Integrated Biochemo-catalysis for Asymmetric Arylation

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The integration of chemo- and biocatalysis offers a sustainable approach to making molecules which enables waste-free synthesis, catalytic or metal-free alternatives to current reagents, and a new way of building up molecular complexity whilst simplifying process complexity and cost. Approaching synthesis from this perspective will be critical to future chemistry, where all inter-related factors (reagents, solvent, yields, intermediates, catalysts etc) can be systemically optimized for the best synthetic route. The challenges, however, are substantial - how can we create mutually compatible reaction conditions for both enzymes and chemo systems, given the often vastly different requirements (notably of temperature and solvent)?The integration of chemocatalysis and biocatalysis represents an emerging area of research that will be central to the future chemical and manufacturing industries, activities that are crucial to the welfare and operation of our society. The two regimes of catalysis are highly complementary, with chemocatalysis offering powerful C-C bond strategies that can be merged with asymmetric functional group transformations controlled by an enzyme - an approach that is inspired by the ideality of biosynthesis. Arylation without recourse to precious metal catalysis is challenging and highly influential to current thinking in chemistry, creating high impact publications for the iCAT student engaged on the project. The project will provide training in areas such as biocatalysis, photoredox catalysis, organocatalysis, protein expression and purification, biological assay, asymmetric synthesis, and aqueous chemistry, meeting the mission statement of the CDT to create the next generation of scientist who can operate across the chemical continuum and is equipped for future Leadership roles in a changing, agile industry. The project has grown from a long-standing collaboration between the Greaney and Turner laboratories in integrated catalysis that has produced advances in bio-redox and C-H arylation, providing a supportive framework of co-workers, equipment and ideas in which the iCAT student can realise the ambitious goals of the research. Both the Turner and Greaney groups collaborate extensively with industrial groups (e.g. Syngenta, AZ, GSK) around the arylation and biocatalysis transformation concepts set out in the proposal, bringing end-user interactions to the project and helping the student create a scientific network in the early stages of their research career.