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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/M11882/01
Title: CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESIS OF EPOXIDES AND AZIRIDINES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN SYNTHESIS
Principal Investigator: Aggarwal, Professor VK
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Chemistry
Organisation: University of Sheffield
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 04 January 1999 Ends: 31 August 2000 Value (£): 43,496
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Asymmetric Chemistry
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
We have discovered a conceptually different method for preparing non-racemic epoxides which requires just catalytic amounts of sulfides and metal salts and stoichiometric amounts of aldhydes and diazoprecursors. In this progress atom efficiency is high since we are carrying out C-C and 2x C-X bonds simultaneously.Conventional chemistry relies on oxidation of alkenes which are themselves prepared by Wittig chemistry. Our method obviates the need for Wittig chemistry and the associated problems with removing phosphine oxides. We now wish to improve the enantioselectivity, diastereoselectivity and turnover in the processes for epoxidation and aziridination by preparing more robust chiral sulfides and by testing different activating groups on nitrogen. We will then extend the range of diazoprecusrors and the range of electrophiles to generalise this process. Success will lead to one of the best methods for the asymmetric synthesis of expoxides and aziridines.Finally we will apply our new technology to the asymmetric synthesis of biologically important targets.The process we have now developed now represents a method of coupling two different aldehydes together in two simple operations to form epoxides with control of relative and (potentially absolute stereochemistry. That is powerful !
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Organisation Website: http://www.shef.ac.uk