Samir Z. Zard

Bio: Samir Z. Zard is an academic researcher from École Polytechnique. The author has contributed to research in topics: Xanthate & Radical. The author has an hindex of 50, co-authored 575 publications receiving 10739 citations. Previous affiliations of Samir Z. Zard include Roussel Uclaf & Centre national de la recherche scientifique.

Recent progress in the generation and use of nitrogen-centred radicals.

Abstract: Nitrogen-centred radicals hold much promise as useful synthetic intermediates. Even though their popularity is still extremely limited and very far from matching that of carbon radicals, the recent development of various routes allowing their generation under mild conditions and a better appreciation of their reactivity thanks to the increased availability of absolute rate constants should encourage their use. It is hoped that this tutorial review will help increase the awareness of synthetic chemists and help revive the interest in these forgotten species.

On the trail of xanthates: some new chemistry from an old functional group

Abstract: The use of free radical reactions in organic synthesis has witnessed an extraordinary development in recent years. When properly conceived, radical processes often exhibit many of the properties desired by synthetic organic chemists, such as flexibility, mildness, and selectivity. Unfortunately, the number of synthetically useful radical-generating systems is still limited, and most applications have relied on tin hydride chemistry. Secondary O-alkyl-S-methyl xanthates, for example, eact with tributyltin hydride to give the corresponding alkane (the Barton-McCombie reaction). It was, however, found that the isomeric O-methyl-S-alkyl xanthates undergo cleavage of the weaker carbon–sulfur bond and that a chain reaction can be sustained without tin or other heavy metals. A variety of synthetically interesting free radicals can thus be produced and captured, the last propagating step being a reversible transfer of the xanthate group. S-Propargyl xanthates represent a special class. Their radical chemistry can be easily overshadowed by hitherto unknown but equally interesting nonradical behavior. Upon heating, a thermal [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement occurs to give the allenyl isomer, which is in equilibrium with a novel betaine structure. This species is at the heart of a number of new transformations, including formal [3+2] cycloadditions, formation of esters with inversion in the case of secondary alcohols, conversion into 1,3-dithiol-2-ones, generation of cisoid dienes, carbon, carbon-carbon bond formation through reaction with acid chlorides etc. This account provides a brief description of this original radical and nonradical chemistry of xanthates, an old family of compounds that still harbors many mysteries.

Dithiocarbamates as universal reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents

Abstract: Control of the radical polymerization of acrylates, styrene and vinyl acetate has been achieved by using novel dithiocarbamates as reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents. The key parameter for the control with N,N-disubstituted (A) or cyclic (B) dithiocarbamates was found to be the conjugation of the lone pair of electrons of the nitrogen atom with carbonyl or aromatic groups.

Method for block polymer synthesis by controlled radical polymerisation

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for polymerising block polymers of general formula (I) which consists in contacting: an ethylenically unsaturated monomer of formula: CYY'(=CW-CW')a=CH2; a precursor compound of general formula (II); a radical polymerisation catalyst.

Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

Abstract: The Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of organic azides and alkynes has gained considerable attention in recent years due to the introduction in 2001 of Cu(1) catalysis by Tornoe and Meldal, leading to a major improvement in both rate and regioselectivity of the reaction, as realized independently by the Meldal and the Sharpless laboratories. The great success of the Cu(1) catalyzed reaction is rooted in the fact that it is a virtually quantitative, very robust, insensitive, general, and orthogonal ligation reaction, suitable for even biomolecular ligation and in vivo tagging or as a polymerization reaction for synthesis of long linear polymers. The triazole formed is essentially chemically inert to reactive conditions, e.g. oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis, and has an intermediate polarity with a dipolar moment of ∼5 D. The basis for the unique properties and rate enhancement for triazole formation under Cu(1) catalysis should be found in the high ∆G of the reaction in combination with the low character of polarity of the dipole of the noncatalyzed thermal reaction, which leads to a considerable activation barrier. In order to understand the reaction in detail, it therefore seems important to spend a moment to consider the structural and mechanistic aspects of the catalysis. The reaction is quite insensitive to reaction conditions as long as Cu(1) is present and may be performed in an aqueous or organic environment both in solution and on solid support.

Multicomponent Reactions with Isocyanides.

Abstract: Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are fundamentally different from two-component reactions in several aspects. Among the MCRs, those with isocyanides have developed into popular organic-chemical reactions in the pharmaceutical industry for the preparation of compound libraries of low-molecular druglike compounds. With a small set of starting materials, very large libraries can be built up within a short time, which can then be used for research on medicinal substances. Due to the intensive research of the last few years, many new backbone types have become accessible. MCRs are also increasingly being employed in the total synthesis of natural products. MCRs and especially MCRs with isocyanides offer many opportunities to attain new reactions and basic structures. However, this requires that the chemist learns the “language” of MCRs, something that this review wishes to stimulate.

Living radical polymerization by the RAFT process

Abstract: This paper presents a review of living radical polymerization achieved with thiocarbonylthio compounds [ZC(=S)SR] by a mechanism of reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). Since we first introduced the technique in 1998, the number of papers and patents on the RAFT process has increased exponentially as the technique has proved to be one of the most versatile for the provision of polymers of well defined architecture. The factors influencing the effectiveness of RAFT agents and outcome of RAFT polymerization are detailed. With this insight, guidelines are presented on how to conduct RAFT and choose RAFT agents to achieve particular structures. A survey is provided of the current scope and applications of the RAFT process in the synthesis of well defined homo-, gradient, diblock, triblock, and star polymers, as well as more complex architectures including microgels and polymer brushes.