Vladimir Gevorgyan
University of Texas at Dallas, TX·Chemistry
Most medicines and complex organic molecules are built from starting materials that already carry a reactive "handle", a prepared spot where new bonds can be attached. Simple molecules are full of carbon–hydrogen (C–H) bonds, which are cheap and plentiful but hard to change selectively.
- Fields
Chemistry
- Topics
C–H functionalization
C(sp3)–H activation
late-stage functionalization
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Dec 2029
What they work on
- Develop a visible light–induced hybrid method that combines a transition-metal catalyst with radical steps to convert unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds, the single carbon–hydrogen bonds common in drugs, without acids or added oxidants.
- Design a tool-kit of temporary auxiliaries, removable guiding groups that could be added and removed in one pot, to control which C–H bond reacts in intramolecular functionalizations.
- Design selective hydrogen atom–abstracting groups to control which bond reacts and the 3D shape of the product (chemo- and stereoselectivity) when two separate molecules react.
- Use light-absorbing donor-acceptor (DA) complexes to generate radicals by single electron transfer, then relocate them by atom or hydrogen atom transfer to form new C–O, C–N, C–C, C–B and C–halogen bonds.
- Study which factors favor DA complex formation and efficient single electron, atom and hydrogen atom transfer steps in these light-driven reactions.
More about the research
Learning to turn chosen C–H bonds into new bonds under mild conditions could let chemists build valuable compounds from cheap feedstocks. It could also let them tweak drug molecules late in their synthesis. Both grants pursue this goal using visible light and radical chemistry. Radicals are short-lived molecules with an unpaired electron that react readily.
Why it matters
Medicinal chemists often need to make small changes to a drug candidate or to build drug-like molecules from cheap starting materials. Selective, mild C–H functionalization methods could give them new tools for both jobs, which could speed drug discovery. Avoiding toxic, explosive or costly reagents could also make this chemistry safer and more practical for making medicines and materials.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Sebastien Laulhe
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, IN·Chemistry
Design aryl radicals with tuned steric bulk and electronic properties, generated from light-activated electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes, to remove hydrogen atoms selectively from specific C(sp3)-H bonds.
Jeffrey Lipshultz
Stony Brook University, NY·Chemistry·Early-career
Develop bench-stable bipyridinyl titanium chloride complexes that, when excited by light through ligand-to-metal charge transfer, generate chlorine radicals that functionalize C–H bonds through hydrogen atom transfer.
Christopher Sandford
University of Texas at San Antonio, TX·Chemistry
Develop an organometallic catalyst whose site selectivity switches when irradiated with different wavelengths of visible or ultraviolet light, so one catalyst can react at different sites on a molecule.
The school
University of Texas at Dallas: 16 labs on PI Pages, $182M a year on research, 239 research doctorates a year.
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