In Concert Organocatalysis Towards Molecular Complexity

In step with more comprehensive sustainability demands and indispensable need for prompt access to molecular complexity, synthetic chemistry as a discipline is currently inadequately equipped for addressing today’s challenges, and can thus wither before the challenges of the future.This research program presents a platform for addressing these shortcomings with a uniform approach able to escort synthetic chemistry into the age of sustainable and rapid construction of molecular function.

The roadmap towards this ambitious goal involves the generation and synthetic implementation of exotic high-energy intermediates for a facile and efficient molecular production platform that provides far-reaching access to charted and uncharted chemical space.

This will be done by developing coupled catalytic processes, purely based on organic catalysts, able to work in concert to activate hydroxyl- and amino groups in multicomponent contexts.

The high-energy intermediates will be generated by proton coupled electron transfer of catalytically activated functionalities, which will produce oxygen and nitrogen centered radicals in a completely new way.

Generation of these underexplored intermediates in this mild and direct fashion will liberate ample opportunities for synthetic valorization of simple starting materials.