CAREER: Application of Reversible Covalent Linkages in Organic Catalysis

有了这个职业奖，化学合成项目将支持波士顿学院的Kian Tan教授的研究。谭教授将把他在催化领域的专业知识应用于现场反应和对映选择性反应的开发。重点是开发识别特定官能团基序的有机催化剂。催化剂的选择性将通过开发包含底物结合位的催化剂来实现。与酶类似，有机催化剂使用底物与催化剂的结合来适当地定位催化残基附近的所需官能团，但以更小的结构实现了这一目标。拟议研究的第一部分侧重于识别1，2-和1，3-二醇的催化剂。在确定催化剂后，它们将被应用于多官能团分子的功能化。在第二部分中，将开发利用结合选择性来控制位置选择性的催化剂。分子上本来活性较低的部位可以优先官能化，而不是更多的活性部位。这些类型的转化将潜在地更有效地合成复杂分子。谭教授还将发起一项教育计划，促进高中阶段的化学教育。该计划包括为新高中教师(0-3年经验)提供具体内容的指导。提高教师的内容、知识和传递复杂信息的能力将为一代又一代高中生提供更好的教育。该计划将包括波士顿地区的两所高中，也将提供给正在寻求化学教育职业的波士顿学院毕业生。提高高中阶段的教学质量，不仅有助于那些继续追求科学事业的学生，也有助于提高公众的科学素养。此外，这项提案中开展的研究将对制药、精细化学品和农业产生直接影响，从而提高广大公众的生活质量。

With this CAREER Award, the Chemistry Synthesis program is supporting the research of Professor Kian Tan of Boston College. Professor Tan will be applying his expertise in the area of catalysis towards the development of site and enantioselective reactions. The focus is to develop organic catalysts that recognize specific functional group motifs. The selectivity of the catalysts will be achieved by developing catalysts that incorporate a substrate-binding site. Similar to an enzyme, the organic catalyst uses binding of a substrate to the catalyst to properly orient the desired functional group near a catalytic residue, yet achieves this goal with a much smaller structure. The first part of the proposed research focuses on catalysts that recognize 1,2- and 1,3-diols. Upon identifying the catalysts, they will be applied to the functionalization of polyfunctional molecules. In the second part, catalysts will be developed that exploit the use of binding selectivity in order to control site-selectivity. Inherently less reactive sites on molecules could be functionalized in preference to more reactive sites. These types of transformations will allow for potentially more efficient syntheses of complex molecules. Professor Tan will also initiate an educational program that promotes chemistry education at the high school level. The program involves providing content specific mentorship to new high school teachers (0-3 years experience). Improving teachers content knowledge and ability to relay complex information will provide a better education for generations of high school students. The program will include both high schools in the Boston area and will also be made available to Boston College graduates who are pursuing careers in chemistry education. Improving the teaching quality at the high school level will not only aid those students who go on to pursue a scientific career, but will also help make the public more scientifically literate. Furthermore, the research developed in this proposal will have a direct impact on the pharmaceutical, fine chemicals, and agricultural industries, which will improve the quality of life of the greater public community.