New Methods for Asymmetric Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation

功能化分子的制备是有机合成中的一个中心主题，也是相关应用科学如医学和生物技术的核心。大量的生物活性有机分子，包括市场上的几种药剂，可以以两种不同的结构形式存在，这两种结构形式是不可重叠的镜像。这些被称为对映体。有趣的是，两种可能的对映异构体中只有一种具有所需的生物活性，而另一种是无活性的或有毒的。因此，化学方法制备单一对映体具有重要的现实意义。该提案的中心主题是发展这种制备方法，这些方法被广泛地描述为有机化合物的“不对称合成”方法。

The preparation of functionalized molecules is a central theme in organic synthesis and it is at the core of the related applied sciences such as medicine and biotechnology. A large number of biologically active organic molecules, including several medicinal agents on the market, can exist in two distinct structural forms which are non-superimposable mirror images. These are known as enantiomers. Interestingly, only one of the two possible enantiomers has the desired biological activity whereas the other is either inactive or toxic. Consequently, chemical methods for the preparation of single enantiomers are of great practical significance. The central theme of this proposal is the development of such preparative methods, and these are broadly described as methods for 'asymmetric synthesis' of organic compounds.