DFT Investigation and Synthesis of a Novel Chiral Sulfoxide Ligand for Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Addition to Nitriles
2023 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (professional degree), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
The utilization of palladium as a catalyst plays an important role in expanding the list of organic transformations. The effectiveness of palladium as a catalyst in organic reactions is influenced by factors such as temperature, solvent, and the nature of ligands coordinating with the metal center. Notably, chiral palladium ligands are highly valuable in achieving stereoselective transformations, enabling the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds. This project aimed to investigate novel chiral ligands incorporating a sulfoxide group, utilizing their chiral nature derived from the sulfoxide stereocenter, for Pd(II)-catalyzed decarboxylative nitrile insertion reactions. To investigate the impact of different substituents, five analogues of 6-methyl-2,2’-bipyridine, known for its efficacy as a ligand for certain reactions, were selected for this study. The rate-determining step in the Pd(II)-catalyzed decarboxylative nitrile insertion reactions is known as the carbopalladation/nitrile insertion, prompting a comparison of the activation energies associated with this specific step across the ligands by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The results of DFT calculations demonstrated that the ligand L2, derived from 4-azaindole with a methyl group at C-5 position, was the most favorable candidate, displaying lower activation energy than its counterparts. The envisioned synthesis route for ligand L2 encompassed a six-step process, starting from the corresponding chloropyridine and involving a selective oxidation of a sulfide to the sulfoxide as the final step. Despite encountering challenges that prevented the isolation of the final product, DFT results indicate the potential of a productive ligand, offering valuable insights for future synthesis work.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 27
Series
UPTEC K, ISSN 1650-8297 ; 23021
Keywords [en]
DFT, sulfoxides, palladium-catalyzed, nitriles
National Category
Medicinal Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-507256OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-507256DiVA, id: diva2:1779366
Subject / course
Drug Development
Educational program
Master Programme in Chemical Engineering
Supervisors
Examiners
2023-07-052023-07-042023-07-05Bibliographically approved