Tech Spotlight: Highly Active Multidentate Catalysts for Alkyne Metathesis

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the organic chemistry field in alkyne metathesis (an organic reaction involving the redistribution of alkyne chemical bonds). Alkyne metathesis has shown tremendous potential in natural product synthesis and refining technology. However, current limitations make it difficult for researchers to understand and utilize the full potential of this technology, with the most common problems being unwanted polymerization and nonproductive reactive pathways, both of which have made it difficult for researchers to study or tune the structure.

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Wei Zhang has developed a new highly active catalyst for the metathesis of alkynes. By designing a multidentate ligand to block one binding site of the triple bonded alkynes, a new highly active catalyst has been created. The multidentate ligand produces a more robust, longer lasting catalyst that offers a broader substrate scope, a faster reaction rate, and higher stability.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of Dr. Zhang's work, or go directly to the key scientific publication. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.