Dept. of Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Pher G. Andersson
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Curriculum Vitae:
B.A., 1988
Ph.D., 1991
Bjurzons award, 1992
Fullbright Postdoctoral Fellow, 1992-93
Docent, Uppsala University, 1994
Oscar award, 1995
Junior Individual Grant for outstanding young researchers, 1997
Professor, 1999
AstraZeneca Research Award in Organic Chemistry, 2004
Chairman of the management committee for COST D24
"Sustainable Chemical Processes: Stereoselective Transition Metal-Catalysed Reactions" lasting 2001 - 2006.
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Currently WG Coordinator for COST D40 "Innovative Catalysis: New Processes and Selectivities" lasting 2006 - 2011.
Organic chemistry has many practical applications; dyes, foods, explosives, plastics and polymers are all classic products. Current trends are focusing the field toward the production of complicated structures capable of fulfilling very specific functions. These applications include fine chemicals, special materials, and pharmaceuticals, which all place very high demands on the purity and properties of the final product.
Organic chemists must also find new, environmentally benign and sustainable replacements for petroleum, both as a fuel and as a feedstock for the chemical industry.
A common problem with synthesis of organic compounds is that several different products can be formed. This poses two problems. First, it can be difficult to isolate the desired product from the mixture. Second, a lot of waste can be also generated during the synthesis and purification, and this is both costly and environmentally unfriendly. The synthesis of complicated structures is further complicated because many compounds can exist as multiple mirror images.
Our research has two goals: (i) to understand the mechanism underlying a given reaction, and (ii) to use this knowledge to developing new, more selective reactions. In our search for new reactions, we use metal-containing compounds as catalysts. The metal, which has completely different properties than the organic compound, permits reactions that would otherwise be impossible. Using a the metal catalyst has both economic and environmental advantages. By designing organic compounds (ligands) that bind to the metal, we can influence its properties, and therefore its ability to catalyze reactions. We use ligand design to create catalysts that react only with certain substrates, and that produce only one type of product. The work is fun and varied - it can involve synthesising new ligands, studying reaction mechanisms, and performing theoretical calculations that can (sometimes) help to predict the properties and reactivity of a compound.
It is my hope that our research will increase the understanding of the correlation between structure and reactivity and that it will also lead to discoveries of new, selective and environmentally friendly reactions.
Pher G. Andersson