Amine synthesis by hydrogen-atom transfer and energy-transfer photocatalysis
See more of Dr. Comito's research on his website: The Comito Laboratory
Biography. Robert completed his PhD in 2014 at Princeton with David MacMillan, studying asymmetric organocatalysis and total synthesis. Robert then pursued postdoctoral studies at MIT under Mircea Dinca, where he studied olefin upgrading and polymer synthesis with metal-organic frameworks. In 2018, Robert started his independent career at the University of Houston. His research is supported by the ACS Petroleum Research Fund and the Welch Foundation. Robert currently leads a team of 9 graduate students and three undergraduates, studying new reactions and catalysts for small molecule and polymer synthesis.
Abstract: Natural alkaloids and synthetic amines provide a wide range of bioactivities, and their synthetic elaboration remains a prolific source of new medicines. This talk will describe new methods we have developed for the synthesis of basic amines using hydrogen-atom transfer and photocatalysis. In particular, we have developed an intermolecular sp3 C-H amination protocol that delivers primary ammonium salts (R-NH3Cl) in one pot upon aqueous workup. Mild conditions, good site selectivity, and reactivity on unactivated sp3 C-H bonds distinguish our method from other radical C-H amination reactions. We have also developed an efficient system for imine triplet photochemistry, which provides primary amines by aminoalkylation of sp3 C-H bonds. This protocol is highly amenable to coordinating, redox-sensitive, and protic substrates, and this complements existing organometallic or photoredox conditions for imine alkylation. Finally, I will describe the covalent modification of commodity polymers, a process that promises new biocompatible and high-performance materials
Location and Address
Chevron 150