Focus Area Definition
This focus area addresses the issues of WHICH strategic new catalytic processes will enable delivery of the Dial-a-Molecule goals, and WHAT the key catalysts/technologies to ensure this delivery would be. The prioritisation of the highest-impact strategic new catalytic reactions overlaps with the ‘Holistic Approach to Molecular Synthesis‘ focus area.
Challenges and Goals
The major challenges were defined as (click to read more about each individual challenge):
- Efficient transformations across chemical space
- Complexity-building reactions
- Sustainability: Feedstocks
- Sustainability: Catalysts
The challenges, current state-of-the-art, goals and pathways to achieving these goals are summarised in the roadmap below.
Which disciplines are needed – Opportunity for new research communities
- Supply chain and green chemistry metrics (what does the future market for fine chemicals look like?)
- Soft-matter/supramolecular/functional nanomaterials chemists (designer enzyme-like catalysis)
- Biotransformation and biotechnologists
- Bioengineers and chemical engineers (integrated catalysis)
- Synthetic catalytic chemists