Direct electrochemical functionalizations of unactivated C–H bonds for the late stage modification of complex structures

目前，化学过程的可持续性在社会中越来越重要。在这种情况下，完善的合成方法正在被重新考虑，并被更有效和环境友好的程序所取代。合成化学面临的主要挑战之一是传统上不反应的C-H键的直接官能化。虽然sp2杂化C-H键的直接修饰已经取得了显著的进展，但C（sp3）-H键的功能化仍然是一个巨大的挑战。本研究计划的总体目标是将未活化的sp3杂化C-H键直接和选择性地转化为药学和合成上重要的官能团。在这种情况下，主要焦点在于生物相关结构的功能化，使这种方法对复杂分子的后期修饰具有吸引力，并产生已知药物的有趣的新衍生物。为了进行这项研究，电化学被确定为合适的平台，因为电化学反应通常具有温和的条件，高官能团耐受性和直接的可扩展性。此外，电化学过程是特别可持续的，因为活性中间体是通过添加电力产生的，因此在这些反应期间仅产生少量废物。因此，所提出的研究不仅与合成有机化学有关，而且与制药部门有关。

At the present time, the sustainability of chemical processes is gaining more and more importance in the society. In this context, well established synthetic methods are being reconsidered and substituted by more efficient and environmental friendly procedures. One of the major challenges facing synthetic chemistry is the direct functionalization of traditionally unreactive C–H bonds. While remarkable progresses have been made regarding to the direct modification of sp2 hybridized C–H bonds, the functionalization of C(sp3)–H bonds is still remaining a great challenge. The overall goal of this research proposal is the direct and selective conversion of unactivated sp3 hybridized C–H bonds into pharmaceutically and synthetically important functional groups. In this context, the main focus lies in the functionalization of biological relevant structures to make this method attractive for the late-stage modification of complex molecules and to produce interesting new derivatives of known pharmaceuticals. To perform this research, electrochemistry was identified as suitable platform, as electrochemical reactions are often characterized by mild conditions, a high functional group tolerance and a straightforward scalability. Furthermore, electrochemical processes are particularly sustainable, as reactive intermediates are generated by the addition of electricity, thus only small amounts of waste are generated during these reactions. Therefore, the presented research will not only be relevant for synthetic organic chemistry, but also for the pharmaceutical sector.