Sara Bacaicoa
About Sara Bacaicoa
In my doctoral studies, I am developing new methodologies for organic synthesis in the research group of Henrik Sundén, department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. Method development in organic synthesis is an important research discipline, as the creation of new methods allow us to access pharmaceutical ingredients, molecules of industrial interest and materials adapting to the variety of resources available. My research focus lies within method development in the field of aerobic oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis.
The combination of organocatalysis with aerobic oxidations is not arbitrary, both synthetic strategies present advantages over the respectively alternative transition metal catalysis and other oxidations employing high molecular weight oxidants. Organocatalyst such as N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are readily accessible, low cost, and low toxicity, which confers a direct benefit in the production of molecules when compared with transition metal catalysts. Numerous reviews have demonstrated its synthetic versatility of oxidative NHC catalysis for constructing intricate and diverse molecular architectures.
The lower sensitivity of organocatalysts to moisture and oxygen makes it a good synthetic tool in combination with aerobic oxidations. Aerobic oxidations are advantageous over oxidations performed with high molecular weight oxidants, since the later produce an equivalent of hazardous waste, being inefficient processes that are not conservative with the environment. On the other hand, aerobic oxidations offer a more sustainable approach, since oxygen present in the atmosphere is abundant, inexpensive, non-toxic, and water is the byproduct from the oxidation. In our efforts to achieve mild conditions for performing aerobic oxidations, we are mimicking the aerobic oxidations occurring in living organisms within the respiratory chain.