RUI: Carbon-carbon single bond activation as a route to new organic transformations

在这个由化学系化学催化项目资助的项目中，霍普学院化学系的杰弗里·b·约翰逊教授正在开发通过激活碳-碳键来高效生产有机化合物的新方法。碳-碳键非常普遍，构成了生物分子的框架，也构成了许多聚合物和其他重要材料。尽管它们很普遍，但很少有已知的反应条件可以选择性地破坏这些键。约翰逊教授和他的本科生合作小组正在努力了解这些少数已知反应发生的过程。他们正在利用这些信息开发新的方法来激活和转化碳-碳键。这些目标的成功实现承诺了更有效的合成复杂分子的途径，包括可以作为潜在药物制剂进行生物活性检测的新化合物。大学生通过参与本项目，加强个人科学准备。反过来，这些本科生作为向上的导师，帮助有风险的高中生为大学和STEM领域的潜在未来做好准备。Jeffrey B. Johnson教授正在开发过渡金属催化的碳碳单键活化和功能化的新反应。本科合作者正在进行铑催化2-吡啶基二苯甲酮脱碳的机理研究，确定能量势垒和鉴定反应中间体。由于选择性碳-碳键激活通常需要刘易斯基导向基团，因此研究人员将重点放在使用易于去除或操纵的导向基团上，以确定允许广泛使用酮类和羧酸衍生物的条件。这些底物的活化，随后与现成的pi系统或有机金属偶联，有望快速获得广泛的具有潜在生物活性的复杂分子。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project funded by the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Jeffrey B. Johnson of the Department of Chemistry at Hope College is developing new methods for the efficient production of organic compounds through the activation of carbon-carbon bonds. Carbon-carbon bonds are extremely common, making up the framework of molecules derived from living things as well as many polymers and other important materials. Despite their prevalence, there are few reaction conditions known that can selectively break these bonds. Professor Johnson and his group of undergraduate collaborators are working to understand the processes by which these few known reactions occur. They are using this information to develop new methods to activate and transform carbon-carbon bonds. Successful realization of these goals promises more efficient synthetic routes to complex molecules, including new compounds that can be examined for biological activity as potential pharmaceutical agents. Undergraduate students strengthen their personal scientific preparation through participation in this project. In turn, these undergraduates serve as Upward Bound mentors, assisting at-risk high school students prepare for college and potential futures in STEM fields. Professor Jeffrey B. Johnson is developing new reactions for the transition metal-catalyzed activation and functionalization of carbon-carbon single bonds. Undergraduate collaborators are carrying out the mechanistic investigation of the rhodium-catalyzed decarbonylation of 2-pyridylbenzophenones, determining energy barriers and identifying reaction intermediates. As Lewis basic directing groups are generally required for selective carbon-carbon bond activation, efforts focus on the use of readily removed or manipulated directing groups for the identification of conditions that allow the use of a broad range of ketones and carboxylic acid derivatives. The activation of these substrates, followed by coupling with readily available pi systems or organometallics, promises rapid access to a wide range of complex molecules with potential biological activity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.