Research Projects

The present proposal aims to explore catalytic asymmetric homo-Michael type addition of deconjugated butenolide derivatives to D-A cyclopropane under organocatalytic activation. The vinylogous reactivity of ,-unsaturated -butenolide derivatives is proposed to be exploited. Most of the ring-opening cascade process of DAC employs metal catalyzed asymmetric transformation in which stereo control is achieved through binding suitable acceptor group of DAC to the chiral ligand. However, asymmetric organocatalytic approach in this context is much less explored, but could be far more useful considering the need to develop sustainable chemical methods. The lack of clear understanding on the extent of stereocontrol that could be possible for this combination of reactants poses challenge for further application. The literature background presented here indicates that it’s a viable approach and could be achieved by suitable manipulation of the reactivity of DAC alongwith choosing the right kind of catalyst from the pool of well studied organocatalysts. In this context, the present project expected to leaves opportunity to generate multi-stereocentered bi-or tricyclic scaffolds of medicinal importance. Besides, it will also broaden the scope of electrophilic partners for butenolide derivatives that may lead to valuable synthetic endevour in future. Overall, the present work is expected to broaden the synthetic scope of DAC and butenolide derivatives to access useful synthetic targets.