Chemists transform acids into bases: Research offers vast family of new catalysts for use in drug discovery, biotechnology
Friday, July 29, 2011 - 03:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Chemists have accomplished in the lab what until now was considered impossible: transform a family of compounds which are acids into bases. Their research shows it is possible to replace phosphorus ligands in catalysts with boron ligands. While phosphorus is toxic, boron is not. The research makes possible a vast array of chemical reactions -- such as those used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, manufacturing new materials and research academic institutions.