Chiral ligand from Synkem

A new ligand used in the production of pharmaceutical intermediates via a process known as catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation has been developed by France's Synkem and is available in research quantities from Strem Chemicals.

The diphosphine ligand, known as Synphos, was developed by researchers at Synkem and the University of Paris. It is designed to provide fast and efficient routes to the production of chiral or single-isomer molecules used as pharmaceutical intermediates.

Chirality is of growing importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. It is estimated that in 2003, the market for chiral pharmaceuticals was more than $9.4 billion. High-purity chiral compounds permit drug companies to synthesise a single orientation of the molecule which exhibits a desired therapeutic effect.

Michel Bulliard, Synkem's business development manager, said that when Synphos is complexed to ruthenium (a commonly-used catalyst for asymmetric hydrogenation reactions) it is one of the most effective ligands available for hydrogenating ketones and olefins. These are common reactions in the production of single-isomer chemicals.

The Synphos ligand family also has applications in a variety of other asymmetric process reactions, including transition metal-catalysed 1,4-additions, olefin isomerisations, Heck reactions, hydrosilylations and hetero Diels-Alder chemistry.

For further information on Synphos, which is already being manufactured on an industrial scale, e-mail grpuavpny@fgerz.pbz​ or beqre@fgerz.pbz​.