Eco-friendly Azide Synthesis

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Introduction: Nitrogen atom is a common component in every major pharmacological drug class. Up to 2020, more than 75% of drugs that are approved by the FDA and commercially available are nitrogen-containing heterocyclic moieties. However, existing processes of nitrogen introduction are not environmental-friendly due to the generation of heavy metals that are required for the synthesis of compounds. This could result in heavy metal contamination which leads to detrimental toxicity. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a more efficient, atom-economical, and environmental-friendly method for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing molecules. Technology: Georgia State University researcher has developed a method to synthesize organic azides or azide-functionalized oligomers by the reaction of an olefin. Azide is a class of chemical compounds containing three nitrogen atoms as a group. This method is environmental-friendly and atom-economical. In addition, it does not require the use of metal catalysis so this method avoids the use of toxic transition metals. This process allows the synthesis of organic azides from cheap olefin feedstocks instead of expensive pre-functionalized materials that often require multiple transformations and purification processes.