Chemists develop carbon-carbon bond formation without toxic by-products

Scientists from Department of Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry develop new substrates for "green" cross-coupling reactions. These chemical reactions are ones of the most common in the world around us: they occur in any process of organic synthesis. However, the laboratory "production" of organic molecules has a "side effect" -- a large amount of waste.

"Toxic solvents are used in most of organic synthesis reactions. They cause the largest volume of waste. Traditionally in the cross-coupling reactions aromatic halides are utilized as reagents. These materials not only greatly pollute the environment, destroy the ozone layer, but like other toxic substances, are harmful to human health,"- says Ksenia Kutonova, assistant at Department of Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry.

The scientists succeeded in obtaining unique diazonium salts -- water soluble, stable, safe and halogen-free arenediazonium tosylates. They allow using water as a solvent instead of toxic compounds. In this case mostly water and evolving during the reaction nitrogen become wastes in such chemical reactions. This gas is not dangerous to human health, since we are constantly surrounded by it (the air we breathe consists of about 80% of nitrogen).

Substances created at TPU can be utilized everywhere: in the synthesis of medicines, cosmetics, plastics, monomers for subsequent polymerization.

Now the scientists are modifying methods of using diazonium salts to make organic synthesis more environmentally friendly. This approach is called "green chemistry": today, scientists around the world seek to improve chemical processes, to do less harm to the environment.

"Of course, organic chemistry can't be completely safe. But it is in our power to reduce the risk of the use of hazardous solvents. Thus, we try to direct traditional organic synthesis in a new path,"- says Marina Trusova, research engineer of Department of Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry.

At the end of last year, the young chemists of Department of Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) -- they won almost a 1ml rubles grant for two years.