Anti-Markovnikov Functionalisation of Olefins

Terminal functionalized alkanes comprise a range of important products for the chemical industry. These include linear alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids and amines being key chemical intermediates for detergents, plasticizers and polymers.The general goal of the project is to develop direct oxidative transformations of alkenes into aldehydes and subsequent catalytic conversions into linear alcohols, acids, amines, etc. While several Pd-catalyzed methodologies for the regioselective oxidation of alkenes have been developed, the number of more sustainable direct oxidative protocols is limited. The main focus of the project is to use a combination of metal catalysis, photochemistry and electrochemistry to achieve anti-Markovnikov oxidations of alkenes into aldehydes. This new methodology would present a highly desirable and sustainable alternative towards synthesizing aldehydes, an important class of chemical intermediates.

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