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School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Chemistry
  3. Research in Chemistry
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  5. Arseniyadis Group Research

Arseniyadis Group Research

diagram using arrows showing new synthetic methodologies leads to synthesis of natural and bioactive compound which leads to medicinal chemistry applications The Arseniyadis research group is principally interested in the discovery, development and study of new synthetic methods to attain high structural and functional complexity. These methods mainly span within the areas of transition metal catalysis, but more recently we’ve embarked in the development of bio-inspired DNA-based asymmetric catalytic systems. At the core of our research is the will to provide innovative, efficient but also multivalent tools for natural product synthesis and drug discovery.

Transition metal catalysisTarget orientated synthesesTransition metal catalysis

The development of new transition metal-catalysed transformations has been at the centre of our research for the past decade and extends to a plethora of methodologies. Today, we’re particularly focused on asymmetric metal-catalysed allylic alkylation processes, as well as various enantioselective copper- and scandium-catalysed cascade reactions. Although the applicability of these research topics can seem widespread, they’re all carried out with a common mind-set: taking advantage of a unique reactivity pattern to tackle synthetic challenges with a special emphasis given to reactivity, selectivity and applicability.

DNA-based asymmetric catalysisDNA structure

Bio-inspired asymmetric catalysis, which lies in taking advantage of the inherent chirality of biomolecule, has recently emerged as an attractive tool for synthetic purposes. Remarkably, most of these catalysts involve the use of proteins as chiral supports and it was only ten years ago that oligonucleotides have made their appearance in the context of asymmetric catalysis. Over the past decade, an ever-growing number of catalytic processes taking advantage of the chirality of DNA have been developed. The Arseniyadis group joined the effort with the goal of making DNA-based asymmetric catalysis synthetically appealing. This endeavour implies the division of our work into two intertwined topics: the development of new catalytic processes, going from Lewis acid catalysis to photo-induced transformations, and the exploration of the vast structural diversity of oligonucleotides for known catalytic transformations. We believe that moving on both of these fronts is essential to create a room for DNA-based asymmetric catalysis in a routine synthetic toolbox and have an impact on both the academic and industrial community.

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