Faculty Advisor

Boisvert, Luc

Area of Study

Science and Mathematics

Publication Date

Summer 2013

Abstract

The formation of amides is a reaction that is contucted on a multi-ton scale annually in the pharmaceutical industry. Because the reaction requires the use of toxic and expensive reagents and because a substantial ammount of waste is generated, much effort is being devoted to eliminating both of these limitations. Current research is aimed at finding an efficient catalyst for this reaction that will significantly reduce waste and can be recycled. While some catalysts have been developed for this reaction, currently there are no catalysts that are efficient enough to be used on a large scale. Studies in the Boisvert lab have identified that arsenic compounds can catalyze the direct amidation between a carboxylic acid and amine. While it was discovered that arsenic compounds can act as catalysts, their activity is not yet high enough to be generally useful in synthesis. These previous studies focused on modifying the electron density at the arsenic center in order to influence reactivity. In order to possibly increase reactivity, new arsenic-based catalysts constrained in small rings were pursued.

Publisher

University of Puget Sound

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