Lead generation, catalyst combinatorial

The major impetus for the development of solid phase synthesis centers around applications in combinatorial chemistry. The notion that new drug leads and catalysts can be discovered in a high tiuoughput fashion has been demonstrated many times over as is evidenced from the number of publications that have arisen (see references at the end of this chapter). A number of )proaches to combinatorial chemistry exist. These include the split-mix method, serial techniques and parallel methods to generate libraries of compounds. The advances in combinatorial chemistry are also accompani by sophisticated methods in deconvolution and identification of compounds from libraries. In a number of cases, innovative hardware and software has been developed tor these purposes. 

The peptide-based phosphine ligand 105 was identified from a polymer-supported phosphine library of 75 members [154]. Enantioposition-selective desymmetrization of the meso-cyclopentenediol derivative 100 was promoted by a palladium complex of 105 to afford the cyclic carbamate 101 with 76% ee. This result demonstrated that the combinatorial approach is effective in the lead-generation stage of stereoselective catalyst development [155, 156]. The resin-supported palladium complex of Ac-D-Phg-Pro-D-Val-Pps-D-Leu-NH resin 106, which has also been developed through the combinatorial approach. 

No successful example has been reported so far using a TSA in a dynamic combinatorial approach to transition metal catalyst selection. However, inspired by enzymes and molecular cages, molecularly imprinted polymers were successfully developed by WuUF et al. and in a small number of cases directed towards transition metal catalysis [22]. Cavities as biomimetic catalysts are created by generation of polymeric materials in the presence of a TSA as a template, which is removed after polymerization. In the presence of the substrate, the incorporation of the catalyst precursor leads to high activities, the transition state being stabilized by the polymeric cavities. 

IR-thermography and combinatorial library design (doping and composition spread) lead in a few generations to new, noble-metal-free catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of CO in air. Activity patterns could be derived from the emissivity-corrected IR thermographic image of a catalyst library. 

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