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Molecular Approaches towards Magnetoelectric Materials – Magneto-e
Magnetoelectrics, with their coupled electric and magnetic polarizations, are promising candidates for a number of applications. Specifically, such materials offer the possibility to control the magnetic properties by electric fields and vice versa. This property is extremely appealing regarding Tod
Towards efficient deep-red TADF emitters for bright organic light-emitting diodes – BOOSTOLED
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are revolutionizing display market technology. Also, they are appealing for other applications, including lightweight and flexible devices operating at high brightness under low power. Yet, there are still key-challenges that need be tackled, e.g. efficient and
Compartmentalized Enantioselective MultiCatalysis – CoMuCat
Enantiomers physical separation starting from a racemic mixture remains a major challenge in modern chemistry from an academic as well as industrial point of view, given the few existing solutions. Indeed, these solutions are composed of either a separation based on physical principles, or indirectl
Challenge for the metal-free metathesis of olefins – ChaMO
Olefin metathesis is a pivotal transformation in organic chemistry, with numerous applications both in academic research and industrial processes: synthesis of polymers, complex bioactive compounds, specialty chemicals, biofuels from feedstock, materials… This key transformation relies on metal-carb
in vivo catalysis by artificial enzymes for aldehydes production – INCA
New strategies in organic synthesis, following the principles of green chemistry, are required to reach sustainability. In this context, biocatalysis is the most promising approach, while man-made catalysis provides a greater repertoire of reactions. The combination of both domains, illustrated by t
Controlled Delivery of Isotopically Labelled Singlet Oxygen – DelivrO2
Among the various elements present in organic molecules, oxygen plays a key role in many functional groups, and its isotopic labelling often provides determinant mechanistic evidences in chemical reactions and biological studies. Whereas using singlet oxygen (1O2) is a convenient strategy to incorpo
Selective molecular O2 reduction catalysts Toward noble metal-free H2/O2 fuel cells – Select02
The development of efficient noble metal-free catalysts for the O2 reduction (ORR) and the H2 oxidation (HOR) reactions is a key challenge in the energy conversion domain. Even if Fe and Co-based homogeneous catalysts with heme-type ligands have been described, the selectivity towards 4- vs 2-electr
Machine learning approach to develop interfacial ionic liquid-based catalysts for low temperature CO2 reduction – LICORN
Efficient carbon dioxide conversion using green H2 coming from renewable sources can contribute to reduce CO2 emission in order to limit global warming. But finding efficient catalysts able to operate under mild conditions is critical. This project aims to rationally design a new generation of innov
Single-nickel-Atom heterogeneous Catalysis: OverComing the Hurdle of low single-atom dEnsity – SACOCHE
To be able to investigate how the reactivity of molecules is impacted by the isolated character of single-atom catalytic sites, and ultimately to optimize this reactivity by designing the catalyst properly, one must succeed in 1) isolating the catalytic sites homogeneously, without introducing a dif
Substitution of critical metals: carbide catalysts for selective C=O hydrogenation and C-O hydrogenolysis of multifunctional substrates – Hydrocarb
The aim is to design innovative heterogeneous carbide-based catalysts to selectively cleave C-O and hydrogenate C=O bonds from multifunctional substrates to high value chemicals. Highly selective catalytic materials are a prerequisite in order to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of
FLOWERS: Pushing the superacid boundaries – FLOWERS
FLOWERS is a fundamental research project aiming at exploring new synthetic perspectives by exploiting the superelectrophilic activation under superacidic conditions. In particular, in the context of a collaboration with our foreign partner (University of Freiburg Germany - Ingo Krossing), the scope
Cyclodextrin-based Molecular Motor – CycloMMotor
The present project aims at the elaboration of novel cyclodextrin-based chemical motors, either rotatory in a [2]catenane or long-range translational in a rotaxane architecture. The originality of the proposed project is to obtain unidirectional motion of the cyclodextrin (CD) on the axle by a mecha
Lanthanide(III)-based modular metallacrowns for imaging in the NIR-II spectral window – LACRONIR
Optical imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window (1000-1700 nm) provides additional advantages over imaging in the visible and in the first near-infrared (NIR-I) window by significantly enhancing contrast, temporal and spatial resolution as well as the signal-to-noise ratio. However, toda
Evolution of organic host materials for high performance blue and white phosphorescent OLEDs: New generations of Pure Hydrocarbon materials – Evolution
In emerging Organic Electronic technologies, Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (PhOLEDs) have encountered a fantastic development. The emitting layer of a PhOLED consists in a triplet emitter (Guest) dispersed into an organic semi-conductor (Host). As the host insures both energy transfe
Surface-Organized Lewis Pairs for Asymmetric Multicatalysis – Surf-ORGALEP
The Surf-Orgalep project aims at the preparation of heterogeneous catalytic systems combining (chiral) organometallic and (chiral) organic catalysts immobilized through non-covalent interactions on specific carbonaceous supports to implement multicatalysis for cooperative transformations, by control
High-Valent Copper-Oxygen Species for the Activation of inert C-H bonds – COSACH
This proposal aims at developing new copper-based mononuclear and dinuclear catalysts for C-H bond activation in alkanes. The architecture of these new catalysts will be based on the recent experimental and theoretical investigations on bioinspired models of copper-monoxygenases (LPMO and pMMO). In
Carborate anions as Tools for “pseudo-naked” Magnesium and Calcium Cations – CarMaCat
Metal-based Lewis acid catalysis is widespread as a powerful and versatile method for the catalysis of various organic transformations. Traditionally and almost exclusively, metal Lewis acids consists of a central metal cation surrounded/coordinated by a number of supporting ligands for stability an
Selective Cu(II) detection by MRI: Gd-based contrast agents linked to bioadapted Cu chelatorsnding units – SteRIc
The goal of this project is to develop MRI-based sensors for selective copper(II) detection, designed in order to be applicable in relevant biological samples in particular blood serum. Imaging Cu with a tridimensional and functional imaging modality such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will hel
Nickel-catalyzed coupling reactions: A big step towards a more sustainable access to ethers – NiCatEther
Ether compounds are ubiquitous in molecules of interest such as therapeutic agents or agrochemical products for example. Actual classical strategies for their syntheses are mainly based on cross-coupling reactions involving Pd or Cu catalysts in association with aryl halides and phenol derivatives a
Axially chiral aryl-quinolones: atroposelective construction and applications in catalysis – QuinoA
Axially chiral molecules are not only common structural subunits in a vast array of natural products and biologically active molecules but they are also key components for stereoselective transformations in which they act as chiral inductors (ligands or catalysts). While elegant strategies have allo
Synthesis and valorization of alpha-hydroxyketones through bio and organocatalysis – HYCAT
The need for greener and more sustainable chemistry has seen the emergence of chemoenzymatic strategies as a powerful approach for the eco-compatible and highly selective synthesis of highly valuable compounds due not only to the discovery of new, more efficient enzymes, but also of their engineerin
Greener Oxygenations and Halogenations via Electrochemical O2 Activation – GOAL
Oxygenation and halogenation of hydrocarbons are oxidation reactions at the heart of industrial processes for the formation of a wide variety of products. These reactions are often not performed under sustainable conditions (harmful oxidants, high T and P) and there is an urgent need to find economi
Efficient noble metal free electrocatalysts for proton, carbon dioxide and nitrate reduction boosted by second sphere coordination interaction – ElectroCat
To address the challenges of natural resource depletion and gigantic creation of wastes, we are urged to move from a linear economy to a sustainable circular economy, in which materials will be systematically recycled to create a closed virtuous loop. To convert abundant wastes such as carbon dioxid
Towards the Development of New Redox Electro-Catalytic and Asymmetric Processes – ElectroPHOS
Phosphines play a key role as stoichiometric reagents in a variety of impactful transformations daily used in laboratories all over the world. Despite their usefulness, these reactions possess a major drawback, namely the concomitant formation of a stoichiometric quantity of phosphine oxide. This of
Skeletal Reorganization of Bicyclic Cyclopropanes – Skelet_CyProp
The aim of Skelet_CyProp project is to exploit an unusual bicyclic cyclopropane skeletal reorganization by combining organocatalysis and superacid activation. Aspiring to reach structural diversity by exploring novel modes of cyclopropane ring-expansion, the objective is through an intertwined exper
Bifunctional nickel catalysts for hydrofunctionalization reactions via cooperative E–H (E = B, Si) bond activations – BIFUN
Associating two research groups with complementary expertise, the cooperative project BIFUN aims at developing bifunctional activator-free Ni(II)-NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) catalysts for the hydroboration and hydrosilylation of alkenes by cooperative E–H (E = B, Si) bond activation. For tha
Synthesis of electron-deficient conjugated nanorings by host-guest templates – stargate
The aim of this project is to provide access to electron-deficient conjugated nanorings (i. e. macrocycles of diameters ? 2 nm) and explore their physico-chemical properties. Large electron-rich conjugated nanorings (i. e. based on carbazole, phenylene or porphyrin) are singular structures possessin
Aminium Radicals for Discovering Novel Antiparasite Endoperoxides – ARDIROX
The ARDIROX project aims at discovering new molecules having antileishmanial and/or antimalarial activity. Endoperoxides constitute an emerging but under-explored class of agents against leishmaniases, which are neglected diseases of human and veterinary importance. In the case of malaria, their rem
Deoxygenation of N–O and S–O Bonds – A Photo- and Electrochemical Approach – DeNOSOr
The deoxygenation of N–O and S–O bonds is a chemical challenge, and is key to provide interconversion pathways between various oxidation states of N and S containing compounds. Such processes are necessary to close the nitrogen and sulfur cycles which are at the moment open due to human activities.
Enantioselective Coupling Reactions by Dual Catalysis – CAFETERIA
Artificial metalloenzymes represent a new class of catalysts, which combine the properties of proteins and metal complexes. Such hybrid species associate the main advantages of biocatalysis (highly chemo-, regio- and stereoselective reactions under environmentally benign conditions) and of homogeneo
Charge-Transfer Templated Ligation of DNA and Peptide Bioconjugates – CHAMELEON
Nature evolved to induce spatial confinement of biomolecules in order to regulate biological functions. Inspired by these natural processes scientists have artificially reproduced effective molarity-driven strategies to control molecular encountering and promote effective templated assemblies. To da
Near Infrared light triggered photoclick reactions – Photo-Click-NIR
Photo-Click-NIR is a methological project which aims to develop new photo-click reactions triggered by Near Infrared (NIR) light. To do so, Infrared photoredox catalysis will be considered by using photocatalysts derived from cyanines which can be commercially available or prepared by our group. Cat
Möbius Artificial Enzymes – MOBAZYM
Chiral molecules are ubiquitous to biological systems and are of paramount importance in many disciplines. Among the various types of chirality, that inherent to Möbius topology remains almost unexplored, partly due to the difficulty to access Möbius compounds. Harnessing a new stereogenic element w
Access to deuterated glycosides for biological applications via Hydrogen Isotope Exchange – Glyco-CD
Deuterated carbohydrates and glycoconjugates are essential tools in numerous fields such as drug development, diagnostics, elucidation of biomacromolecules, analyses of biological samples by mass spectrometry or the study of biomolecular dynamics. However, despite their high added-value, access to d
New Reagents for Complementary Approaches to Catalytic Asymmetric Cycloadditions of Aza-Dipoles – CYCADA
The main objective of the CYCADA project is to develop a straightforward access to important nitrogen heterocycles via cycloaddition reactions. Using new starting materials, the synthetic power of organometallic catalysis will lead to original diastereo- and enantioselective transformations. We will
Cathodic electrosynthesis: a sustainable tool for C-C bond-forming reactions – C3Bond
C(sp3)?C(sp3) and C(sp3)?C(sp2) bonds are inherently omnipresent in most organic compounds. Thus, developing efficient methods for their construction represents one of the core task of organic chemists. However, in the current environmental context, innovative progress have to fulfill important crit
Acridinium Receptors for Supramolecular Separations – ACROSS
Solvophobic effect is a prevalent driving force for host-guest chemistry. Like H2O, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are attractive solvents for supramolecular receptor confinement. A new poly-acridinium receptors will be confined in PFCs and in H2O and will be exploited to give rise to the selective extract
oxide-zeotype bifunctional catalysts efficient for the conversion of CO and CO2 to light olefins – OXZEO
Light olefins (C2-C4) are key intermediates of the chemical industry. They are produced by steam cracking or catalytic cracking, two very energy-intensive processes currently using fossil resources. A more eco-efficient and dedicated production is a major challenge. In the future, it could be based
Toward the Rebirth of Aromatic Cope Rearrangement – ArCopeRebirth
The Aromatic Cope Rearrangement (ArCopeR) is a challenging transformation that has been the subject to very few studies considering the huge thermodynamic and kinetic predicaments inherent to this transformation. However, the ArCopeR could be a useful and environmentally benign transformation (i.e.
Experimental & Theoretical Exploration of Unique in & ex situ Generated [n]Cumulenimines in Reaction Cascades – A Structure, Reactivity and Selectivity study – ETE-Cumul
Design & development of innovative step & atom economic syntheses of complex polycyclic molecules – relevant for medicinal, agrochemical or material sciences – is of great challenge for modern organic chemistry. As such, the search for new synthetic methods in organic chemistry should meet society's
Rational design of innovative single-atom catalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions – ISAC
Single-atom catalysis (SAC) has recently emerged as a new and promising field at the frontier between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. A decisive challenge lies in the stabilization of single metal atoms while promoting their catalytic efficiency. Here, we target carbon matrix-isolated non-n
Expanding the Hammett acidity scale to fluorinating reagents – HAMAC
The importance of organofluorine chemistry in modern life is undisputable. In fact, around 20% of marketed drugs and 50% of agrochemicals contain fluorine atoms. In this context, numerous fluorination methods have been developed over the last decades thanks to the availability of powerful reagents
Using highly reductive and colored photo-activated homoleptic copper(I) complexes in organic photochemistry – CRAC
The photo-induced transformation of organic substrates is a relevant method to synthesize commodity chemicals in a renewable way. The key compound in photochemistry is the photosensitizer PS which absorbs light and converts it into redox power. For example, PS* (PS in its excited state) can oxidiz
More Robust phenoxy-amidines (FA) Ligands for better catalytic performance – MORFAL
Phenoxyimines (FI) and Salen are ubiquitous ligands that are widely used, particularly in organometallic catalysis, with various industrial applications. However, one inherent drawback of their structure is the presence of electrophilic imine(s), which can react and cause a deleterious drop in catal
Difunctionalizations of ? C-C bonds by Dual Nickel/Photoredox catalyzis – DiFonNiCC
The goal of this project is to develop and understand novel transition metal catalyzed sigma C-C bonds difunctionalizations to address a major scientific challenge: the rapid access to densely substituted scaffolds from readily available building blocks. To do so, we propose to implement a nickel/ph
Manganese-catalyzed Intermolecular Alkene Carbofunctionalization – MANIAC
Decades of improvement in the cross-coupling arena have provided a highly modular toolkit for bond construction in organic synthesis. In addition, the introduction of an alkene as a third component has recently emerged as a viable catalytic strategy for quickly enhancing molecular complexity. Indeed
Catalytic Access to Polyazanes – Polyazanes
We propose to build N–N single bonds using transition metal catalysis, therefore adding a novel tool to install a bond present in many natural and pharmaceutical compounds. Beyond, it will open access to poly-nitrogenated frameworks via the construction of various all poly-N chains to be used as pre
Low-coordinate iron and cobalt complexes: new opportunities for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling – LowFeCoCat
A challenging and dynamic research area in organometallic and coordination chemistry is directed toward the stabilization of low-coordinate transition metal (TM) complexes that show relevance as intermediates/reactive species in biological and molecular catalysis. Since their first use as supporting
Light-induced Electronic Control of MAgnetic molecules – LECMA
The objective of the proposal is to develop a molecular design that enables a Light-induced Electronic Control of MAgnetic molecules (LECMA). This project is based on the concept of using light to trigger a change between two electronic states leading to bistability at room temperature. The molecule
Boron-Containing Ligands: A Gateway to Low-valent Open-Shell Iron and Gold Complexes – FeBAu
Low-valent open-shell transition metal complexes remain rare and underexplored. This is largely due to the difficulty to study coordinatively unsaturated and paramagnetic species. At the same time, their peculiar properties are highly sought after because: i) low valent complexes are often transient