CAS: Copper-Catalyzed Oxidation Reactions of Carboxylic Acids

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Jessica Hoover of West Virginia University is investigating new catalysts to convert carboxylic acids to value-added compounds, taking advantage of the favorable energetics associated with carbon dioxide release from such compounds. The investigation of new reactions of carboxylic acids can help advance the use of abundant and renewable resources as chemical feedstocks, as a good number of carboxylic acids are available from biomass sources. Dr. Hoover and her research team are identifying new catalysts to tune and control oxidation and decarboxylation reactions of carboxylic acids. These activities include developing a fundamental understanding of how the catalysts work to carefully adapt their applications. This research program is further providing research experiences to future West Virginia teachers to support and enrich chemistry education in the state. Dr. Hoover is also involved in career planning activities for both graduate and undergraduate chemistry students to support their futures in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Catalyst-controlled conversion of carboxylic acids to a variety of molecular fragments is an attractive strategy for the synthesis of complex chemical structures because carboxylic acid starting materials are abundant, stable and can be obtained from renewable sources. Currently, this strategy has practical limitations because methods to convert carboxylic acids into value-added materials are restricted to coupling reactions of benzoic acids, in which the carboxylic acid group is replaced with a new functional group through a combined decarboxylative and oxidative process. Dr. Hoover and her research group are exploring new copper-catalyzed reactions that separate the oxidation and decarboxylation steps of carboxylic acid coupling reactions to allow the controlled divergent conversion of carboxylic acids to compounds that are important intermediates in the synthesis of biologically active and pharmaceutically relevant molecules. Mechanistic studies of these systems are being used to aid in understanding the overall reaction pathway and how reaction conditions can be adjusted to favor the oxidation and/or decarboxylation steps. These activities are supporting the training and development of graduate and undergraduate researchers in the interdisciplinary fields of catalysis, organic and organometallic synthesis, and reaction mechanism elucidation to prepare them for future careers in the chemical workforce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.