Design of new Asymmetric, Ion Pairing Catalysis and Reactions

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The proposed research program focuses on the development of asymmetric catalytic processes for the production of chiral organic chemicals. Chiral compounds play an important role in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. These molecules, which can exist as mirror images (called enantiomers), are the building blocks of all life. It is well established that the enantiomers of a compound can have vastly different biological activities. It is a continuous challenge in organic chemistry to develop robust and reliable asymmetric catalytic process that allow for the formation of single enantiomers of chiral compounds. The field of Asymmetric, Ion Pairing Catalysis represents an extremely promising and versatile approach for generating a wide range of complex chiral molecules. While development in this area of catalysis has been rapid, the rush to exploit the potential of these methods has left a void between innovation and understanding. An in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms of these catalysts is required to expand the arsenal of reactions that can be performed with this asymmetric catalytic method. The proposed discovery research will provide fundamental insight into the mechanisms of these asymmetric catalysts in generating single enantiomers of chiral molecules. The proposed research will expand our arsenal of enantioselective reactions, and lead the development of generally applicable, industrially relevant catalytic methods that will allow for the formation of previously unachievable complex chiral molecules. Students involved in this research program will develop skills in kinetic and computational chemistry for exploring reactions mechanism and learn advanced synthesis and characterization techniques that together will make them highly sought after for their broad skill set.