Eliminating hazardous chemicals in key processes in the pharmaceutical sector

几乎每一种化学合成都涉及两种关键类型的反应：碳-碳键形成反应和官能团转化。前者对于构建制药、农化、散装或石化的碳骨架至关重要。后者对于用使化学物质“起作用”的化学功能修饰骨架至关重要，例如，使药物与细胞相互作用的功能，或使农用化学品发挥肥料的作用。此外，官能团操作通常需要“建立”碳碳键形成反应，如在格氏反应之前将醇氧化为酮。氧化和还原是两种最常见的官能团相互转化。本建议着重于后一种转变。

There are two key types of reactions that are involved in almost every chemical synthesis: carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, and functional group transformations. The former is essential for building up the carbon skeleton of a pharmaceutical, agrochemical, bulk or petrochemical. The latter is essential for decorating this skeleton with the chemical functionality that makes the chemical "work", for example, the functionality that allows a drug to interact with cells, or allows an agrochemical to work as a fertilizer. In addition, functional group manipulations are often needed to 'set-up' carbon carbon bond forming reactions such as oxidizing an alcohol to a ketone before a Grignard reaction. Oxidations and reductions are the two most common functional group interconversions. This proposal focuses on the latter transformation.