New Catalytic Chemistry: Capturing reactive and unreactive functional groups for novel heterocycle synthesis

The proposed research looks to create new ways of making molecules using catalysts - catalytic chemistry. A catalyst is something added in very small amounts to a reaction that will make it faster, and they play a very important in modern chemistry. Up to 90% of chemically produced materials have used a catalyst in their production - the enzymes in washing powder are a type of biological catalyst that helps break down organic stains on clothes, for example. The catalytic converter in a car contains precious metal catalysts that help convert harmful nitrogen monoxide fumes into harmless nitrogen gas.Catalysts can dramatically accelerate chemical reactions, to the extent where some impossibly slow processes become highly efficient when performed under catalytic conditions. The trick is matching up the right catalyst with the right chemical reaction. This research proposal will look at the chemical reactions that are used to make a class of molecule called heterocycles. Heterocyclic compounds have enormous importance in our society: DNA, sugars, proteins, the molecules of nature, drugs, insecticides and vitamins represent just some of the classes of heterocycle essential to the way we live our lives. As a result, the discovery of new and improved ways to synthesise new and improved heterocycles is at the forefront of modern chemistry research. The successful research project will produce new molecules using catalytic processes that are quicker, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than existing methods. We will take these reactions and apply them to the production of new heterocycles for application in medicine, engineering and agriculture.