Harnessing Sulfur Dioxide for Catalysis

磺酰基团，即原子的-SO2-排列，是大量药物、化工和材料中的官能团。这些类型的分子的常规合成通常涉及两到三个合成操作，并且通常以低产率步骤为特色。所涉及的化学物质也限制了可以转化为含磺酰基分子的底物。这项建议寻求开发这类分子的替代合成；建议的合成将在一次操作中实现，使用现成的试剂和底物，并在温和的条件下进行。建议合成的关键是采用三组分合成，包括芳基卤化物、亲核剂和二氧化硫的催化组合。在单一操作中实现合成将在废物产生、所需能源以及制备所需化合物所需的时间方面具有显著优势。这些都是小规模发现合成以及大规模合成这些材料的重要考虑因素。所开发的方法也应适用于从非官能化芳烃或烯烃和炔烃等替代原料衍生的相关分子的制备。该项目将探索将开发的方法应用于用常规方法难以获得的合成或选定的目标结构，以及杂环的合成。开发的催化方法在利用聚合化学合成新材料方面的应用也将被初步研究。

Sulfonyl units, that is the -SO2- arrangement of atoms, are functional groups that feature in a significant number of pharmaceuticals, argochemcials and materials. Conventional syntheses of these types of molecules usually involve two or three synthetic operations, and often feature low-yielding steps. The chemistry involved also limits the substrates that can be converted to sulfonyl-containing molecules. This proposal seeks to develop an alternative synthesis of this class of molecules; the proposed synthesis will be achieved in a single operation, employ readily available reagents and substrates, and be conducted under mild conditions. The key to the proposed synthesis is to employ a three-component synthesis involving the catalytic combination of an aryl halide, an nucleophile and sulfur dioxide. Achieving the synthesis in a single operation will have significant advantages in terms of waste production, energy required, as well as the time needed to prepare the desired compounds. These are important considerations for both small scale discovery synthesis, as well as the large scale synthesis of these materials. The developed methodology should also be applicable to the preparation of related molecules derived from alternative starting materials such as non-functionalised arenes or alkene and alkynes. The project will explore the application of the developed method to the synthesis or selected target structures that are difficult to access using conventional methods, and to the synthesis of heterocycles. Application of the developed catalytic methods to the synthesis of new materials, using polymerisation chemistry, will also be preliminarily investigated.