Catalysis and Organic Synthesis Laboratory
The Patil Research Group
Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal

Organic molecules are invariably needed to be synthesized in the laboratory to solve exponentially increasing contemporary challenges of human civilization. To solve the paradox of synthesizing the desired product with satisfactory yield and selectivity by using the least amount of valuable natural resources, the more efficient catalytic (rather than stoichiometric) pathways are meant to be adopted. In the past few decades a flock of transition metals have been extensively explored owing to their high catalytic activities. Gold, owing to its exceptional stability and magnificent lustrous property, is connected with human civilization as an emblem of beauty, wealth and power since the genesis of known history. It is this exclusive stability that might have created a perennial misconception amongst the scientific community that it is too inert to be used as a catalyst in organic reactions and was exiled as a "catalytically dead" metal. Interestingly, in the late 20th century when it is recognized as an exceptionally strong "π-Lewis acid", it has emerged as a catalyst of choice for selective activation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds. Since then the field has witnessed a renaissance in homogeneous catalysis and became a topic of intense research around the world. This proliferation of gold catalysis is generally viewed as an unexpected development and even described as a “Black Swan Event” in organic synthesis.

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Our research group is particularly fascinated towards understanding the unique reactivities of gold complexes and its execution for the development of new and elegant transformations which are either hitherto unknown or difficult to achieve by conventional transition metal catalysis. Exploiting gold’s ‘distinguished’ reactivity, our research ventures into three principal areas of interest - cascade reactions based on carbophilic activation, oxidative gold catalysis, and merged gold/metal or gold/organo-catalysis. Our endeavours are also directed towards the implementation of such initiatives that challenges the existing niche of reactivities and chemical space by availing their potential applications in material as well as biological sciences.