CAREER: Chemical Transformations Enabled by Flow Chemistry

在这个由化学部化学合成计划资助的CAREER项目中，波士顿大学化学系的Beeler教授正在开发利用流动化学的新化学方法。 传统上，化学转化在间歇反应器中进行，例如烧瓶和烧杯。 相反，Beeler实验室通过在管道内连续流动试剂来进行反应。这种方法可能会导致更有效的方法来合成分子，应用于人类健康，材料科学和农业。 Beeler实验室参与了为波士顿地区的高中生提供科学教育的努力。 该奖项支持外展活动的发展，包括为当地高中生举办的科学夏令营。研究项目集中在三个反应班，这些反应班都是由流动化学显着实现的。 光化学可能被认为是化学家可用的最强大的复杂生成反应类别之一。 当利用流动化学平台时，可以克服间歇光化学反应固有的问题，例如反应时间长、再现性差和难以扩展。该项目的这一方面探索了一些强大的光化学反应，如[2+2]-光环加成，光诱导苯基阳离子的反应，以及光诱导电子转移反应。 电化学反应通常未被充分利用，并且可能难以优化和规模化。 本计画开发一个实用且可扩充的电化学流动平台，用于酚类化合物的氧化偶合反应。 流动化学的许多实例利用极端条件下的高毒性和/或反应性物质或反应。 该项目的重点是在复杂生成反应中生成和利用高活性重氮烷。 除了这项研究之外，教育推广的重点是为来自弱势背景的学生在高中一级举办科学夏令营。 波士顿大学正在开发新的实验室实验，将流动化学引入本科有机化学实验室课程。

In this CAREER project funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Beeler of the Department of Chemistry at Boston University is developing new chemical methods utilizing flow chemistry. Traditionally, chemical transformations have been carried out in batch reactors such as flasks and beakers. Instead, the Beeler lab carries out reactions by continuously flowing reagents inside of tubing. This approach may lead to significantly more efficient methods for synthesizing molecules with applications in human health, materials science, and agriculture. The Beeler lab is involved in efforts to bring science education to high school students in the Boston area. This award supports the development of outreach activities including a science summer camp for local high school students.The research projects focus on three reaction classes that are significantly enabled by flow chemistry. Photochemistry may be considered one of the most powerful complexity-generating reaction classes available to chemists. When utilizing a flow chemistry platform, it may be possible to overcome issues inherent to batch photochemical reactions, such as long reaction times, poor reproducibility, and difficult scalability. This aspect of the project explores a number of powerful photochemical reactions such as [2+2]-photocycloaddition, reactions of photoinduced phenyl cations, and photoinduced electron transfer reactions. Electrochemical reactions are often underutilized and can be difficult to optimize and scale. This project develops a practical and scalable electrochemical flow platform that is utilized in the development of oxidative coupling of phenols. Many examples of flow chemistry utilize highly toxic and/or reactive species or reactions under extreme conditions. This project focuses on generating and utilizing highly reactive diazoalkanes in complexity-generating reactions. In addition to this research, the educational outreach focuses on developing a science summer camp at the high school level for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. New laboratory experiments are being developed to introduce flow chemistry into the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory curriculum at Boston University.