# New Synthetic Methodology Enabled by Base-Promoted Halogen and Electron Transfer Processes

> **NIH NIH R35** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $367,844

## Abstract

Project Summary
 There remains a critical need to develop synthetic methodology that increases the efficiency and diversity
of access to chemicals desired in medicinal research. In particular, fundamentally new transformations that
employ abundantly available starting materials can greatly facilitate the discovery and manufacture of new drugs.
The long-term goal of this research program is to use strong bases as catalysts and promoters for new reactions
that address major limitations in organic synthesis. The overall objective for this application is to use inexpensive
Brønsted and Lewis bases to achieve new functionalization methods of aryl halides, heteroarenes and
trifluoromethylarenes. This proposal is built on the hypothesis that strong bases can unlock previously unknown
or underutilized mechanistic processes of common organic functional groups. Specifically, the research plan will
exploit base-catalyzed aryl halide isomerizations and intermolecular halogen transfers, as well as single electron
transfer processes from base-activated organosilicates. Based on extensive preliminary results, a series of novel
arene functionalization reactions are described that are primarily targeted at improving heteroarene
derivatization. The monoselective coupling of organosilanes to trifluoromethylarenes is also presented as a
practical and broadly useful approach to difluorobenzylic compounds. The impact of these methods is
demonstrated through single-step access to compounds that were either previously inaccessible or required
tedious multistep operations, their use for late stage diversification of drug-like structures and dramatically
improved routes to specific drug candidates. Upon completion of the proposed work, chemists will have at their
disposal a set of powerful reactions that increase the efficiency, practicality and scope of access to molecules
widely desired in the pharmaceutical industry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10028748
- **Project number:** 1R35GM138350-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey S Bandar
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $367,844
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10028748

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10028748, New Synthetic Methodology Enabled by Base-Promoted Halogen and Electron Transfer Processes (1R35GM138350-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10028748. Licensed CC0.

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