Transition Metal Catalysed Oxidation of Olefins: Application to the Synthesis of Heterocycles via Arrays

Organic chemistry is the study of the chemistry of carbon. Through the compounds that carbon makes with nitrogen and oxygen, it forms the basis of all living things and understanding the way in which carbon based compounds interact with each other is of paramount importance if we are to understand and control biological processes. No-where is this more important than in the field of pharmaceuticals, which has made a substantial contribution to the health and well-being of mankind. Drug discovery is driven by organic chemists, who make novel organic compounds to explore their properties and interaction with biology. There are many other uses of organic compounds such as as key components of agrochemicals, polymers, artificial enzymes, flat panel displays, solar cells, optical switches, and plastic electronics. Consequently, chemical industry has a constant need for new organic structures and for new tools for making organic compounds. Within this context, the development of new reactions and new ways of making large numbers of potential drug candidates is vital to develop organic synthesis and pharmaceutical research into a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly enterprise. The new chemistry described here centres around ways of making aromatic compounds efficiently and in large numbers. Aromatic compounds are a very general, useful and broad class of compound and are central to all of the uses of organic chemistry mentioned above.We aim to explore and optimise a new procedure for controlling the formation of aromatic compounds, and will turn it into a process that is able to make significant numbers of compounds (collections or libraries) rapidly.All of the outstanding science descibed above can be conducted in the context of training one postdoctoral researcher. This is a rigorous process that involves both academia and industry, and both theory and practice. The end result is a highly trained, and eminently employable, researcher who has a unique perspective on the latest developments in chemistry together with the unique challenges faced by chemical industry.