Synthesis methodology research

Finally, the reproducibility of the nanocarbons and their hybrids is of paramount importance when implementing them into commercial devices. This will require the definition of key characteristics and the development of standard synthesis methodology that will also enable better comparison of results between research groups. 

Oxazoline-directed aromatic substitution and addition reactions provide synthetic chemists with powerful tools for the construction of complex aromatic compounds. Since the last authoritative review by Meyers, these technologies have matured and found widespread applications in organic synthesis. While there has been somewhat limited methodological research in this area in the intervening years, one particularly exciting new development is the diastereoselective ortho-metalations directed by chiral oxazolines. Sections 8.3.9.1-8.3.9.3 will discuss these new developments as well as new synthetic applications of these reactions. 

Many of the custom synthesis and research and development contracts tackled at Ultraflne have required the preparation of homochiral compounds, so it has been necessary to build up expertise in the whole range of available methodology. Some of the most interesting examples remain confidential, but the selection that follows illustrates how some of the challenges were tackled. 

Poly( a-amino acid/vis a better term for peptides formed by the self-condensation of one amino acid natural examples exist, such as poly(D-glutamic acid), the protein coat of the anthrax spore (Flanby and Rydon, 1946). In early research in the textile industry, poly(a-amino acid)s showed promise as synthetic fibres, but the synthesis methodology required for the polymerisation of amino acids was complex and uneconomic. 

In recent years a considerable amount of literature has appeared in chemical engineering journals on the subject of process synthesis. Nishida et al. reviewed the current state of the art as it applies to cheiiucal processes. If process synthesis methodology were developed fully, one could invoke a computer program which, with minimal input, would select not only the separation method of choice but also would determine how the various unit operations should be connected together to form the entire flowsheet. At the present time, however, process synthesis methodology for separation processes is in the earty stages of research. 

Phosphorus-based (meth)acrylates have been the subject of extensive research in recent years, mainly due to the properties brought by the phosphorus atom, which can be used for different purposes. Most of the prepared monomers are phosphonated esters, whereas only limited numbers of phosphoric esters have been reported in the literature. This can be explained by easier hydrolysis of the latter in comparison with the phosphonate derivatives. Concerning the synthesis methodology, free radical polymerization and photopolymerization have been the most investigated. Some examples... 

To exemplify most clearly the discovered methodologies, research groups first focused on applying iminium reactions for the synthesis of relatively small natural products before it really entered the synthetic community with more complex ones. 

This chapter has taken the reader through a number of microwave-assisted methodologies to prepare and further functionalize 2-pyridone containing heterocycles. A survey of inter-, intramolecular-, and pericyclic reactions together with electrophilic, nucleophilic and transition metal mediated methodologies has been exemplified. Still, a number of methods remain to be advanced into microwave-assisted organic synthesis and we hope that the smorgasbord of reactions presented in this chapter will inspire to more successful research in this area. 

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