Project Details

Organisation:	NTU School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS), Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry
Mentor:	Professor Low Teck Peng; Dr Lu Jun
Members:	Sadia; Serene; Wanshi; Girish; Eran
Project Title:	Chiral Synthesis for elimination of chiral products to be used in drugs

A. Brief Description of Project

1) What is Organic Chemistry?

“Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions and preparation of chemical compounds consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen, which may contain any number of other elements, including nitrogen, oxygen, halogens as well as phosphorus, silicon and sulfur.”


To put it simply, Organic Chemistry is the study of carbon compounds, their properties, chemical structures and reactions. As elements present in organic compounds are mostly limited to non-metals such as C, H, O, N, S, R, Cl, Br and I, most organic compounds are non-polar. In order for a compound to be classified as organic, the carbon atom(s) in the compound must undergo hybridization (sp, sp2 or sp3). This is because hybridization of carbon atoms enables the formation of single, double or triple bonds, thus extending the structure of the compound and determining its displayed formula.

Three types of hybridization a carbon atom can undergo:
Due to its great influence on technology, Organic Chemistry plays a vital role in our lives. Organic Chemistry is fundamental to Biology (biological molecules such as DNA are in fact organic compounds) and the drug industry (new organic compounds increase the chances of creating new drugs). It is especially important in the pharmaceutical field as different enantiomers have different biological activity. It is this difference in biological activity that often results in side effects of drugs. Organic compounds derived naturally are major sources of new drugs and enzymes (e.g., aspirin originating from willow tree bark). The modification of existing organic compounds in laboratories can result in the creation of new drugs too. By changing the types of bonds or side chains, properties and characteristics of compounds are often modified too. This results in the derivation of new organic compounds with properties different from their ‘parent’ compounds.

3) NTU, SPMS (Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry)
NTU, SPMS (Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry) specializes in Organic Chemistry research, especially focusing on Organic Synthesis. One objective in this field of study is to discover new reactions and hypotheses via the synthesis of products derived naturally. Another objective is to discover new reactions and hypotheses via the synthesis of products derived naturally.

Four main focuses of research activities:

• Green Chemistry

- Exploring new reactions with water or ionic liquids as solvent/ solvent-free reactions

• Enantioselective Reactions

- Development of water-based asymmetric (chiral) reactions with high catalytic turnover and new chiral metal
complexes as end-products

• Development of New Synthetic Methodology

- Breakthrough in concepts, mechanistic perception and synthetic approach

• Synthesis of Natural Products

- Synthesis of numerous organic compounds derived naturally

Main Task:
Research on following molecule:
MF : C12H24B2O4
CAS : 73183-34-3
MW : 253.9392
Purity Level : >97%

1) Use Chemdraw to draw the above shape and identify the molecule
2) Determine the chemical formula/name/MMR/CAS of the molecule
3) Use Science Finder to structure images and sequences/ possible single step reactions containing 1 double bond.
4) Research on whether reactant (above) is chiral/achiral, as well as catalyst involved in the reaction to form a final product.The percentage yield and the temperature of the reactions provided are essential when determining the efficiency of the reaction compared to a similar one.


B. Results


C. Reflection

Main Concepts/Ideas/Skills Learnt
1) Chem. Draw
2) SCI- Finder
3) Sourcing Publications
4) Sieving Information
5) Chiral Synthesis
6) Organic Chemistry
7) What makes a good scientist (chemist)

Three interesting aspects about our learning

1. The researchers write stuff all over the gas cabinets! Graffiti can help contribute to the creation of new ideas (drugs).
2. The researchers exercise a high level of caution in maximising safety at their work areas as some of their research is on cancer and other highly dangerous diseases.
3. The researchers are observed to have a great deal of patience and precision when at work and they carry out multiple reactions at the same time

Take-away for life

1. Chemistry = Chem-Is-Try [The Spirit of Trying: Dare to try, Dare to Fail, Dare to Succeed]
2. We get to socialize with professionials and understand their attitudes towards their jobs.
3.Gathering the right information and filtering out the essential details from a wide pool of resources is a skill that is required of all researchers.

Gallery

1) Teamshot




2) Dr Lu Jun and NTU Undergraduates At Work