Design, Synthesis and Applications of Chiral N-Heterocyclic and Organometallic Reagents

许多有机分子可以左手或右手的形式存在。虽然这些分子在所有方面都是相同的，只是它们是彼此的镜像，但它们可能具有截然不同的生理特性。公众在20世纪60年代的S时期开始意识到有机分子中的“利手”，当时沙利度胺以左手和右手的混合形式给孕妇服用，以对抗晨吐。尽管右撇子形式的药物是有益的，但左撇子形式会导致儿童严重的出生缺陷，沙利度胺很快就被禁止了。随后，人们通过使用“手性”催化剂选择性地合成纯左旋或右旋形式的有机分子，这些努力一直延续到今天。这项拟议的研究勾勒出了一类新的“手性”分子，这些分子直到最近还不容易制备，但有令人兴奋的前景，可以开发新的催化剂。预计新的催化剂将提供机会开发新的化学转化，用来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.