CONFERENCIA CICA del Doctor Igor Larrosa, investigador en University of Manchester, Department of Chemistry.
TÍTULO: «Mechanistic understanding-led transition metal catalyzed C-H functionalization»
Día: miércoles 22 de mayo
Hora: 12:00
Lugar: Salón de actos del CICA
ABSTRACT
The development of greener and more efficient synthetic methodologies is essential for organic chemistry to reach its full potential in its application to many applied and fundamental scientific problems. Over the last two decades C-H activation has emerged as a powerful tool to streamline syntheses, functionalize complex scaffolds, while massively improving atom and step economy. However, several challenges are still to be addressed before C-H functionalization can be widely applied: 1) the development of mild reaction conditions with a broad scope, including late-stage functionalization, 2) the control of the regioselectivity of C–H activation, 3) the control of the selectivity of homo- versus cross-coupling, and 4) the development of conditions that can be safely used in industry.
Mechanistic understanding is a cornerstone for progress in organic chemistry. In this talk I will present some of our group’s approaches in applying the knowledge derived from mechanistic studies into the design of more efficient processes and of novel catalysts and catalytic systems, such as the use of bimetallic Pd/Ag,1 Pd/Cr2 and Au/Ag3 synergistic systems, and Ru-catalysts for late stage functionalization.4,5 Additionally, recent developments in the application of machine learning to mechanism elucidation will be discussed.
BIOGRAPHY
Igor was born in Barcelona, Spain. He received his undergraduate education at the Universitat de Barcelona (1999) where he also underwent M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies with Felix Urpi and Pere Romea. A fellowship from Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia supported three month’s research in Professor Erick M. Carreira’s laboratories at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. With a second fellowship he started postdoctoral research in Professor Anthony G. M. Barrett’s group at Imperial College London, UK, were he was appointed group leader. In September 2007 he started his independent career as a Lecturer in synthetic organic chemistry at Queen Mary University of London, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2011 and to Reader in Catalysis in 2012. In 2014 Igor moved to the University of Manchester to take up the position of Professor of Organic Chemistry.
Igor received an ERC Starting Grant in 2011 and currently holds an ERC Advanced Grant. In 2019, Igor was selected for the UK Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists as a Chemistry finalist. He has also received the RSC Corday-Morgan Prize and the RSEQ Research Excellence Prize.