combinatorial approach for the formation of organocatalysts from carefully designed precatalyst modules. These modules can self-assemble under the reaction conditions through non-covalent ionic interactions to afford the desired organocatalysts and modification of the catalyst structure is easily achievable by switching these modules without chemical synthesis. Studies to further elucidate the mechanism of this catalytic system will be undertaken. Hypothesis driven studies of the application of this method in asymmetric catalysis will be also performed. With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research of Professor Cong-Gui Zhao of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Professor Zhao's research efforts revolve around the development of modularly designed organocatalysts for asymmetric reactions. Such chemistry will contribute to environmentally benign methods for chemical synthesis since the catalytic system is purely small organic molecules derived from the readily available chiral pools. Successful development of the methodology will have a positive impact on synthesis in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.