Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
E-mail: inhar.imaz@icn2.cat
Historically, innovations in synthetic methods and reactions have changed the way scientists think about designing and synthesizing materials and molecules. Indeed, novel synthetic methods not only unlock access to previously unattainable structures, but also inspire new concepts as to how we design and build materials to address global social, economic and industrial needs. In this talk, I will present the concept of bond breaking as a new synthetic methodology that we have named Clip-off Chemistry. Unlike most state-of-the-art synthetic approaches, which use bottom-up strategies to link atoms and molecules through the formation of new bonds, Clip-off Chemistry is based instead on the selective cleavage of existing bonds in molecules and materials, providing precise spatial control over bond cleavage. Therefore, Clip-off Chemistry represents a new synthetic methodology, whereby the programmed selective disassembly affords new molecules and materials. This disassembly occurs at the molecular level through a chemical reaction; in a first approach, through ozonolysis, a gas/solid reaction that enables cutting of constituent organic molecular building blocks or linkers via direct cleavage of their alkene bonds. In this talk, I will show the principles of Clip-off Chemistry, and the first examples of structures and molecules synthesized through controlled bond fission in porous reticular materials (i.e. MOFs, macrocycles and cages).
