Innovate and React

Beyond Gold: Exploring Acid-Promoted Cyclization in Organic Chemistry

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Contributors:
  • Dr. Nicholas Jankowski
    • Dr. Kevin Hares
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        Key Takeaways:

        • The Role of Gold Catalysis – Gold catalysts offer high selectivity and yield but pose challenges in cost, sustainability, and industrial scalability.
        • The Power of HFIP – Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) acts as a unique solvent that enables acid-promoted cyclization, mimicking some effects of metal catalysis.
        • Sustainability vs. Practicality – While metal-free alternatives reduce waste, they often face limitations in selectivity, efficiency, or cost-effectiveness.
        • Design of Experiments (DOE) in Optimization – Statistical methods like DOE help identify optimal reaction conditions, improving yields and efficiency.
        • Future of Green Chemistry – Although this research has limitations, it highlights new avenues for sustainable reactions and potential industry applications.

          • How can we make pharmaceutical synthesis greener and more efficient? In this episode of Innovate and React, we dive  into the world of organic chemistry with Dr. Nikolas Jankowski to explore an alternative to gold catalysis. While gold catalysts are known for their high selectivity and efficiency, their cost, environmental impact, and challenges in industrial applications call for new solutions.

          Nick shares his research on acid-promoted cyclization using hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) as a unique solvent, mimicking some of the effects of metal catalysts. We discuss  the breakthroughs that led to a more efficient synthesis of oxazoles, molecules with promising pharmaceutical applications.

          Tune in as we uncover the intersection of fundamental research, reaction optimization, and the future of sustainable chemistry. 

          Further informations:

          Jankowski, Nicholas, et al. “Transition Metal‐Free Cycloisomerization of Propargylic Amides to Oxazoles in Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP).” Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, vol. 364, no. 19, Oct. 2022, pp. 3404–09.  https://doi.org/10.1002/adsc.202200559

          Link to Nick’s podcast (in German) “Alles ist Chemie”: https://allesistchemie.de

          Many thanks to Alok for providing the music.

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          Innovate and ReactBy Kevin Hares