Data-led Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction Optimization: Development of a Short Course for Postgraduate Synthetic Chemists

TY - JOUR

T1 - Data-led Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction Optimization

T2 - Development of a Short Course for Postgraduate Synthetic Chemists

AU - Smith, Stuart

AU - Franklin, Barnabas

AU - Horbaczewskyj, Christopher S.

AU - Metcalf, James

AU - Walder, Jacob

AU - O'Brien, Peter Andrew

AU - Fairlamb, Ian James Stewart

N1 - © 2025 The Authors.

PY - 2025/1/22

Y1 - 2025/1/22

N2 - A two-day workshop activity is described in which postgraduate students are introduced to (i) the theory and application of Design-of-Experiments (DOE) approaches, and (ii) the implementation of affordable automation technologies and related data analysis of a system of catalytic interest. This work involved design and delivery of a short lecture to introduce the theory of DOE followed by practical demonstrations of the application of automation technologies. Specifically, a fractional factorial design was used to interrogate the input space – base, solvent, temperature, time – of the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling (SMCC) of para-bromoanisole and para-fluorophenylboronic acid using automated solid and liquid handling robots and online HPLC analysis. This was supplemented by a second lecture following data acquisition in which the collected HPLC data was analyzed. The workshop was delivered to a cohort of 15 students at postgraduate level. Pleasingly, students demonstrated a high degree of engagement with this course structure and reported increased theoretical understanding of Design-of-Experiments approaches to reaction optimization.

AB - A two-day workshop activity is described in which postgraduate students are introduced to (i) the theory and application of Design-of-Experiments (DOE) approaches, and (ii) the implementation of affordable automation technologies and related data analysis of a system of catalytic interest. This work involved design and delivery of a short lecture to introduce the theory of DOE followed by practical demonstrations of the application of automation technologies. Specifically, a fractional factorial design was used to interrogate the input space – base, solvent, temperature, time – of the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling (SMCC) of para-bromoanisole and para-fluorophenylboronic acid using automated solid and liquid handling robots and online HPLC analysis. This was supplemented by a second lecture following data acquisition in which the collected HPLC data was analyzed. The workshop was delivered to a cohort of 15 students at postgraduate level. Pleasingly, students demonstrated a high degree of engagement with this course structure and reported increased theoretical understanding of Design-of-Experiments approaches to reaction optimization.

U2 - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01194

DO - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01194

M3 - Article

SN - 0021-9584

VL - 102

SP - 697

EP - 703

JO - JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

JF - JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

IS - 2

ER -