Development of novel asymmetric domino reactions through the utilization of multiple transition metal catalysts cooperatively in one pot reactions

• Applicant: Dr. Chuanjie Loh
• Subject Area: Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: from 2014 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 254674877

This postdoctoral research involves the merging of multiple transition metal catalysts within a single reaction pot to effect multistep domino reactions enantioselectively. With the ever increasing cost and chemical waste generated due to traditional stepwise organic synthesis, the ability to improve the efficiency of reactions, especially those forming carbon carbon bonds through multicatalytic domino reactions within a one pot operation is increasingly gaining the attention of the scientific community. However, literature known multicatalytic systems are very limited and challenging since ligand specificity and specific functional group activation by the different metal catalysts in a time resolved domino fashion is pivotal in such systems. This research serves to develop novel strategies in this budding field of multi-metallic domino reactions by utilizing rhodium/gold or rhodium/palladium to effect orthogonal activation of different functional groups. It is envisaged that the successful implementation of this single pot multi-metallic domino strategy would allow much more efficient access into biologically and industrially interesting scaffolds enantioselectively.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professor Mark Lautens, Ph.D.