After almost 25 years of work, chemists at the University of Berkeley have now succeeded in opening the least reactive C-H bonds using a newly developed catalyst and replacing them with a boron compound. Because the primary C-H bond of the terminal methyl group (CH3) – typically at the end or beginning of a molecule – has been replaced by a boron compound, it can easily be replaced by more complex chemical groups. For example, chemicals of plant or animal origin with antibiotic effects could be improved. Biologics could be improved in their effectiveness.
Carbon-hydrogen bonds can now also be functionalised
May 27, 2020 | Innovation