An investigation of reduced phenanthroline derivatives in carbene and non-carbene mediated asymmetric synthesis

许多有机分子可以以左手或右手形式存在。虽然这些分子在所有方面都是相同的，除了它们是彼此的镜像，但它们可以具有完全不同的生理特性。在20世纪60年代，当药物沙利度胺以左手和右手形式的混合物给孕妇服用以对抗晨吐时，公众开始意识到有机分子的“手性”。虽然药物的右旋形式是有益的，左旋形式导致儿童严重的出生缺陷，沙利度胺很快被禁止。随后，广泛的努力被放置在合成有机分子选择性地在纯左手或右手形式通过使用“手”催化剂;这些努力今天继续。拟议的研究概述了一类新的“手”分子，直到最近还不能容易地制备，但对于新的催化剂开发有令人兴奋的前景。预计新的催化剂将提供开发新的化学转化的机会，从而选择性地制造手性分子，其中许多潜在的好处之一包括制备更安全的药物。

Many organic molecules can exist in left or right-handed forms. While these molecules are identical in all respects except that they are mirror images of each other, they can have profoundly different physiological properties. The public became aware of the "handedness" in organic molecules in the 1960's when the drug thalidomide was given as a mixture of left and right-handed forms to pregnant women to combat morning sickness. Although the right-handed form of the drug was beneficial, the left-handed form caused severe birth defects in children, and thalidomide was quickly banned. Subsequently, extensive efforts were placed on synthesizing organic molecules selectively in purely left or right-handed forms by using "handed" catalysts; these efforts continue today. The proposed research outlines a new class of "handed" molecules which until recently could not be easily prepared, but for which there are exciting prospects for new catalyst development. It is anticipated that the new catalysts will offer opportunities to develop new chemical transformations with which to selectively make handed molecules, of which one of the many potential benefits includes the preparation of safer drugs.