Asymmetric Catalytic Photochemistry

这项拟议的研究将探索一种新的不对称催化光化学(ACP)的一般方法，用于合成药物等有用的功能分子。大多数人都熟悉分子加热时发生的反应(例如烹饪)，但使用紫外光(光化学)可以发生不同的反应，晒伤是一个不幸的后果。我们计划利用独特的光化学反应能力，安全地限制在光箱中，合成新的功能分子，并将通过在反应混合物中添加少量手性催化剂来控制这些光化学反应的合成。这种手性催化剂将允许我们通过简单地改变催化剂来选择性地合成右旋或左旋产物，即彼此的镜像。这些手性分子的受控合成对我们的健康和福祉至关重要，因为我们体内的酶和蛋白质以及细菌和病毒等病原体选择性地与这些手性分子发生反应。我们制造的这些新分子可能成为未来的药物和杀虫剂。ACP是一种多学科方法，旨在解决当前手性光化学方法学中的不足，并将为进一步的研究开发一个可重复和可扩展的技术平台。ACP的概念特别“绿色”，因为它只需要少量的手性催化剂来控制，并使用紫外光来执行反应。本研究为新型功能手性分子的不对称合成提供了一条通用的途径，对学术界和工业界都具有重要意义。这项建议解决了有机合成中一个非常重要和具有挑战性的概念，并将立即在整个合成化学中得到应用。

This proposed research will investigate a new general approach to Asymmetric Catalytic Photochemistry (ACP) for the synthesis of useful functional molecules such as drugs. Most people are familiar with reactions occurring when a molecule is heated up (e.g. cooking), but different reactions are possible using UV-light (photochemistry) and sunburn is an unfortunate consequence of this. We plan to use the unique reactivity of photochemistry, safely confined in a lightbox, to synthesize new functional molecules and will control the synthesis of these photochemical reactions by adding a small amount of a chiral catalyst to the reaction mixture. This chiral catalyst will allow us to selectively synthesize either right- or left-handed products, i.e. mirror images of each other, simply by changing the catalyst. The controlled synthesis of these handed-molecules is vital for our health and well-being since the enzymes and proteins in our body and pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, selectively react to these chiral molecules. These new molecules that we make could become the drugs and pesticides of the future. ACP is a multi-disciplinary approach to address deficits in current chiral photochemical methodology and will develop a repeatable and scalable technology platform for further investigations. The ACP concept is particularly 'green' as it requires only small amounts of a chiral catalyst for control and uses UV-light to perform the reaction. This research will be highly significant to both academia and industry as it offers a general approach for the asymmetric synthesis of new functional chiral molecules. This proposal addresses a highly important and challenging concept within organic synthesis and will find immediate applications across synthetic chemistry.