Enhanced Homogeneous Iridium Complexes for Extensive Application in Isotope Labelling Processes and as New Catalysts in Wider Organic Synthetic Proced

Transition metal-mediated hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) is a technique of increasing importance, with a range of applications spanning all aspects of organic synthesis. Importantly for medicinal chemists, such direct and flexible labelling processes now represent a central tool for the fast and efficient incorporation of a tracer into drug candidates, enabling various metabolic, stability, and toxicity studies to be performed earlier in the drug design process. In this regard, recently established iridium species from the Kerr laboratories have emerged to become some of the most active species in isotopic labelling chemistry. Having applied our developed catalysts to enable the highly efficient labelling of a broad range of both aromatic and non-aromatic unsaturated systems, we have also initiated preliminary investigations into the labelling of more challenging substrate classes as well as probed the use of our catalysts for C-H activation in a wider sense.

The overarching aims of this programme of work relate to the continued exploration of direct, flexible, and selective means of C-H activation under extremely mild reaction conditions, using specifically developed organotransition metal catalysts. As part of this project, a series of new iridium catalyst will be designed and prepared with their steric and electronic parameters tuned for application within C-H activation and exchange processes. The design of these complexes will be based on the demands of new, challenging substrates for labelling processes as well as emerging wider applications for this family of catalysts. The general substrate structural classes and directing functional groups will be chosen and guided based on their relevance within the drug design and synthesis setting.

In relation to the EPSRC Portfolio, the main objectives of this programme align with and will address the Research Areas of Catalysis, Chemical Reaction Dynamics and Mechanism, and Synthetic Organic Chemistry and as of importance within the Themes of Healthcare Technologies, Physical Sciences, and Manufacturing the Future.