Transition Metal-Catalyzed Annulations in Biological Media

Abstract

As the smallest unit of life, cell has been widely explored since his discovery in the sixties. Like chemists, chemical biology allows us the application of synthetic small molecules for the study of life. Since the recent incorporation of bioorthogonal reactions as new tools for cell research, chemical biology has been boosted, revolutionizing closely related fields like imaging, drug development or biotechnology due to its ability to manipulate small exogenous compounds inside living systems without disturbing the host metabolism. During this PhD thesis, we have explored the potential of organometallic chemistry in the bioorthogonal field. We have discovered that predefined Cu(I) complexes promote intracellular CuAAC with high efficiency. Moreover, Ru [2+2+2] cycloaddition has been successfully employed for the intracellular synthesis of biomolecules in specific organelles. Finally, the use of light has been investigated in the Meerwein arylation, that proceeds with excellent chemoselectively and yields in biological settings.