Enantioconvergent Multi-Component Reactions.

Asymmetric synthesis is the branch of synthetic chemistry associated with making molecules in single-handed form (i.e., left-handed or right-handed form). The aim of this project is to experimentally establish a new concept in asymmetric synthesis called enantioconvergent multi-component reactions. This will represent a completely new method for accessing single-handed materials starting from mixtures of left- and right-handed molecules. Thanks to a statistical phenomenon known as the Horeau Principle, this new method will result in single-handed materials in exceptionally high purity. The ability to synthesise these left/right-handed molecules in pure form is vitally important, particularly for the pharmaceutical industry. This is because biological molecules exhibit handedness and the left-handed and right-handed form of a chemical (i.e., a drug/medicine) often interact very differently with living organisms.