1. Palladium and Gold Dual Catalysis
Suzanne A. Blum, Chemistry Department, University of California, Irvine, Irvine CA, 92697
This project’s hypothesis is that chemical transformations can be made more efficient and selective by using small amounts of two metal additives, rather than the single metal additive that is more commonly used. Application of these principles to the development of new gold- and palladium- cocatalyzed reactions (i.e., catalytic in both metals rather than just palladium) are ongoing in our laboratory. Palladium accelerates the addition of gold across alkynes, and the gold-containing products can then be functionalized further to create tri- and tetra-substituted olefins with high positional control. This technology aids in the synthesis of biologically active compounds with potential pharmaceutical properties.