Les nuages représentent un milieu multiphasique complexe et réactif. Une grande partie de composés chimiques atmosphériques de la phase particulaire ou gazeuse se dissout dans les gouttelettes de nuage où peuvent subir des transformations chimiques, photochimiques et microbiologiques. L'eau de nuage a été échantillonnée à la station du puy de Dôme et caractérisée par des mesures physico-chimiques. La première partie de mon travail de thèse est focalisée sur la réactivité de l’eau du nuage. La formation d’espèces réactives, le radical hydroxyle, est étudiée par photolyse directe de sources inorganiques et photolyses nano-pulsée et sa vitesse de formation a été corrélée à la concentration de sources. Les propriétés spectroscopiques et la dégradation d'un composé modèle, l'acide tartronique, ont été étudiés. Les expériences faite par irradiation continue (photolyse directe et induite par le radical hydroxyle) et par photolyse pulsée ont permis de comprendre la réactivité de ce composé dans le milieu nuageux. La deuxième partie de mon travail est focalisée sur la caractérisation et la réactivité de la matière organique dans la phase aqueuse des nuages. La détection et la quantification de tryptophane par spectroscopie de fluorescence et l'étude de sa réactivité ainsi que la détection et quantification d‘acides aminés représente une partie importante de ce travail. Les acides aminés ont été détectés pour la première fois dans l'eau de nuage grâce à l'utilisation d'une méthode chromatographique de dérivation et détection par fluorescence. Ce travail à démontré que les acides aminés peuvent représenter entre 4 et 21 % de la concentration en carbone de la matière organique dissoute dans le nuage. La réactivité des acides aminés avec le radical hydroxyle a été comparée avec celle des acides carboxyliques et de la matière organique dissoute. Ce résultat montre clairement que le rôle des acides aminés comme piège de radicaux hydroxyles ne peut plus être négligé. / Clouds represent a multiphase complex and reactive medium in which gases, liquid particles and aerosols are in continuous interaction. A large fraction of atmospheric chemical compounds present in the particulate and gaseous phases can be transferred to the cloud droplets where can undergo chemical, photochemical and microbiological transformations. Cloud waters were sampled at the puy de Dôme station. The first part of my PhD work is focused on the photoreactivity of cloud water. Formation of a reactive species such as hydroxyl radical, by direct photolysis of inorganic sources was investigated, as well as the correlation between the concentration of sources and the hydroxyl radical formation rate. The spectroscopic proprieties and fate of tartronic acid, were investigated under cloud water conditions. Moreover, photochemical experiments were performed using continuous irradiation (direct and hydroxyl radical mediated photolysis) and nanosecond flash photolysis in order to assess the reactivity of this compound in cloud aqueous phase. The second part of my work is centered on the characterization of organic matter in clouds. Two studies are presented: i) Detection and quantification of tryptophan by fluorescence spectroscopy and the assessment of its reactivity; ii) detection and quantification of amino acids. Amino acids are detected for the first time in cloud water using a derivatization method and this work show that they represent the 9% of the dissolved organic matter in cloud. Their reactivity with hydroxyl radical was compared to the reactivity of carboxylic acids and dissolved organic matter. These results clearly demonstrate that amino acids represent a major sink of hydroxyl radicals in cloud water.

Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT) descriptors, calculated from ab initio wave functions, have been utilised to model pKa and mutagenicity for data sets of pharmaceutically relevant compounds. The pKa of a compound is a pivotal property in both life science and chemistry since the propensity of a compound to donate or accept a proton is fundamental to understanding chemical and biological processes. The prediction of mutagenicity, specifically as determined by the Ames test, is important to aid medicinal chemists select compounds avoiding this potential pitfall in drug design. Carbocyclic and heterocyclic aromatic amines were chosen because this compounds class is synthetically very useful but also prone to positive outcomes in the battery of genotoxicity assays.The importance of pKa and genotoxic characteristics cannot be overestimated in drug design, where the multivariate optimisations of properties that influence the Absorption-Distribution-Metabolism-Excretion-Toxicity (ADMET) profiles now features very early on in the drug discovery process.Models were constructed using carboxylic acids in conjunction with the Quantum Topological Molecular Similarity (QTMS) method. The models produced Root Mean Square Error of Prediction (RMSEP) values of less than 0.5 pKa units and compared favourably to other pKa prediction methods. The ortho-substituted benzoic acids had the largest RMSEP which was significantly improved by splitting the compounds into high-correlation subsets. For these subsets, single-term equations containing one ab initio bond length were able to accurately predict pKa. The pKa prediction equations were extended to phenols and anilines.Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) models of acceptable quality were built based on literature data to predict the mutagenic potency (LogMP) of carbo- and heterocyclic aromatic amines using QTMS. However, these models failed to predict Ames test values for compounds screened at GSK. Contradictory internal and external data for several compounds motivated us to determine the fidelity of the Ames test for this compound class. The systematic investigation involved recrystallisation to purify compounds, analytical methods to measure the purity and finally comparative Ames testing. Unexpectedly, the Ames test results were very reproducible when 14 representative repurified molecules were tested as the freebase and the hydrochloride salt in two different solvents (water and DMSO). This work formed the basis for the analysis of Ames data at GSK and a systematic Ames testing programme for aromatic amines. So far, an unprecedentedly large list of 400 compounds has been made available to guide medicinal chemists. We constructed a model for the subset of 100 meta-/para-substituted anilines that could predict 70% of the Ames classifications. The experimental values of several of the model outliers appeared questionable after closer inspection and three of these have been retested so far. The retests lead to the reclassification of two of them and thereby to improved model accuracy of 78%. This demonstrates the power of the iterative process of model building, critical analysis of experimental data, retesting outliers and rebuilding the model.

Trypanosoma cruzi é dependente de prolina para diversos processos tal como metabolismo energético, invasão celular, diferenciação e resistência a estresse osmótico, metabólico e oxidativo. O ácido L-tiazolidina-4-carboxílico (T4C), um análogo estrutural da prolina, inibe competitivamente o transporte deste aminoácido em T. cruzi, e interage sinergicamente com fatores de estresse que ocorrem ao longo do seu ciclo de vida. Aqui nós avaliamos o efeito de T4C na infecção de camundongos pelo T. cruzi. Foi observada uma redução de 49% do pico parasitêmico de animais infectados e tratados com dose única de T4C (100 mg/Kg). A análise histológica e por PCR quantitativa de diferentes tecidos revelou uma redução significativa da carga parasitária apenas no intestino de animais tratados com T4C (100 ou 150 mg/Kg). Por outro lado, a dose única de 200 mg/Kg diminuiu o peso corporal e sobrevida de animais não infectados. O tratamento prolongado (10 mg/Kg dia) não reduziu a parasitemia, mas aumentou a sobrevida e diminuiu a carga parasitária no intestino. T4C não afetou a expressão gênica de IFN-g e IL-10 em qualquer um dos tecidos analisados (coração, baço, intestino). Em conclusão, T4C contribui em reduzir a virulência da infecção, mas é tóxico em doses que superem 150 mg/kg. / Trypanosoma cruzi is dependent on proline for a variety of processes such as energy metabolism, host cell invasion, differentiation and resistance to osmotic, metabolic and oxidative stress. L-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (T4C), a proline structural analogue, inhibits the proline uptake and interacts with several stress factors that the parasite undergoes throughout its life cycle. Herein, we evaluated the T4C effects on mice infection by T. cruzi. It was observed a reduction of 49% of the parasitemia peak in infected mice that were treated with a unique dose of T4C (100 mg/Kg). Histological and quantitative PCR analysis of several tissues revealed a significant reduction of parasite load in the intestine (100 or 150 mg/kg). In the other hand, the unique dose of 200 mg/Kg reduced the body weight and survival of non-infected mice. A T4C prolonged treatment (10 mg/Kg day), did not diminish the parasitemia, but increased survival and reduced the parasite load in the intestine. T4C did not affect the gene expression of g-IFN and IL-10 in any of the organs analyzed (heart, spleen, intestine). In conclusion, T4C-treatment contributes to reduce the virulence of T. cruzi infection, but it was toxic in doses over 150 mg/kg.

La réduction du CO₂ est considérée comme une des approches les plus intéressantes pour convertir ce gaz en produits chimique d’intérêt tels que les acides carboxyliques. Le marché de ces composés devrait augmenter considérablement au cours des prochaines années, d'où la nécessité de trouver des méthodes de production durables et respectueuses de l'environnement. Les complexes de samarium divalents sont reconnus pour leur fort pouvoir réducteur monoélectronique, ce qui en fait des réactifs de choix pour la réduction de certains groupes fonctionnels difficiles à réduire tels que le CO₂. Cependant, dans la littérature, bien que ce réactif ait été utilisé en association avec le CO₂, prouvant ainsi que la réduction du CO₂ est possible, mais jamais à notre connaissance pour des applications synthétiques. Nous rapportons ici l'activation du CO₂ initiée par le samarium bivalent électrogénéré. Grâce à notre méthode, récemment mise au point, pour la production électrochimique in situ d’espèces divalentes de samarium, la synthèse de dérivés de l’acide benzoïque a été réalisée avec succès. De plus, les conditions d'activation électrocatalytique du CO₂ ont été établies dans ce travail et appliquées non seulement à la préparation des acides phénylacétiques à partir de dérivés du chlorure de benzyle, mais également à l'hydrocarboxylation régiosélective des analogues du styrène et du phénylacétylène. Ce protocole à base de Sm (II) électrogénéré offre la prochaine génération de systèmes durables pour la transformation du CO₂ en molécules de haute valeur sous des conditions douces et sans l'ajout de co-réducteurs. / CO₂ activation is considered one of the most attractive tools to convert this cheap, abundant and non-toxic gas into valuable chemical feedstocks such as carboxylic acids. The market value of these compounds is expecting a significant increase in the next few years, thus the urgent need for sustainable and eco-friendly production pathways. Divalent samarium complexes are known for their strong monoelectronic reductive power that made them the perfect choice for the reduction of some challenging functional groups. Indeed, in the literature, this reagent has been used in combination with CO₂ but only to achieve the reductive disproportionation of CO₂ while no example reported C-C bond formation via CO₂ activation using the Sm(II) complexes. Herein, we report the CO₂ activation initiated by electrogenerated divalent samarium. Taking advantage of our recently developed method for the in situ generation of Sm(II) species, the synthesis of benzoic acid derivatives was successfully achieved. Furthermore, electrocatalytic CO₂ activation conditions were established in this work and applied not only for the preparation of phenylacetic acids from benzyl chloride derivatives but also for the regioselective hydrocarboxylation of styrene and phenylacetylene analogs. This electrochemical Sm(II)-based protocol offers the next generation of sustainable system to transform CO₂ into highly valued molecules under mild conditions and without the addition of co-reductants.

This dissertation is a collection of works that investigate non-prototypical sources leading to new particle formation in the atmosphere. Particles play a major role in atmospheric chemistry. For example, particles are a component of smog and are commonly found in high concentrations under conditions of atmospheric inversions. In order to reconcile the difference between measured and modeled particle concentrations new mechanisms from non-prototypical sources for particle formation need to be determined. Formation of particles has frequently been modeled using classical nucleation theory (CNT). The first step in CNT is the nucleation step where molecular clusters form. In a second step, these clusters grow into particles through coagulation or condensation. First, this research aims to improve the modeling of equilibrium constants for the formation of peroxy radical-water complexes. Failure of the harmonic approximation in the partition function for describing the low frequency vibrational modes of the complexes was explored. Instead the dissociative hydrogen bond mode using a Lennard-Jones 6-3 potential and the other low frequency vibrational modes using one- and two-fold hindered rotors was modeled. It was determined that the contribution of the two-fold hindered rotors is more important than the long-range dipole-dipole potentials and of vibration-rotation coupling. In related work, the hydroperoxy radical was investigated as a non-prototypical source of particles using high level ab initio calculations. The results indicate that the addition of an amine to the dimer increased the overall stability of complex through the increased number and strength of the hydrogen bonds. When compared to prototypical systems, sulfuric acid and methane sulfonic acid, the strength of the complex was found to be similar to the peroxy radical system. Finally, carboxylic acids, formic acid and acetic acid, were investigated as a source for new particle formation using computational and experimental techniques. Using a slow flow reactor cell particle formation was enhanced by the addition of trimethylamine. High level ab initio calculations indicate like the peroxy radicals, carboxylic acids may act as a molecular cluster in particle formation

The development of novel, tumor-selective and boron-rich compounds as potential agents for use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) represents a very important field in cancer treatment by radiation therapy. Here, we report the design and synthesis of two promising compounds that combine meta-carborane, a water-soluble monosaccharide and a linking unit, namely glycine or ethylenediamine, for facile coupling with various tumor-selective biomolecules bearing a free amino or carboxylic acid group. In this work, coupling experiments with two selected biomolecules, a coumarin derivative and folic acid, were included. The task of every component in this approach was carefully chosen: the carborane moiety supplies ten boron atoms, which is a tenfold increase in boron content compared to the l-boronophenylalanine (l-BPA) presently used in BNCT; the sugar moiety compensates for the hydrophobic character of the carborane; the linking unit, depending on the chosen biomolecule, acts as the connection between the tumor-selective component and the boron-rich moiety; and the respective tumor-selective biomolecule provides the necessary selectivity. This approach makes it possible to develop a modular and feasible strategy for the synthesis of readily obtainable boron-rich agents with optimized properties for potential applications in BNCT.

Crystal Engineering is the design of crystalline material using non-covalent synthesis. Co-crystals are multi-component crystals which are constructed from complementary intermolecular interactions, they are also known as supramolecular complexes. Design of such materials utilises the synthon approach, this involves the understanding of common intermolecular interactions which occur in the crystal packing and is used to design new solids with desired physical properties and chemical properties. Primary amides form supramolecular heterosynthons, these synthons represent an opportunity for a design of multi-component crystals in which one molecule contains a primary amide and a second molecule which is complimentary to the primary amide, usually carboxylic acids. The progress with regards to the screening process for the determination of co-crystals is evident in the literature, In particular, high throughput solution growth methods and solvent drop grinding. The comparison of Isonicotinamide and Benzamide as a co-crystal component has been presented. This study was motivated by the observation that the CSD contains 24 Isonicotinamide and 1 Benzamide co-crystal. The interaction with carboxylic acids is the focus of the work, in particular those which form Isonicotinamide co-crystal are being screened with Benzamide. Our work utilises a ReactArray Microvate to carry out the low throughput solution growth on a matrix of carboxylic acid with Benzamide, this study has been coupled with the Kofler hot stage microscope method which visually aids to screen and view co-crystal phase formation. Crystallisation screens have resulted in the identification of known co-crystal phases of Isonicotinamide and Benzamide, additionally new co-crystal phases have also been identified with Fumaric, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, Mandelic Acid, 4-Nitrobenzoic Acid and Tartaric Acid. Single crystal structures of the Fumaric and 4-Nitrobenzoic acid have been obtained. In order to develop an understanding of co-crystal formation in Isonicotinamide and Benzamide with our supramolecular library, packing landscape analysis is being undertaken using both the CSD and crystal structures we have obtained. This is undertaken as collaboration with Dr Andy Parkin and Professor Gilmore (University of Glasgow), we have identified that the dSNAP analysis is a way forward for the analysis of how co-crystals pack. The analysis highlighted the subtleties that were present in the packing motifs of the Isonicotinamide co-crystals. In particular the cis and trans orientation of the amide and acid carbonyl to each other and the planar and off planar layer assemblies. All of which are required to maximise the hydrogen bond usage of the components comprising the co-crystals. Further investigations have led to the collaborative project with Syngenta Ltd in the design of a co-crystal screen using a high through-put robot, Crissy® -Automation Platform by Zinsser Analytical, using an extended screen of 16 acid coformers with Isonicotinamide, Benzamide and Nicotinamide the sample have been characterised using a reflectance diffraction method, GADDS. Further analysis of this data involves the use of polySNAP, which has led to further collaboration with Professor Gilmore's group.

Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Abstract Chapter 1: Development of Efficient and Kinetically E-Selective Cross-Metathesis to Generate Alkenyl Halides We have devised a broadly applicable strategy to achieve kinetically E-selective cross-metathesis to generate a valuable set of E-alkenyl chlorides and fluorides in high efficiency. The synthetic utility was demonstrated through several concise syntheses of E-alkenyl chloride and fluoride precursors to biologically active molecules. The design principles delineated in this study are expected to initiate a wider range of efficient and kinetically controlled E-selective olefin metathesis processes where there is a diminished preference for the E isomer such as macrocyclic ring-closing metathesis. Chapter 2: Development of Efficient and Kinetically E-Selective Macrocyclic Ring-Closing Metathesis We devised a strategy to achieve high E selectivity in ring-closing metathesis to afford E-macrocyclic alkenes of various ring sizes regardless of the associated thermodynamic preferences. The key findings revealed that E-alkenylB(pin), widely recognized for its broad use in catalytic cross-coupling chemistry, possesses the appropriate steric and electronic attributes to serve as a suitable cross-partner in ring-closing metathesis with Mo alkylidenes. Synthetic utility was demonstrated through ring-closing metathesis at a late stage of a multi-step route. The investigation described herein offers a practical solution to a compelling problem in olefin metathesis, further elevating the utility of this widely used transformation. Chapter 3: Stereoselective Synthesis of E- and Z-Trisubstituted Alkenes by Combining Stereoretentive Catalytic Cross-Metathesis and Catalytic Cross-Coupling We introduced a general solution to a longstanding and compelling problem in olefin metathesis: a broadly applicable strategy for the reliable and efficient synthesis of acyclic E- and Z-trisubstituted alkenyl halides. Complications resulted from the formation of an unstable methylidene species or less reactive disubstituted alkylidene complexes can be addressed by utilizing a stereo-defined E- or Z-trisubstituted alkene and a 1,2-disubstituted olefin as substrates. By merging two central catalytic transformations in organic synthesis, cross-coupling and CM, various E- or Z-trisubstituted alkenyl chloride and bromides were readily accessed by the same catalytic system without the need for directing groups. The synthetic utility of the present protocol was demonstrated through several concise and efficient synthesis of biologically active natural products/synthetic precursors. Notably, the E- or Z-trisubstituted alkenyl halides prepared by CM may be readily converted to other trisubstituted olefins with complete retention of stereochemical purity by means of a second cross-coupling reaction. Based on the new findings, we revisited previously unaddressed problems and establish that readily available isoprenoid alkenes can serve as a suitable surrogate for unhindered terminal alkenes in CM. Chapter 4: In situ Protection/Deprotection for Catalytic Olefin Metathesis in the Presence of Polar Protic Functional Groups We demonstrated that protic groups such as alcohols and carboxylic acids that are problematic with high-oxidation-state alkylidenes could be effectively masked in situ prior to CM reactions by an appropriate borane reagent. The commercial sample of alkenes that are usually contaminated with protic impurities could be ‘purified’ in situ by a sub-stoichiometric amount of pinacolborane. Deprotection of the in situ boron-based protecting group proceeded under mild conditions and could be performed in the same vessel. The one-pot protection/cross-metathesis/deprotection of alcohol and carboxylic acid-containing alkenes described herein is likely to have an impact on the diversity of organic molecules that can be prepared in a laboratory setting. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Les acides carboxyliques aliphatiques sont utilisés dans de nombreux secteurs industriels et leur importance économique augmente. Ils sont actuellement produits en grande quantité, grâce à des procédés utilisant le C0 qui est principalement non- renouvelable. L'anhydride carbonique est une molécule potentiellement écologique, renouvelable et abondante. Cette thèse décrit l'étude et l'optimisation d'un système catalytique homogène de Rh, utilisé pour produire des acides carboxyliques aliphatiques à partir de substrats oxygénés, C02 et H2. Le système consiste en un précurseur de Rh, un additif à base d'iodure et un ligand PPh3, fonctionnant dans un réacteur discontinu sous une pression de C02 et de H2. Les conditions de réaction ont été optimisées pour chaque classe de substrats étudiés: alcools primaires et secondaires, cétones, aldéhydes et époxydes. 30 molécules différentes ont été converties en acides carboxyliques, conduisant à des rendements jusqu'à 80%. En plus, le système a été étudié avec une approche de « Design of Experiment », ce qui a permis d'obtenir des informations supplémentaires concernant les paramètres étudiés. Le mécanisme de réaction et les espèces catalytiques actives ont été étudiés par différentes manipulations comme des réactions compétitives, des expériences de RMN et l'utilisation de molécules marquées. La réaction est composée de transformations non catalytiques et de deux étapes catalytiques. La réaction se déroule à travers une réaction de reverse Water Gas Shift (rWGSR) transformant le C02 et l'H2 en C0 et H20, qui sont consommés dans l'hydrocarboxylation suivante de l'alcène formé in situ pour livrer l'acide carboxylique. Le système catalytique est similaire aux catalyseurs traditionnels à base du Rh pour les réactions de carbonylation et de Water Gas Shift. Le PPh3 est nécessaire pour fournir des ligands supplémentaires, permettant au catalyseur de fonctionner avec une quantité minimale de ligand toxique de C0. En plus, un système catalytique hétérogène a été étudié pour la même réaction. « Single Atom Catalysts » (SACs) reçoit beaucoup plus d'attention que les solutions catalytiques, car il présente à la fois les avantages des catalyseurs homogènes (sélectivité, haute activité) et des catalyseurs hétérogènes (séparation et recyclage faciles). Des atomes de rhodium simples dispersés sur du graphène dopé avec l'N ont été synthétisés et caractérisés, obtenant des informations concernant la structure chimique et physique du matériau. Finalement, ils ont été testés ainsi que les catalyseurs pour l'activation du C02, la production d'acides carboxyliques, les réactions d'hydrogénation et d'hydrogénolyse / Aliphatic carboxylic acids are used in many industrial sectors and their importance from an economical point of view is increasing. They are currently produced in large quantities, through processes exploiting the mostly non-renewable C0 as C1 synthon. Carbon dioxide is a potential environmentally friendly, renewable and abundant C1 building block. The aim of this work is to provide a catalytic protocol converting C02, H2 and oxygenated substrates to obtain useful chemicals, like carboxylic acids.To this end a homogeneous catalytic Rh system, used to produce aliphatic carboxylic acids starting from oxygenated substrates, C02 and H2 was investigated and optimized. The system consists of a Rh precursor, iodide additive and PPh3 ligand working in a batch reactor under C02 and H2 pressure. The reaction conditions were optimized for each class of investigated substrates: primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, ketones, aldehydes and epoxides. The reaction scope was investigated and 30 different molecules were converted into carboxylic acids, leading to yields of up to 80%. ln addition, the system was studied using a Design of Experiment approach, obtaining additional information regarding the studied parameters.The reaction mechanism and the catalytically active species were studied, by different experiments like competitive reactions, NMR and labelling experiments. This investigation resulted in a deeper knowledge of the reaction pathway, composed of some non-catalytic transformations and two catalytic steps. The reaction proceeds through a reverse Water Gas Shift Reaction (rWGSR) transforming C02 and H2 into C0 and H20, which are consumed in the following hydrocarboxylation of the in-situ formed alkene to give the final carboxylic acid product. The catalytic system is similar to traditional Rh carbonylation and Water Gas Shift catalysts. The PPh3 is needed to supply additional ligands allowing the catalyst to work in reaction conditions with a minimal amount of toxic C0 ligand. ln addition, a heterogeneous catalytic system was investigated for the same reaction. Single atom catalysts (SACs) are receiving much attention as catalytic solution, since they have both the advantages of homogeneous (selectivity, high activity) and heterogeneous (easy separation and recycling) catalysts. Single Rh atoms dispersed on N-doped graphene were synthesized and characterized, obtaining information regarding the chemical and physical structure of the material. Eventually, they were tested as catalysts for C02 activation, carboxylic acid production, hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis reactions / Aliphatische Carbonsauren werden in vielen industriellen Bereichen verwendet und ihre wirtschaftliche Bedeutung nimmt zu. Sie werden derzeit in gror.en Mengen hergestellt, indem das meistens nicht erneuerbare Kohlenmonoxid als C1-Synthon genutzt wird. Kohlendioxid ist ein potenziell umweltfreundlicher, erneuerbarer und abundanter C1-Baustein. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines Protokolls zur katalytischen Umwandlung von C02, H2 und sauerstoffhaltigen Substraten, um nützliche Chemikalien, wie Carbonsauren zu erhalten. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein homogenes Rh-Katalysatorsystems zur Herstellung aliphatischer Carbonsauren aus sauerstoffhaltigen Substraten, C02 und H2 untersucht und optimiert. Das System besteht aus Rh-Prakursor, lodid-Additiv und PPh3 als Ligand, die in einem Batchreaktor unter C02 und H2 eingesetzt werden. Die Reaktionsbedingungen wurden für folgende Substratklassen optimiert: primare Alkohole, sekundare Alkohole, Ketone, Aldehyde und Epoxide. Es wurden insgesamt 30 verschiedene Substrate mit Ausbeuten bis zu 80% zu Carbonsauren umgesetzt. Darüber hinaus wurde das System mit einem ,,Statistische Versuchsplanung"-Ansatz untersucht, um zusatzliche lnformationen zu den untersuchten Parametern zu erhalten. Mechanismus und katalytisch aktive Spezies wurden durch verschiedene Experimente wie Konkurrenzreaktionen, NMR- und Markierungsexperimenten untersucht. Dies erschloss den Reaktionsweg, der aus mehreren nicht-katalytischen Transformationen und zwei katalytischen Schritten besteht. Die Reaktion verlauft durch eine ,,reverse Wassergas-Shift-Reaktion" (rWGSR), die C02 und H2 in C0 und H20 umwandelt. Diese werden wiederum bei der nachfolgenden Hydrocarboxylierung des in-situ gebildeten Alkens unter Bildung der Carbonsaure verbraucht. Das katalytische System ahnelt herkômmlichen Rh-Carbonylierungs- und WGSR-Katalysatoren. PPh3 fungiert als zusatzlicher Ligand, der es dem Katalysator ermôglicht unter den gleichen Reaktionsbedingungen mit minimaler Menge toxischen C0 als Liganden zu arbeiten. Zusatzlich wurde ein heterogenes katalytisches System für die gleiche Reaktion untersucht. ,,Single atom catalysts" (SACs) erhalten gror.e Aufmerksamkeit als neue Katalysatorklasse. Sie kombinieren die Selektivitat und hohe Aktivitat homogener und die einfache Abtrennung und Recycling heterogener Katalysatoren Verschiedene Katalysatoren aus auf N-dotiertem Graphen dispergierten Rh-Atomen, wurden synthetisiert und charakterisiert. Dadurch wurden lnformationen über die chemische und physikalische Struktur des Materials gewonnen und als Katalysatoren für C02-Aktivierung, Carbonsauresythese, Hydrierung und Hydrogenolyse getestet

Transition metal catalysis is a powerful tool for the construction of biologically active and pharmaceutically relevant architectures. With the challenge of continually depleting resources that this generation of scientists faces, it is becoming increasingly important to develop sustainable technologies for organic synthesis that utilize abundant and renewable feedstocks while minimizing byproduct formation and shortening the length of synthetic sequences by removing unnecessary protecting group manipulations and functionalizations. To this end, we have developed four new methods that transform inexpensive starting materials to valuable products. This dissertation covers the following key areas: 1) activation of CO2 for a mild and functional group tolerant synthesis of carboxylic acids, 2) oxidative twofold C–H bond activations as a strategy toward biaryls, 3) migratory O- to N-rearrangements in pyridines and related heterocycles for the preparation of N-alkylated heterocycles, and 4) asymmetric hydrogenations of cyclic imines and enamines en route to chiral 1,2- and 1,3-diamines and macrocyclic peptides.