Ricerc@Sapienza

The stereoselective synthesis of chiral heterocyclic building blocks and optically pure complex molecular structures has been one of the major challenges for synthetic organic chemists. In this framework, asymmetric organocatalysis has emerged as a reliable and efficient approach to this aim. Additionally, among the extensive realm of organocatalytic methodologies, multicomponent reactions, sequential catalysis, domino/cascade, and one-pot reactions represent undoubtedly a breakthrough in the total synthesis of enantioenriched molecules. Key features are certainly the increased atom- and step-economy of these practical and efficient procedures, which dramatically decrease the cost and environmental impact of the syntheses, reducing the purification and isolation steps of the various intermediates. This project will focus on this interesting and challenging topic, with the aim to enlarge the scope of complex heterocyclic molecular architectures, which could be obtained in a practically simple and affordable way. In fact, the concept of sustainable chemistry and low environmental impact is of outmost importance nowadays. Considering the high importance of oxindoles and their derivatives as biologically relevant compounds, the target of this research project is to prepare large libraries of highly functionalized spiro-polycyclic oxindoles.