Recent advances in asymmetric synthesis
Young Chemists' Panel Review Meeting XIV
 |
| DiPAMP ligand: used by Knowles in a catalytic
asymmetric reduction reaction towards the
synthesis of L-DOPA |
The SCI Young Chemists’
Panel will be holding the fourteenth
in their popular series of review
symposia at Belgrave Square,
London, on 30 November 2007.
These one day meetings are aimed
at providing participants with an
overview of a contemporary research
area, with emphasis being
placed on timely developments in
the field. This year the meeting will
cover recent advances in asymmetric
synthesis, one of the most challenging
but rapidly evolving areas
of modern chemistry.
Optically active molecules are
ubiquitous in the chemistry of life
but play a key role in technology
as well as biology. It is well known
that biological interactions depend
on matches between the
stereochemistries of various receptor
and messenger molecules, but
equally important are the different
properties displayed by optically
active polymers and molecular
devices when compared to
their achiral counterparts. In addition,
the pharmaceutical industry
has shown an increasing tendency
towards developing
optically active drugs as a method
of obtaining exquisite selectivity
against certain biological targets,
which in turn leads to much more
effective treatments. Currently,
single-enantiomer drugs account
for around a third of the total
market and, as such, reliable
methods for their synthesis are in
even more demand.
Asymmetric synthesis originated
in the 1800s when Emil
Fischer first reacted L-arabinose
with hydrogen cyanide to obtain
two optically active products, and
a vast amount of research has
since been directed towards providing
many elegant methods for
the introduction of chiral centres
into organic molecules. These efforts
have culminated in the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry being awarded
to Ryoji No-yori, William S.
Knowles
and K. Barry
Sharpless for
their work into
asymmetric reductions
and
oxidations, as
well as in realising
countless
beautiful total
syntheses of
chal lenging
natural products.
Keeping up
with the plethora
of asymmetric
chemistries available can
be daunting, so this timely meeting
will feature some of the UK’s
prominent young academics comprehensively
reviewing topics such
as biocatalysis, desymmetrisation,
kinetic resolution and asymmetric
cycloadditions. In addition,
Professor Alan Armstrong will deliver
a keynote lecture describing
his research efforts in the area of
asymmetric heteroatom transfer.
Finally, as an added bonus, participants
will be provided with a
booklet containing copies of each
lecturer’s material including extensive
literature references for
future use.
Teyrnon Jones
AstraZeneca UK
|
