Marta Catellani is an Italian chemist known for her discovery of the eponymous Catellani reaction in 1997. She was elected to the European Academy of Sciences in 2016. Catellani earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971 from the University of Parma, where, as of 2019, she is a professor and chairs the Department of Organic Chemistry. [1] [2] [3]
Catellani completed her postdoctoral education at the University of Chicago. She has served as a visiting professor at Moscow State University (1992), Beijing Institute of Technology (2004), and University of Xi'an (2004). She was awarded a fellowship at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in 2012. [2] [3]
Her research focuses on palladium as a catalyst for multistep organic reactions. [2] [3]
In chemistry there is a practice known as synthesis. This process is used to form complex chemical compounds from simpler ones. These complex compounds are desirable for their ranging abilities and properties. In order to produce the complex compounds, the simpler ones must “cooperate” in a specific way. This can be very difficult and requires patience, because of the time required to make the bonds so their uses and properties can be tested. There was a need for optimization of this process in order to speed up the development and testing of new compounds. Catellani and her team in 1997 found such a method to optimize this process. [4] Catellani discovered a chain reaction process that simplified and increased yield for desirable complex compounds. [5] One bond the Catellani Reaction is heavily used to create is Carbon-Carbon bonds. [6] These bonds are desirable for their stability and strength. [7] These qualities make the bonds very useful in the makeup of more complex compounds. [5]
Since its discovery, the Catellani Reaction has opened the door to other discoveries or improvements in chemistry. Specifically in the world of pharmaceuticals, the Catellani Reaction has been a useful tool for synthesizing drugs in a more efficient way to aid in their development. Lenoxipen is an example of one of the complex compounds now much easier to achieve with the discovery of Catellani Reactions. [8] This compound belongs to a group of compounds known as Lignans that are useful for relieving pain and may provide benefits to cancer patients. [8] These examples of the uses for Catellani Reactions show the vast and indirect benefits to its discovery. To chemists, the Catellani Reaction is a tool that acts to optimize the process for making new compounds. These new compounds are pivotal for advancing what is possible through chemistry. As new scientists study and try to build upon the Catellani Reaction, it is important to remember who provided the first understanding as it would open up a new world of opportunity.
In organic chemistry, allenes are organic compounds in which one carbon atom has double bonds with each of its two adjacent carbon centres. Allenes are classified as cumulated dienes. The parent compound of this class is propadiene, which is itself also called allene. Compounds with an allene-type structure but with more than three carbon atoms are members of a larger class of compounds called cumulenes with X=C=Y bonding.
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms. Study of structure determines their structural formula. Study of properties includes physical and chemical properties, and evaluation of chemical reactivity to understand their behavior. The study of organic reactions includes the chemical synthesis of natural products, drugs, and polymers, and study of individual organic molecules in the laboratory and via theoretical study.
Organometallic chemistry is the study of organometallic compounds, chemical compounds containing at least one chemical bond between a carbon atom of an organic molecule and a metal, including alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals, and sometimes broadened to include metalloids like boron, silicon, and selenium, as well. Aside from bonds to organyl fragments or molecules, bonds to 'inorganic' carbon, like carbon monoxide, cyanide, or carbide, are generally considered to be organometallic as well. Some related compounds such as transition metal hydrides and metal phosphine complexes are often included in discussions of organometallic compounds, though strictly speaking, they are not necessarily organometallic. The related but distinct term "metalorganic compound" refers to metal-containing compounds lacking direct metal-carbon bonds but which contain organic ligands. Metal β-diketonates, alkoxides, dialkylamides, and metal phosphine complexes are representative members of this class. The field of organometallic chemistry combines aspects of traditional inorganic and organic chemistry.
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Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCvC) is a synthetic strategy employed by chemists to make complex supramolecular assemblies from discrete molecular building blocks. DCvC has allowed access to complex assemblies such as covalent organic frameworks, molecular knots, polymers, and novel macrocycles. Not to be confused with dynamic combinatorial chemistry, DCvC concerns only covalent bonding interactions. As such, it only encompasses a subset of supramolecular chemistries.
Organofluorine chemistry describes the chemistry of the organofluorines, organic compounds that contain the carbon–fluorine bond. Organofluorine compounds find diverse applications ranging from oil and water repellents to pharmaceuticals, refrigerants, and reagents in catalysis. In addition to these applications, some organofluorine compounds are pollutants because of their contributions to ozone depletion, global warming, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The area of organofluorine chemistry often requires special techniques associated with the handling of fluorinating agents.
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Organozirconium chemistry is the science of exploring the properties, structure, and reactivity of organozirconium compounds, which are organometallic compounds containing chemical bonds between carbon and zirconium. Organozirconium compounds have been widely studied, in part because they are useful catalysts in Ziegler-Natta polymerization.
In organic chemistry, a cross-coupling reaction is a reaction where two different fragments are joined. Cross-couplings are a subset of the more general coupling reactions. Often cross-coupling reactions require metal catalysts. One important reaction type is this:
David Milstein is an Israeli chemist studying homogeneous catalysis.
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The Catellani reaction was discovered by Marta Catellani and co-workers in 1997. The reaction uses aryl iodides to perform bi- or tri-functionalization, including C-H functionalization of the unsubstituted ortho position(s), followed a terminating cross-coupling reaction at the ipso position. This cross-coupling cascade reaction depends on the ortho-directing transient mediator, norbornene.
Mark Lautens, OC, is a Canadian organic chemist and is a University Professor at the University of Toronto.
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