No / We describe the work of the European project QUASI (Quantum Simulation in Industry, project EP25047) which has sought to develop a flexible QM/MM scheme and to apply it to a range of industrial problems. A number of QM/MMapproaches were implemented within the computational chemistry scripting system, ChemShell, which provides the framework for deploying a variety of independent program packages. This software was applied in several large-scale QM/MM studies which addressed the catalytic decomposition of N2O by Cu-containing zeolites, the methanol synthesis reaction catalysed by Cu clusters supported on ZnO surfaces, and the modelling of enzyme structure and reactivity.

Yes

In biological systems, most of the active organic molecules are chiral. Some of the main constituents of living organisms are amino acids and sugars. They exist predominantly in only one enantiomerically pure form. For example, our proteins are built-up by L-amino acids and as a consequence they are enatiomerically pure and will interact in different ways with enantiomers of chiral molecules. Indeed, different enantiomers or diastereomers of a molecule could often have a drastically different biological activity. It is of paramount importance in organic synthesis to develop new routes to control and direct the stereochemical outcome of reactions. The aim of this thesis is to investigate new protocols for the synthesis of complex chiral molecules using simple, environmentally friendly proline-based organocatalysts. We have investigated, the aziridination of linear and branched enals, the stereoselective synthesis of β-amino acids with a carbene co-catalyst, the synthesis of pyrazolidines, the combination of heterogeneous transition metal catalysis and amine catalysis to deliver cyclopentenes bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter and a new heterogeneous dual catalyst system for the carbocyclization of enals. The reactions presented in this thesis afforded the corresponding products with high levels of chemo-, diastero- and enantioselectivity. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Submitted. </p>

The aim of this project was to utilize chiral cation-directed catalysis in the asymmetric synthesis of novel hererocycles. This goal was initially realized by the synthesis of azaindolines in high yields and enantioselectivities (Chapter 2). Extension of this methodology to substrates bearing two stereogenic centres was successful, although control over both diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity in this process was modest. Finally the synthesis of heterocycles utilizing cation-directed rearrangement processes was examined, with proof of concept obtained for a novel asymmetric cyclization to form xanthenes.

The first part of this thesis presents a novel approach for synthesising enantioenriched cyclic allylsilanes via asymmetric ring-closing metathesis (ARCM). The second part of this thesis focuses on the reactivity of allylsilanes in electrophilic trifluoromethylation under transition metal and photoredox catalysis. <strong>Chapter 1</strong> provides a general introduction to existing methods for preparing compounds containing Si-stereogenic centres. The motivation for using ARCM to form Si-stereogenic centres is discussed. To set the stage for this work, the development of olefin metathesis as a tool in organic synthesis is briefly summarised. <strong>Chapter 2</strong> describes the synthesis of various prochiral silicon-containing trienes and their reactivity in Ru-, Mo- and W-catalysed ring-closing metathesis. . Following extensive screening of chiral catalysts, few catalysts were identified that enabled selective ARCM to access Si-stereogenic products in up to 98% ee. A systematic investigation of the relationship between the structure of the starting material (i.e., hydrocarbon chain length, steric and electronic properties of the silicon substituents) and the resulting efficacy in ARCM was undertaken, the results from these experiments are discussed. Importantly, this study represents the first example in which ARCM has been successfully used to desymmetrise prochiral substrates to form a new chiral Si centre (Scheme 1). <strong>Chapter 3</strong> provides a general introduction to the field of trifluoromethylation, with a special focus on recent applications of transition metal catalysts in Csp²–CF₃ and Csp³–CF₃ bond formation. A myriad of effective nucleophilic, electrophilic and radical trifluromethylating reagents have been developed during the past several years; the properties of these reagents and their compatibility with various modes of catalysis are summarised to provide a context for the second part of this thesis research. <strong>Chapter 4</strong> presents two novel methods for effecting trifluoromethylation of allylsilanes . First, it was discovered that the combination of an electrophilic trifluoromethlyating reagent and a copper catalyst effectively mediated trifluoromethylation of allylsilanes. The silicon substituent was crucial for improving the nucleophilicity of the substrate and dictating the regioselectivity of the Csp³–CF₃ bond-forming step. With this method, alkyl or aryl substitution at the &beta;-position of the allylsilane was critical for reactivity. Second, in a complementary study, it was found that copper could be replaced by a ruthenium photocatalyst and visible light. This latter method allowed for trifluoromethylation of substrates that were ineffective with copper catalysis. Mechanistic studies of both reaction systems were undertaken, and plausible reaction pathways for both reactions are proposed. <strong>Chapter 5</strong> gives full experimental procedures and characterisation data for all compounds.

There is an increasing necessity for the pharmaceutical industry to develop enantiomerically pure drugs. Up till now, production of enantiomerically pure molecules has been provided by harvesting them from plants or utilising homogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis. None of these methods are efficient means of production, and attention is now being directed towards heterogeneous enantioselective catalysis as the preferred technique. This is on account of the high product yield and ease of separation of catalyst from the reaction mixture. Over the past few decades, a great deal of research has been conducted into investigating the Ni catalysed hydrogenation of β-ketoesters and Pt catalysed hydrogenation of α-ketoesters. These are the most successful systems for enantioselective heterogeneous catalysis. However, they are unsuitable for industrial purposes due to the low thermal and mechanical stability of the modified surfaces. The main goal throughout this project has been the investigation of surface-confined covalent reactions. The motivation of this research is to develop enantioselective heterogeneous catalysis; covalent networks are believed to infer the necessary thermal and chemical stability required to chirally modify catalytic surfaces for docking interactions with reactant species. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) on surfaces hold potential for a number of chemical applications, and not just in the field of heterogeneous catalysis; for example in areas such as molecular electronics and templating.

Nanocatalysis has emerged in the last decades as an interface between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, offering simple solutions to problems that conventional materials have not been able to solve. In fact, nanocatalyst design permits to obtain structures with high superficial area, reactivity and stability, and at the same time presenting good selectivity and facility of separation from reaction mixtures. In this work, we prepared hybrid structures comprising gold, palladium and silver nanoparticles (Au, Pd and Ag NPs), titanate nanosheets (TixO2), graphene oxide (GO), and partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO). We focused on bi- and tri-components hybrids, namely TixO2, M/(pr)GO and M/TixO2/(pr)GO (M = Au, Pd or Ag) and developed facile, versatile and environment-friendly preparation methods with an emphasis on control over physicochemical features such as size, shape and composition. In order to exploit the catalytic applications, we employed the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model reaction, followed by visible-light assisted oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP). With these tests, we unraveled metal-support interactions and cooperative effects that render hybrid structures superior to their individual counterparts. / A nanocatálise surgiu nas últimas décadas como uma interface entre catálise homogênea e heterogênea, oferecendo soluções simples a problemas que os materiais convencionais não conseguiram resolver. De fato, o design de nanocatalisadores permite obter estruturas com grande área superficial, reatividade e estabilidade, e ao mesmo tempo apresentando boa seletividade e facilidade de separação de misturas reacionais. Neste trabalho apresentamos a preparação de estruturas híbridas compostas por nanopartículas de ouro, paládio e prata (Au, Pd e Ag NPs), nanofolhas de titanato (TixO2), óxido de grafeno (GO) e óxido de grafeno parcialmente reduzido (prGO). Focamos em híbridos do tipo M/TixO2, M/(pr)GO e M/TixO2/(pr)GO (M = Au, Pd ou Ag) e desenvolvemos métodos de preparação simples, versáteis e ambientalmente amigáveis, com ênfase no controle sobre tamanho, forma e composição. Para explorar as potencialidades catalíticas utilizamos a redução do 4-nitrofenol como reação modelo, e em seguida a oxidação assistida por luz do p-aminotiofenol (PATP). Com esses testes, investigamos interações metal-suporte e efeitos cooperativos que tornam as estruturas hibridas superiores a cada um dos materiais que as compõem.

The synthesis of high value acrylic monomers is currently done industrially via cyanohydrin hydration using concentrated acids, resulting in large quantities of useless byproducts. This current process is energy intensive and lacks atom economy; therefore, alternative cyanohydrin hydration strategies are under investigation. Ideally, cyanohydrin hydration would be done using organometallic nitrile hydration catalysts. Cyanohydrin hydration with these catalysts is challenging, because it needs to be done at low temperatures and under acidic conditions to reduce cyanohydrin degradation and catalyst poisoning with cyanide. This dissertation describes the reactivity of [Ru(#951; / 10000-01-01

Nanocatalysis has emerged in the last decades as an interface between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, offering simple solutions to problems that conventional materials have not been able to solve. In fact, nanocatalyst design permits to obtain structures with high superficial area, reactivity and stability, and at the same time presenting good selectivity and facility of separation from reaction mixtures. In this work, we prepared hybrid structures comprising gold, palladium and silver nanoparticles (Au, Pd and Ag NPs), titanate nanosheets (TixO2), graphene oxide (GO), and partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO). We focused on bi- and tri-components hybrids, namely TixO2, M/(pr)GO and M/TixO2/(pr)GO (M = Au, Pd or Ag) and developed facile, versatile and environment-friendly preparation methods with an emphasis on control over physicochemical features such as size, shape and composition. In order to exploit the catalytic applications, we employed the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model reaction, followed by visible-light assisted oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP). With these tests, we unraveled metal-support interactions and cooperative effects that render hybrid structures superior to their individual counterparts. / A nanocatálise surgiu nas últimas décadas como uma interface entre catálise homogênea e heterogênea, oferecendo soluções simples a problemas que os materiais convencionais não conseguiram resolver. De fato, o design de nanocatalisadores permite obter estruturas com grande área superficial, reatividade e estabilidade, e ao mesmo tempo apresentando boa seletividade e facilidade de separação de misturas reacionais. Neste trabalho apresentamos a preparação de estruturas híbridas compostas por nanopartículas de ouro, paládio e prata (Au, Pd e Ag NPs), nanofolhas de titanato (TixO2), óxido de grafeno (GO) e óxido de grafeno parcialmente reduzido (prGO). Focamos em híbridos do tipo M/TixO2, M/(pr)GO e M/TixO2/(pr)GO (M = Au, Pd ou Ag) e desenvolvemos métodos de preparação simples, versáteis e ambientalmente amigáveis, com ênfase no controle sobre tamanho, forma e composição. Para explorar as potencialidades catalíticas utilizamos a redução do 4-nitrofenol como reação modelo, e em seguida a oxidação assistida por luz do p-aminotiofenol (PATP). Com esses testes, investigamos interações metal-suporte e efeitos cooperativos que tornam as estruturas hibridas superiores a cada um dos materiais que as compõem.

This thesis describes new methods of carbon-carbon bond formation using metalated nitriles generated via metal exchange reactions. Sulfinylnitriles undergo a sulfinyl-metal exchange to yield lithiated, magnesiated and zincated nitriles, which can trap a range of electrophiles. The sulfinyl-metal exchange is effective with vinylic, quaternary and tertiary substitution patterns and addresses the long-standing problem of alkylating secondary nitriles. This method was then further extended to other oxidation states of sulfur, namely sulfonyl-metal exchange and relatively unknown sulfide-metal exchange. The sulfide metal exchange overcomes the problem related to the propensity of highly substituted sulfinylnitriles to eliminate. Sulfide-metal exchange is synthetically attractive because of the numerous methods for generating arylsulfides and the high tolerance of arylsulfides to numerous reagents. &lt;br&gt;A copper-catalyzed arylation reaction of aryl iodides and metalated nitriles was developed using catalytic Cu (I) and an amine ligand. A proof of principle has been established, providing a sound basis for developing the reaction. A new strategy has been developed for alkylation of alkenenitrile using LDA as base in presence of catalytic CuCN. Subsequent trapping with an electrophile, affords alkylated alkenenitriles in which the olefin is no longer in conjugation with the nitrile. &lt;br&gt;The distinct structural differences between N- & C-metalated nitriles have been harnessed in a series of chemoselective alkylations. Lithiated nitriles are found to be particularly reactive toward alkyl halides whereas magnesiated nitriles react selectively with oxygenated electrophiles. Using this strategy allows chemoselective alkylation of metalated nitriles. / Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; / Chemistry and Biochemistry / PhD; / Dissertation;