Self-Assembled Solutions to Asymmetric Hydrogenation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal exploits a new strategy for catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation based on metal-directed multicomponent self-assembly of chiral ligands. The combinatorial strategy uses self-assembly in the ligand scaffold-generating step to produce libraries of new chiral bidentate ligands, specifically, chiral self-assembled ligands (SALs). This Phase I application focuses on the design, preparation and evaluation of such libraries in five substrate classes of rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation. The need to carry out efficient enantioselective hydrogenation is frequently encountered in chemical discovery and process research. The applicant organization, PharmAgra Labs, Inc., is a chemistry-based company providing custom synthesis services to the pharmaceutical, biotech and agrochemical sectors. The most successful SALs identified will be used to construct a commercial, broad-based screening kit for asymmetric hydrogenation. In addition, capabilities will be developed to further optimize lead structures identified in the screening kit (custom ligand development) and to develop processes for ligand re-synthesis on a scale to meet application demand (custom ligand synthesis).