PhD in Organic Chemistry (M/F)

IC2MP is a CNRS/Université de Poitiers research facility fully equipped with the latest instrumentation, providing an optimal environment for advanced organic synthesis research (https://ic2mp.labo.univ-poitiers.fr/). Our team (Superacid Group) has recognized expertise in superacid chemistry applied to organic synthesis (unique in Europe). In particular, this project is a collaborative research program based on a partnership with the group of Pr. Ohwada (Univesity of Tokyo) who is recognized as an international expert in superacid chemistry.

The development of new chemical reactions that can be transferred to industry has been modest in recent years, two reactions making up over 50% of all those used in drug discovery. In this context, carbocationic electrophiles intermediacy is postulated in numerous organic transformations and provides the foundation for many retrosynthetic logics in chemical synthesis. Shifting the electrophilic chemistry to highly reactive superelectrophiles offered a real breakthrough in this domain. However, despite its synthetic potential and the industrial demand, the difficulties associated with superacid chemistry slow down the exploitation of superelectrophilic activation. Capitalizing on the complementary expertise of researchers from IC2MP and from The University of Tokyo (Pr. Ohwada's research group) and on preliminary results, this project aims at opening a new direction in synthetic chemistry through the development of original strong liquid acids favoring the exploitation of destabilized superelectrophilic carbocations.