Super Bases in Confined Spaces : Supramolecular and Supported Super Bases – (Sup)3Bases

We aim to combine in a unique molecule two different aspects of chemitry, namely supramolecular chemistry and catalysis. This new approach should allow to tackle difficult problems by increasing the reactivity of our system. This multidisplinary project involved variuos fields of chemistry and the communication between researchers is mandatory

Highly reactive species have been trapped inside molecular cage, leading to original and unexpected reactivity, highlighting the relevance of such an approach. There is a real challenge to design and characterize such target objects since this is an area where fundamental (synthesis-characterization-electronic structure calculations) and applied (green catalysts, enantioselective chemistry) researches meet.

We will now (i) study carefully the behavior of our complex systems presenting a behavior close to that of enzyme (ii) continue our effort to obtain even more efficient catalysts

Since the beginning of the project, five articles in high level international journal have been published, highlighting the interest of the scientific community for our research. International and national conferences have also allowed the diffusion of our research.

The aim of the (Sup)3Bases proposal is to study the behaviour of proazaphosphatrane (superbases) in confined medium, i.e. in supramolecular or porous silica materials structures at the nanoscopic scale, involving four different partners at the Laboratoire de Chimie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon holding specific skills to achieve this goal. There is a real challenge to design and characterize such target objects since this is an area where fundamental (synthesis-characterization-electronic structure calculations) and applied (green catalysts, enantioselective chemistry) researches meet. The strength of the (Sup)3Bases project relies on the complementarity of the local expertises. Starting from the synthesis of supramolecular objects and nanostructured porous silica material, superbases will be incorporated to investigate the physical and reactivity changes as confinement occurs. In particular, we will focus on the catalytic activities of these systems in the transformation of triglycerides to Biodiesel and the resolution of racemic alcohols. The strategy will be complemented by ab initio (Density Functional Theory, DFT, and wavefunction based calculations) investigations to rationalize the sought reactivity enhancement. It can be noticed that we have the unique opportunity to gather in a single team all these competences with the different members heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, hemicryprophane chemistry, asymmetric synthesis and catalysis and quantum chemical calculations