Authors: Montserrat Diéguez | Andreas Pfaltz | Antoni Riéra
Source: Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis (article, 2024-02-20)
Field: Chemistry — Organic Chemistry

Special Issue Dedicated to Miquel A. Pericàs This special issue of Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis is dedicated to Miquel Àngel Pericàs i Brondo to pay tribute to his distinguished scientific career and his eminent achievements as a founder and director of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), which under his leadership has developed into a world-class center for organic synthesis and catalysis. This Special Issue collects the contributions of Miquel's (inter)national colleagues who have had some significant personal or scientific connection with him at different stages of their careers. They enthusiastically embraced this homage and we are thankful to them for their immediate responses. Their contributions reflect the current state of organic synthesis and catalysis, including immobilized catalysts and flow systems, themes that are close to Miquel's research interests. We want to also acknowledge many others who would have joined but were not able to reach the deadline and have shown the willingness to publish a dedicated article in regular issues of Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis or in other journals. Miquel A. Pericàs was educated as a chemical engineer at Institut Químic de Sarrià (1968–1973) and as chemist at Universitat de Barcelona (UB, 1972–1974). He did his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Fèlix Serratosa (UB, 1974–1979), working on acetylenic diethers, followed by post-doctoral studies at the Institute of Bio-Organic Chemistry (CSIC) in 1979–1980, working with Prof. Francesc Camps on the synthesis and evaluation of modified precocenes as insect anti-juvenile hormones. In 1980 he was appointed as an adjunct professor at the Department of Organic Chemistry of UB. There, his initial research efforts were focused on different aspects of acetylene chemistry: the chemistry of highly electron-rich alkynes, the nature and reactivity of small-ring cyclic alkynes, and the Pauson-Khand reaction for the synthesis of cyclopentenones. Work on this fascinating process represented the initial contact of Miquel with asymmetric synthesis using the chiral auxiliary approach. Miquel was promoted to Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at UB in 1990. In the 1991–2000 period his interest progressively shifted towards asymmetric catalysis. Within this field, he was initially interested on the synthesis of amino acids and dipeptide isosteres from enantiopure epoxyalcohols prepared by catalytic Sharpless epoxidation. The key step in these processes was the regioselective ring opening of epoxides with nucleophiles, and he soon realized that completely stereodefined 1,2-difunctional arrays prepared in this manner were suitable starting points for the preparation of a variety of enantiopure materials. In particular, the nucleophilic ring-opening of enantiopure, synthetic epoxides allowed the easy preparation of libraries of modular ligands for catalytic asymmetric processes. Miquel's laboratory was pioneering this catalysis for catalysis approach and demonstrated its potential by identifying tailor-made, optimal ligands for a variety of reactions. In June 2000, Miquel received an unusual proposal. Andreu Mas-Colell, then the Minister for Universities and Research in Catalonia, approached him with the idea of leading the establishment of a new research center dedicated to chemistry, to be located in Tarragona. Miquel didn′t hesitate and promptly accepted the offer. He not only conceived the scientific and organizational structure of the new institute but also played a key role in shaping it from an architectural aspect. During the initial three years, he devoted himself entirely to the task of conceptualizing and designing the new institution, which would later be named the Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ). Architect Javier San José was responsible for the architectural design and construction of the institute, receiving substantial input from Miquel in line with his rigorous and perfectionist character. By July 2003, the construction of ICIQ′s first building was completed, and Miquel was appointed as director. Thanks to the attractive scientific concept and the excellent infrastructure of the institute, a group of outstanding scientists could be appointed as group leaders. They were selected by Miquel with support of a top-class international advisory board. In March 2004, the first nine research groups began their work at ICIQ. At ICIQ, to align his research interests with that of the Institute, he focused on practical catalytic methods suitable for implementation by pharmaceutical laboratories and even applicable at the industrial level. To this end, he made significant progress in increasing catalyst robustness and on unravelling the factors controlling catalytic activity and selectivity. The combination of theoretical and experimental approaches, together with combinatorial methodologies, were key in this work. One of the most promising ways for increasing the practicality of ligands and catalysts is that of facilitating recycling and reuse. To bring this into practice, Miquel focused on covalent immobilization onto appropriate supports, paying special attention to the topology of the immobilization point and the nature of the linker to avoid negative effects on catalyst performance. In this respect Miquel was pioneer in using the copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction (“click chemistry”) as an immobilization strategy with broad applicability. Based on this strategy, the Pericàs Lab has been able to develop highly active and enantioselective catalysts immobilized on organic and inorganic polymers (separable by simple filtration) and magnetic nanoparticles (separable by magnetic decantation). A further step towards the development of practical asymmetric catalytic methods based on immobilized catalyst systems is the implementation of continuous flow processes that can be operated for long periods of time. This approach critically depends on the chemical and mechanical stability of the support plus catalyst assembly, and clearly represents a long-term goal. Over the last fifteen years the Pericàs Lab has made significant progress towards the development of catalytic asymmetric flow processes with long operation times, both in the areas metalcatalysis and organocatalysis. Based on the expertise of his group, in 2015 Miquel founded a unit called ERTFLOW, that covers many aspects of catalysis meeting the industrial requirements by developing and implementing technical solutions in process intensification. Initially ICIQ′s research focused on catalysis and supramolecular chemistry, encompassing both experimental and theoretical aspects. The unique combination of theoretical and experimental approaches quickly became one of ICIQ′s distinguishing features. As the institute expanded, Miquel initiated the ICIQ Tenure Track Program, with a strong emphasis on recruiting talented young researchers. This program was a great success, with many of its participants eventually becoming principal investigators at the institute. With these new additions, the institute‘s research areas broadened to include fields like heterogeneous catalysis, photovoltaics, and materials. While most of this growth was attributed to the attraction of young talent, senior group leaders as well contributed to consolidating ICIQ′s status as a prestigious research center that provided an ideal environment for nurturing the scientific careers of its members. The exceptional quality of the research quickly positioned ICIQ among Spain's top research institutes. This achievement led to increased funding, including resources from the Consolider Program within Ingenio 2010 and, in 2014 and 2020, the prestigious Severo Ochoa award (2014–2018 and 2020–2023) for excellence accreditation in research. By the end of 2006, nearly all laboratory space in the first building was allocated, prompting the construction of a second building. Upon completion of the new building, twelve additional research labs and two specialized labs became available. ICIQ′s research focus naturally evolved from its original emphasis on catalysis and supramolecular chemistry to embrace research on renewable materials and energy, which now play a central role. Today, ICIQ′s research activities primarily focus on two main areas: ‘Catalysis of Chemical Processes’ with emphasis on sustainability, which is still the institute‘s most extensive research domain, and ‘Renewable Energy and Materials’. Under Miquel's leadership, ICIQ established itself as a world-class research institute, reflected in its inclusion in leading institutional rankings, such as the Mapping of Scientific Excellence. Another marker of excellence is the substantial number of projects funded by the European Research Council, especially “proof of concept grants.” This underscores one of ICIQ′s defining characteristics: the close integration of excellent research with knowledge and technology transfer. This integration has spurred the development of open innovation initiatives at ICIQ (ICIQ-industrial joint units) and Technology Development Units, which are evolving into ICIQ-incubated spin-offs. Furthermore, one of ICIQ′s most significant impacts has been its nurturing of talent. The institute has trained hundreds of Ph.D. students and postdocs, maintaining consistently high standards of quality. In this respect, Miquel has also contributed a lot and over his career he has supervised 58 graduate students and a similar number of postdoctoral associates, several of them funded by the prestigious ITN-EID (industrial doctorate) and MSCA-IF European programs. ICIQ′s scientific future will also be fostered by the Starting Career Program, launched in 2012. This initiative represents the current strategy for hosting and mentoring young, promising researchers during the initial stages of their independent careers. This emerging generation will shape ICIQ′s future within the broader context of the EU′s science system. In 2014, with the support of CELLEX Foundation, Miquel created the ICIQ-CELLEX High Throughput Experimentation Laboratory (HTE). This was the first facility of this type in Europe and represented a qualitative jump in the discovery and optimization of new catalytic processes at ICIQ, anticipating the importance of data collection and storage in view of application of AI methodologies to chemical processes. In 2019, Miquel requested to retire as the Director of the Institute. This change became effective in September 2020, marking the conclusion of his two-decade tenure. In March 2022, he formally left the institute to pursue new projects, including an Ad Honorem Professorship at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona) in the Innovation in Catalysis group and becoming a founding partner in Alza&Associates Sustainability Consulting. Under Miquel's incredibly successful stewardship, ICIQ developed into one of the internationally leading research centers in the areas of Catalysis and Renewable Energy. Along his career, Miquel has also been president of the Catalan Society of Chemistry (SCQ), co-pioneering its creation as an organic structure on its own within Institute of Catalan Studies. Since then, the SCQ has been continuously growing and increasing its relevance and activity, especially on an international level, with the remarkable achievement of being recognized in 2006 as full member of the European Chemical Society (EUChemS). Miquel has also been vice president of the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry and chair of relevant Spanish Scientific Institutes, such us the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) in Castelló, as well as the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), during the last 12 years, including advising in the construction of the building and the conception of the institute. Currently, he also holds a chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA). His scientific accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Gold Medal as recognition to his professional career by the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry (2019, RSEQ, Spain), the International Organic Chemistry Foundation Lectureship Award (2013, Kyoto University System, Japan), the Narcís Monturiol Medal for Scientific and Technological Merits (2005, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain) and the Janssen-Cylag Award for Research in Organic Chemistry (2001, RSEQ, Spain) just to mention a few. He is a permanent academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona and a member of Academia Europaea. Miquel's capability to work 24 H/7 is overwhelming. Having the direction of ICIQ as his top priority did not prevent him from leading a top research group, working on most challenging topics irrespective of their difficulty. As a result, the Pericàs group become a front-runner in advanced sustainable synthesis of fine molecules and the development of flow versions of many catalytic reactions, with special emphasis on relevant examples of asymmetric versions. Along his career he has also maintained entrepreneurial activity, being a co-founder of Enantia, S. L. (spin-off of the Universitat de Barcelona, 2003), Treellum Technologies (spin-off of ICIQ, 2020) and A&A Sustainability Consulting (2022). Miquel is one of those people who seem like born leaders who can integrate all parts (coworkers) within one whole (work team) as atoms creating the perfectly functional molecule. He keeps calm in front of difficulties, decides on priorities, anticipates work, takes time to listen, encourages the work to be well done and sets reasonable deadlines. While he is strict and rigorous to scientific details, he is always amiable and impeccably polite to everyone around him. He always acknowledges researchers/coworkers for their hard and well-done work. Miquel is a good conversationalist. While enjoying a good meal, you can chat about good wine, a work of art, a piece of music or chemistry with the same passion. Not forgetting his beloved Mallorca, where his roots are. His joy for life is certainly contagious. The enthusiastic response of the contributors has made this Special Issue a great success. It includes 51 manuscripts, 6 of which are reviews, 15 communications, 27 research articles and 3 updates. More specifically, six comprehensive, authoritative, critical, and timely reviews of different aspects of synthetic organic chemistry and catalysis have been contributed by experts in the field, such us R. Lavilla (UB), a joint review of the groups’ A. Lledó and J. Solà (UdG and IQAC-CSIC, respectively), R. Martin (ICIQ), A. Mouriño (USC), A. Moyano (UB) and R. Rios (KU). Fifteen communications about metal- and organocatalysis, including three of them related to flow chemistry are authored by the groups of L. Albrecht (TUL), J. Alemán (UAM), M. Benaglia (UniMi), G. Blay and C. Vila (UV), C. Bolm with 2 communications (RWTH Aachen), D. Bourissou (Toulouse III), J. Cornellà (Max-Planck-Institute), B. Feringa (UG), O. García-Mancheño (WWU-Münster), S. Kobayashi (UTokyo), J. L. Mascareñas and F. López (CIQUS), V. Ratovelomanana-Vidal (PSL University, CNRS UMR), M. Tortosa (UAM), S.-L. You (SIOC). Twenty-seven research articles and three updates are also included. They can be grouped into three units. The largest group covers metal-catalysis with two examples of photo-metal-catalysis (P. Barrio, UNIOVI; D. J. Cárdenas and M. T. Quirós, UAM and UAH, respectively; P. G. Cozzi, Unibo; S. Díaz-González, IC; a joint article of the group's M. Diéguez and C. Müller, URV and FUB, respectively; M. Gómez, Tolouse III; I. Larrosa, UOM; D. Maiti, IIT Bombay; F. E. McDonald, Emory University; P. Pérez, UHU; J. Pérez Sestelo, UDC; A. Roglans, UdG; D. J. Ramón, UA). The second group features research articles in the field of organo-, bio-, photo- and Lewis-acid-catalysis from the groups of M. Alcarazo (IOBC), P. Clapés and K. Hernández (IQAC-CSIC), F. Coelho, (IQ-Unicamp), E. Garcia-Verdugo (UJI), V. Gotor-Fernández (UNIOVI), J. Lassaletta (IIQ-CSIC-US), L. A. López (UNIOVI), P. Merino (UZ), a joint paper by A. Riera and A. Lledós (IRB Barcelona and UAB, respectively), T. Torres (UAM) and P. J. Walsh (UPenn). The third group of articles covers total synthesis, organic synthesis and flow chemistry contributed by the groups of J. Bosch and M. Amat (UB), a joint article by T. Noel and K. T. de Oliveira (UvA and UFSCar, respectively), S. Ötvös and C. O. Kappe (UNIGRAZ), D. Pérez (USC), C. del Pozo and M. Sánchez-Roselló (UV) and A. Urakawa (TU Delft). In addition, we have the privilege of including two very special tributes. One, prepared by three leading scientists of organic and organometallic chemistry in Spain. In this tribute, Profs. Ernesto Carmona, Javier de Mendoza and Luís A. Oro highlight the essential role played by Miquel in the creation and development of the ICIQ, including some anecdotes that reflect his personality. The second is a very personal tribute written by Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald, which clearly reflects the personality and great scientist that Miquel is. In recognition of his great merits and achievements, we are happy to present this special dedicated issue to him, with contributions from colleagues, friends, and fellow scientists. Chemistry Catalytic Alkyne Reactions ; Synthesis and Characterization of Pyrroles ; Asymmetric Synthesis and Catalysis