Catalysts play a crucial role in the asymmetric organic transformation needed for synthesizing biologically important molecules and natural products. Significant advancements have been made in both homogeneous and heterogeneous chiral metal catalysts, enabling the realization of numerous complex transformations1. However, each type of catalyst has its own advantages and disadvantages2. A new nano-catalytic system has emerged, combining the activity of homogeneous catalysts with the easy recoverability of heterogeneous ones. While both industry and academia tend to prefer heterogeneous catalysts due to their notable benefits like low cost, reusability, avoidance of metal contamination in products, and widespread availability. This research proposal seminar will concentrate on the synthesis of new chiral metal nano-catalysts and their diverse applications in asymmetric synthesis3 (scheme 1).









Scheme 1. Asymmetric transformations using chiral metal nano-catalysts
References:
1. Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis, ed. I. Ojima, John Wiley, Hoboken, N.J., 3rd edn, 2010
2. (a) Bogdanovic, B.; Henc, B.; Losler, A.; Meister, B.; Pauling, H.; Wilke, G. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1973, 12, 954; (b) Heitbaum, M.; Glorius, F.; Escher, I. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 4732.
3. (a) Sekar, Catalysis Communication, 2013, 39, 50; (b) Shu kobayashi, ACS Catal., 2016, 6, 11, 7979; (c) Shu kobayashi, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2014, 43, 1450.