Chiral-Beta

The chiral β-amino carbonyl is an important structural motif prevalent in natural products and therapeutic agents. Despite that many methodologies have been developed for their diastero- and enantioselective synthesis, most of these methods require multistep manipulations with pre-functionalized substrates that fail to introduce the β-amino carbonyl moiety at the late-stage of complex molecule synthesis. Chiral-Beta aims to develop an innovative technology to rapidly construct chiral β-amino carbonyl derivatives with feedstock and fine alkenes as well as with complex drug molecules/natural products based on a Rh-catalyzed asymmetric carbyne transfer platform. A key strength of this conceptually new and multidisciplinary proposal is the introduction of a secondment phase in Novartis (Basel) to explore real-life applications. The ambitious action merges perfectly the expertise of the host in novel C-H and C–C bond functionalization strategies based on the catalytic generation of carbyne equivalents with the strong background of the applicant in metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions, thus enhancing two-way transfer of knowledge between the ER and the host group. This project will expose the fellow to a wide range of cutting-edge chemistry and biomedical sciences in an interdisciplinary and international environment (ICIQ, Novartis) and enable the fellow to become a leader for the next generation in the field of chemical synthesis and late-stage functionalization techniques.