Silver-catalyzed C-H activation: design and development of novel catalytic systems for synthetic chemistry

This project aims at the marriage of enzymatic and transition metal catalysis in a synergistic process that exploits enzyme selectivity in combination with transition metal versatility, in order to afford a bio/chemosynthetic tool for the regioselective meta-functionalisation of aromatic compounds. This will be achieved by developing enzyme carboxylases capable of fixing CO2 at desired positions of aromatic compounds. This group will then be exploited by transition metal catalysts in order to control the installation of any desired functionality, followed by the removal of the CO2 group. In this process CO2 is acting as a traceless directing group whose selective installation by an enzyme is key to the selectivity of the overall transformation. This project will employ state-of-the-art enzyme evolution techniques in order to develop a set of enzyme carboxylases capable of operating on a broad substrate scope and under conditions amenable to their use in conjunction with transition metal catalysts.