“TPGS-750-M: A Second-Generation Amphiphile for Metal-Catalyzed Cross-Couplings in Water at Room Temperature” Lipshutz, B. H.; Ghorai, S.; Abela, A. R.; Moser, R.; Nishikata, T.; Duplais, C.; Krasovskiy, A.; Gaston, R. D.; Gadwood, R. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 4379-4391. DOI: 10.1021/jo101974u
I occasionally run reactions in water, and it is awesome. I LOVE not worrying as much about cancer. Unfortunately many interesting chemicals are simply too hydrophobic to allow reactions to be run in aqueous solution. As anyone who has ever scrubbed a greasy pan will know, one way to get around the solubility problem is with soap. Also called emulsifiers, surfactants, amphiphiles, a soap by any name is pretty much the same thing in my mind (though others will disagree I’m sure). Molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends can form micelles in water, creating variously-shaped and sized particles with hydrophobic cores. Using those hydrophobic cores as reaction media is a concept known as micellar catalysis. The Lipshutz group was not the first player in this arena, but they have been at it for some time. They recently teamed up with the medicinal chemistry company Kalexsyn and came out with a new amphiphile that caught my eye, dubbed TPGS-750-M.
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