Prof. Dr. Dieter Seebach
- Section Chemistry
- Location Zürich, Switzerland
- Election year 1984
Research
Im Mittelpunkt der wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten von Dieter Seebach stehen Organische Synthese, Mechanismen organisch-chemischer Reaktionen und Stereochemie. Ursprünglich beschäftigte sich die Arbeitsgruppe mit der Entwicklung neuer Synthesemethoden: schwefel-, selen-, fluor-, nitroso- und nitroorganische Verbindungen, sowie metallorganische Derivate von Li, Si, Sn, Ti, Zr wurden verwendet, wobei Röntgen-Strukturen von Li-Enolaten, Li-Dithianen und vielen anderen Organolithium Verbindungen bestimmt wurden und die Bedeutung der Aggregation erkannt wurde. Schon in den frühen 1970er Jahren verwendeten wir Enzyme und Mikroorganismen zur Herstellung enantiomerenreiner Verbindungen (EPC-Synthese). Die TADDOLe wurden erfunden und erwiesen sich als ein sehr allgemeines chirales Hilfsstoff-System. Techniken für die präparative Elektrolyse, für die Durchführung von Reaktionen im präparativen Maßstab bei Temperaturen bis –150°C und für die Immobilisierung chiraler Liganden zur Durchführung metallorganischer Reaktionen auf porösen Glaspartikeln (CPG) wurden entwickelt. Das neueste Arbeitsgebiet ist die Entdeckung der Welt der β- und γ-Peptide, die aus homologisierten proteinogenen Aminosäuren bestehen. Innerhalb von weniger als 10 Jahren haben sich die β-Peptide als eine völlig neuartige Klasse unnatürlicher peptidischer Oligomere entpuppt, mit sehr überraschenden chemischen und biologischen Eigenschaften und mit Anwendungen in der Medizinalchemie.
The center of Profesor Seebach's interest is Organic Synthesis and Stereochemistry. Originally, his group has worked in the field of synthetic methodology involving sulfur-, selenium-, fluoro-, nitroso-, and nitro-organic compounds, as well as organometallic derivatives of Li, Si, Sn, Ti, and Zr. The X-ray crystal structures of Li-enolates, of Li-dithianes and of other Li-derivatives were determined, and the importance of their aggregation was recognized. Early on, he also employed enzymes and microorganisms for the preparation of enantiomerically pure compounds (EPC). The TADDOLs were invented and became a general chiral auxiliary system in the broadest sense of the word. Techniques for electrolysis, for carrying out reactions on preparative scale at temperatures down to -150oC, and for immobilizing chiral ligands for organometallic reagents on controlled-pore glass were invented. Most recently the world of β- and γ-peptides was explored; they consist of homologated proteinogenic amino acids. Within less than ten years β-peptides have evolved as a totally new class of unnatural peptidic oligomers with most surprising chemical and biological properties and with applications in medicinal chemistry.
The center of Profesor Seebach's interest is Organic Synthesis and Stereochemistry. Originally, his group has worked in the field of synthetic methodology involving sulfur-, selenium-, fluoro-, nitroso-, and nitro-organic compounds, as well as organometallic derivatives of Li, Si, Sn, Ti, and Zr. The X-ray crystal structures of Li-enolates, of Li-dithianes and of other Li-derivatives were determined, and the importance of their aggregation was recognized. Early on, he also employed enzymes and microorganisms for the preparation of enantiomerically pure compounds (EPC). The TADDOLs were invented and became a general chiral auxiliary system in the broadest sense of the word. Techniques for electrolysis, for carrying out reactions on preparative scale at temperatures down to -150oC, and for immobilizing chiral ligands for organometallic reagents on controlled-pore glass were invented. Most recently the world of β- and γ-peptides was explored; they consist of homologated proteinogenic amino acids. Within less than ten years β-peptides have evolved as a totally new class of unnatural peptidic oligomers with most surprising chemical and biological properties and with applications in medicinal chemistry.