Copper-Catalyzed Click Chemistry and Sulfonyl Fluoride Synthesis for Bioorthogonal Applications
This community develops small-molecule reaction methods, primarily using copper catalysts, to build triazoles and sulfur-containing functional groups for use in drug discovery and biological imaging.
The work centers on two distinct but related synthetic strategies: the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click chemistry) to form 1,2,3-triazoles, and the synthesis of sulfonyl fluorides and sulfenamides. These methods are frequently applied to create bioorthogonal probes for fluorescence imaging, design covalent inhibitors for therapeutic targets, and develop artificial metalloenzymes. The research emphasizes efficient, one-pot synthesis routes and the biological evaluation of resulting derivatives in living cells, with a strong focus on enantioselective control and visible-light-driven reactions.
Sulfur research accounts for 0.5% of the community's output, while copper contributes 0.4% and fluorine 0.4%. The community comprises 9,862 papers, publishing most frequently in The Journal of Organic Chemistry, Organic Letters, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Recent work focuses on enantioselective assembly of sulfilimines via copper-catalyzed reactions, radical sulfonylation using sulfur dioxide surrogates, and the development of artificial metalloenzymes for cytoplasmic olefin metathesis.