CAREER: Innovating Oxidative C–H Functionalization via Rhodium and Cobalt Catalysis

在化学系化学合成项目的支持下，加州大学河滨分校的Kevin Kou正在开发新的化学反应，以简化与制药和农化部门相关的分子的制备，包括那些来自大自然的分子。Kou博士专注于研究铑催化剂，将相对丰富的碳氢键（C-H）转化为增值的碳碳键（C-C）。这项研究正在研究使用相当便宜和更丰富的钴催化剂来进行这些转化。寇博士的团队将参与协同活动，在南加州内陆帝国的K-16学生中建立科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育的兴奋感。这些倡议包括组织在小学的有机化学演示，安排到校园的实地考察，让学生了解UCR大学生的生活，并为高中和本科生提供动手实验室研究的机会。重要的是，该项目旨在通过接触历史上代表性不足的社区成员，促进STEM管道内的多样性。在该奖项下，Kevin Kou的研究团队正在探索一种新的氧化Rh(III)/(IV)/(II)-催化模式，以补充广泛使用的Rh(III)/(I)-催化，将C-H键转化为C-C键。这种未被充分开发的氧化催化歧管有望开辟与富电子烯烃和炔烃的新型反应性，产生作为生物活性化合物核心结构的产品。因此，寇博士的实验室试图将这种方法应用于生物碱天然产物的合成。为了解决这种方法的范围和局限性，他的团队正在设计和合成具有不同立体和电子结构的新型Rh（III）和Co（III）催化剂，并将为这些催化剂绘制结构-反应空间。此外，寇博士计划将碳氢功能化化学引入本科教学实验室，让学生尽早接触到前沿科学，同时，他将通过研究钴与铑在9金属介导的有机金属化学中的成本效益，向他们介绍可持续化学概念。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。

With the support of the Chemical Synthesis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Kevin Kou of the University of California, Riverside, is developing new chemical reactions that streamline the preparation of molecules relevant to the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors, including those that are derived from Nature. Dr. Kou is focusing on examining rhodium catalysts to convert relatively abundant carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds into value-added carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds. This research is investigating the use of the considerably cheaper and more earth abundant cobalt catalysts to perform these transformations. Dr. Kou’s team will engage in synergistic activities to build excitement around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in K–16 students within the Southern California Inland Empire. These initiatives will include organizing organic chemistry demonstrations to elementary schools, arranging field trips to campus to provide a glimpse into the life of UCR college students, and offering hands-on laboratory research opportunities for high school and undergraduate trainees. Importantly, this project aims to contribute to increasing diversity within the STEM pipeline by reaching out to members of historically underrepresented communities for engagement.Under this award, the research team of Kevin Kou is exploring a new mode of oxidative Rh(III)/(IV)/(II)-catalysis that complements the widely practiced Rh(III)/(I)-catalysis for transforming C-H bonds into C-C bonds. This underexplored oxidative catalysis manifold is expected to open up novel reactivity with electron-rich alkenes and alkynes, generating products that serve as core architectures in bioactive compounds. As such, Dr. Kou’s laboratory seeks to apply this methodology to the synthesis of alkaloid natural products. To address the scope and limitations of this approach, his team is designing and synthesizing new Rh(III) and Co(III) catalysts with varying sterics and electronics and will map out structure-reactivity space for these catalysts. Additionally, Dr. Kou plans to introduce C-H functionalization chemistry into the undergraduate teaching laboratory to expose students to cutting edge science early on and, in parallel, he will introduce them to sustainable chemistry concepts through examining the cost-effectiveness of cobalt versus rhodium for d9-metal-mediated organometallic chemistry.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.