PhD defence: Enhancing Catalyst Lifetime of Bio-inspired Iron and Manganese Oxidation Catalysts - Advancing Green and Selective Oxidation Strategies in Organic Synthesis

This thesis explores how nature-inspired chemical compounds, catalysts, can be used to speed up important chemical reactions. In nature, special proteins called enzymes help carry out reactions efficiently. This thesis describes the development of synthetic versions of these enzymes based on iron and manganese metals to speed up chemical oxidation reactions in a selective manner.

A key part of this research involves improving the synthetic catalysts by modifying the surrounding molecules (ligands) that hold the metal in place. Several ligand modification strategies have been investigated. These include the introduction of large (‘bulky’) groups in the ligands to vary the space available around the metal center, the introduction of structural features that make the ligand more robust and slow down catalyst decomposition, and the introduction of substituents in the ligand that tune the redox chemistry of the metal and accordingly its reactivity.

These modifications significantly improve the performance of the synthetic catalysts, and make the oxidation reactions that they catalyse more efficient (more products) and controlled (more selective towards a single product). These findings will allow for the design of better catalysts for the production of fine chemicals and medicines, contributing to greener and more efficient chemical processes.