Titre : Making the Switch to Organic Chemistry in Water. Faster,Better, Cheaper, and Environmentally Responsible

Endroit : Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, salle M-415 à 11 h

Hôte : Shawn Collins

Cette conférence sera prononcée (en anglais) par le Professeur Bruce Lipshutz de la University of California at Santa Barbara.

Résumé: Three key reaction variables important to synthetic chemists in traditional organic synthesis include the reaction solvent, reaction temperature, and the choice of catalyst. The medium in which organic synthesis is performed is usually organic, while most reactions tend to require either heating or cooling, both of which generate HUGE amounts of organic waste and/or consume considerable amounts of energy. The catalyst typically involves a metal, and more often than not, is a precious metal such as palladium or gold used at the 1-5 mol % level. None of these parameters overlap with how Nature has been doing chemistry for millions of years, and suggests that chemistry as practiced today is not sustainable. This presentation will offer a win-win-win situation, addressing all of these issues from the standpoint of both economics and the environment. Several valued reactions in organic synthesis will be discussed that can be run in water, with most taking place at room temperature. Equally importantly, given that precious metals such as Pd and Au are costly and the former is endangered, these can now be employed in ligated form at the ppm level of catalysis enabled by their use in aqueous nanomicelles composed of a “designer” surfactant. Several unpublished studies will focus on new technologies, with metals and otherwise, that illustrate the potential for organic synthesis to make the switch to an environmentally responsible discipline.

Information supplémentaire

Annonce PDF de la conférence