Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/D000866/1
Title:	New Directions in Physical Organic Chemistry: The Heterogeneously Catalysed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of C=C Bonds
Principal Investigator:	Lambert, Professor RM
Other Investigators:	Burton, Dr JW
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Chemistry
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 2005	Ends:	31 October 2008	Value (£):	422,648
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Catalysis & Applied Catalysis Physical Organic Chemistry
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Chemicals Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Certain types of molecules occur as non-identical twins that are related to each other as object and mirror image/as are the left hand and the right hand. Such twins have the same chemical formula and the same system of chemical bonds, but their physical and chemical properties can be very different in certain circumstances, namely when they are subjected to an environment that is intrinsically left-handed or right-handed . This is the phenomenon of chirality, and the twins are referred to as R and S enantiomers. In these cases, the usual methods of chemical synthesis lead to the formation of a 50-50 mixture of R and S enantiomers. However, in many important instances (pharmaceuticals, specialized chemicals, advanced materials, sensors) only one specific enantiomer is required. For example, the (S)-enantiomer of the molecule L-dopa provides an effective treatment for Parkinson's Disease, whereas the (R)-enantiomer is not only ineffective but also toxic, causing a decrease in the number of a certain type of white blood cells.In principle, the 50-50 mixture can always be separated into its two components: but this is laborious and very wasteful, since one ends up discarding half the (expensively prepared) substance. Enantioselective catalysis provides a far better solution/a chiral catalyst is used to preferentially produce only the desired enantiomer. Enantioselective hydrogenation of C=C bonds, the subject of this project, is very important in chemistry: for instance it is the critical step in the synthesis of L-dopa. Currently, carrying out reactions of this type calls for the use of expensive chiral catalysts or other expensive chemical reagents. One aim of this project is to replace such costly processing chemicals with much cheaper and more readily available materials. Nowadays, enantioselective catalysis is performed with the reactants, the catalyst and the product present in the same solution. Therefore the chiral product has to be separated from the catalyst, which is inefficient and costly. Accordingly, another aim of the project is to invent solid enantioselective catalysts which adsorb the reactants (hydrogen gas and the molecule with the C=C bond) from solution in the right way so that they react at the solid surface to form the desired chiral product which then desorbs back into solution. This eliminates the tricky problem of having to separate the catalyst from the product, and the process can now be operated continuously: both factors act to increase greatly the efficiency and hence the cost of enantioselective synthesis.Overall, in addition to the practical benefits described above, we hope to increase our understanding of the very interesting basic science that is involved so as to open the door to new ways of doing chemistry and to new areas of synthesis/the subject that lies at the heart of chemistry.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.cam.ac.uk