IBAAC: An integrated biomimetic approach to asymmetric catalysis

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0255-3

Key words (English)

Enantioselective catalysis; artificial metallo enzymes

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505020

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 2.2.1 Marie-Curie Research Training Networks

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

The project 'An Integrated Biomimetic Approach to Asymmetric Catalysis' (IBAAC) outlines complementary strategies to incorporate active catalyst precursors into a chiral host environment and efficiently test with high-throughput screening methodologies the resulting hybrid catalytic systems in asymmetric catalysis. Enantioselective catalysis is one of the most versatile tools to produce enantiomerically pure compounds to satisfy the needs of our society. Research in enantioselective catalysis is however hampered by the lack of predictive tools and thus mostly relies on a trial and error approach. As a consequence, the number of efficient catalysts and the corresponding substrates remains modest. In recent years, combinatorial approaches have successfully been applied to the discovery and to the development of new enantioselective catalysts. These studies have highlighted the fact that many subtle experimental parameters (solvent, counter ion, added salts etc.) often have a significant and unpredictable influence on the enantioselectivity of a reaction. These weak contacts between a catalyst and its 'non-bonded' environment are commonly referred to as the second coordination sphere. As host for asymmetric catalysis, various macromolecules will be evaluated: proteins, antibodies, imprinted polymers, dendrimers, and polymers. Both organic and organometallic coenzymes will be incorporated into the host. In order to ensure proper localization of the coenzyme within the host, covalent as well as non-covalent (H-bonds, x-stacking, hydrophobic interactions, dative bonds) anchoring will be evaluated. A chemo-genetic approach will be used to optimize both the activity and the selectivity of the catalysts. Chemical modification of the coenzyme and genetic modification of the host protein offer orthogonal optimization procedures, which allow to produce large libraries of hybrid catalysts.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0255-3