Many products of modern life, from medicines to the materials used in objects around us, rely on chemical reactions facilitated by catalysts. Researchers in Princeton University’s chemistry department are working to redesign these catalysts to make them cheaper, safer, and more sustainable.

Traditional catalysts often rely on rare precious metals such as palladium, platinum, and iridium, which are mined in ways that can have a negative impact on the environment. Professor Paul Chilik of Princeton University laboratory Instead, it focuses on catalysts made from earth-abundant and less toxic metals, such as iron and cobalt.

“I think the most important thing for people to understand is that they can trust almost everything they interact with in their daily lives.”[s] It’s some kind of chemical change, almost certainly a catalyst,” Chilik said in an interview with the Daily Princetonian.

Catalysts are essential to the production of pharmaceuticals, plastics, clothing, and countless other materials. Precious metals have been used more frequently for decades due to their high efficiency in promoting complex chemical reactions. Chirik explained that the research challenge is to understand why these metals work so well and whether more sustainable alternatives can be designed to produce the same chemical reactions.

The main focus of the lab’s research is carbon-hydrogen functionalization, a process that allows chemists to selectively modify specific carbon-hydrogen bonds within molecules. Although these bonds are very common, they are usually non-reactive and therefore difficult to manipulate.

Targeting single bonds within complex molecules could streamline chemical synthesis. Shorter syntheses are more efficient and have far-reaching implications for both the environment and industry. This is especially important in drug development.

“Each time you run a step, you generate solvent and waste, and you have to work up the reaction,” says Chirik. “So if you can reduce the synthesis steps from 10 to four, that’s typically green chemistry. It’s sustainable because you’re eliminating all the waste and all the manipulation.” [and] Energy to carry out a reaction. ”

Recent work from our laboratory has demonstrated that cobalt-based catalysts can achieve highly selective carbon-hydrogen functionalization that rivals or even exceeds noble metal catalysts in some cases. This selectivity reduces unnecessary by-products and chemical waste. research received funding It has received approval from the National Institutes of Health due to its potential relevance to drug development.

Tianyi Zhang, a fourth-year PhD student in Chirik’s lab, is focused on developing iron-based catalysts to further promote sustainability.

“The good thing about the earth’s abundant metals, especially iron, is that they are actually almost non-toxic,” Chan told The Prince. “Our bodies have a very high tolerance for iron, for example palladium and iridium. [for which] These tolerances are very low. ”

In drug discovery, researchers often start with a promising compound and make small changes to improve its effectiveness or reduce side effects. Traditionally, each modification may require resynthesis of the entire molecule. But the catalytic methods being developed in Chirik’s lab aim to directly modify specific bonds within complex molecules. This allows chemists to generate many variations more efficiently.

“The method we are developing is aimed at simply being a selective manufacturing factory.[s] “The drugs themselves are relevant and small changes have been made,” Zhang said.

“This avoids much resynthesis and reduces the number of steps, time and resources needed to investigate the structure-activity relationships of these drugs,” he added.

Beyond medicine, these methods have potential applications in materials science, such as modifying plastics to give them new properties. However, iron-based catalysts present their own challenges as they can have more complex and unpredictable behavior than noble metals.

“There’s always a catalyst that can do it faster. [and] We can do it even cheaper,” Chilik said. There will always be someone who can set a world record. ”

In the future, the lab hopes to expand its research to include biologically relevant molecules such as amino acids. These advances could open new avenues in drug development and chemical biology.

For Chan, this research represents a balance between basic science and real-world impact.

“Seeing the results of my research translated into actual commercial manufacturing processes right before my eyes, and sometimes incorporated into the way medicines are made that actually benefit patients and improve people’s well-being and longevity… that kind of fulfillment is really exciting for me,” he said.

While catalyst development often happens behind the scenes, Chilik emphasized that even modest improvements can have far-reaching effects.

“If we could find a way to reduce the energy in everything around us by 10%, the impact on energy consumption on Earth would be huge,” Chilik says.

Anya Casella is a news contributor for Prince.

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