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Jul 21, 2023

A ‘toolbox of biocatalysts’ improves control over free radicals

Posted by in category: chemistry

One of the central challenges for synthetic chemists is to impose control over free radicals. Highly reactive molecules with an unpaired electron, free radicals, may be familiar to you; these are the type of molecules we take antioxidant supplements for, in an effort to tame oxidative stress.

In the world of synthetic , however, hold a lot of promise.

“Free chemistry is very useful for the synthesis of both bioactive small molecules and everyday polymers,” said UC Santa Barbara chemistry professor Yang Yang, an author of a paper on the matter that appears in Nature Catalysis. “However, imposing stereocontrol over free-radical mediated reactions has eluded the asymmetric catalysis community for decades. We’re trying to develop biocatalytic strategies to further push the boundaries of free radical chemistry.”

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