Stereoselective Hydrofunctionalization Reactions of Olefins

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

The development of chemical reactions to prepare organic molecules that are chiral, i.e., exist as non-superimposable mirror images, is vital to addressing human healthcare. This is because most pharmaceutical molecules are chiral. In this project, Dr. Meek is developing new catalytic reactions to make chiral molecules, using organic compounds containing carbon-carbon double bonds as building blocks. Using new transition metal catalysts designed in his laboratory, Dr. Meek and his team are demonstrating that even unreactive double bonds can be transformed into important and useful chiral products. Dr. Meek is actively engaged in outreach activities that build upon his research and open lines of communication between students interested in pursuing STEM careers, and more broadly serve to scientifically educate the general public. These activities, which include editing online articles and increasing undergraduate participation, are directed at improving science education and encouraging students of all backgrounds to be exposed to the opportunities of STEM career pathways. In this project, funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Dr. Meek and his team of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, design and develop new robust rhodium (Rh)-based catalysts that are easily accessible and promote the stereoselective addition of common organic nucleophiles to olefins. Such hydrofunctionalization methods provide versatile and atom-economical approaches for the formation of new carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds with minimal waste. In general, these processes involve activation of readily available pi-bonds, and address issues concerning reaction site- and stereoselectivity. High levels of selectivity are critical to synthesizing acyclic and cyclic molecular scaffolds that exhibit specific biological and physical properties, as well as rendering the resulting processes more time and cost effective. Dr. Meek is actively engaged in STEM outreach activities that focus on broadening the dissemination of scientific concepts and increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in science.