Mechanistic Investigation Involving Amide Bond Formation Reactions between Carboxylic Acids and Amines Catalyzed by Boronic Acids

• Grant number: 24/11665-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marco Antonio Barbosa Ferreira
• Grantee: Ariel de Araújo Pereira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/12394-0 - Sustainable synthetic methods employing catalysis, benign solvents, safer reagents, and bio-renewable feedstock, AP.TEM

Abstract

Amides are ubiquitous functional groups in organic molecules and hold great relevance for the pharmaceutical and materials industries. However, their direct synthesis from carboxylic acids and amines remains inefficient, with the predominant use of stoichiometric amounts of coupling agents for substrate activation, leading to large volumes of waste. The development of catalytic methodologies, such as the use of boronic acids, is an important research topic for sustainable development in the coming decades. This project aims to study these methodologies to better understand the mechanism of these transformations and to rationalize/propose catalysts capable of operating in complex or unreactive systems. Computational techniques will be applied to calculate and investigate the active species and intermediates of the catalytic cycle, alongside statistical and machine learning tools, combined with the acquisition of experimental data to construct predictive models of reactivity and selectivity. This work is expected to provide new insights into the parameters governing catalytic activity, enabling the design of more efficient catalysts under milder and greener conditions.