METOR
Room 2N-47; phone +39-081-674543 Email ruffo@unina.it;
Dr Maria Elena Cucciolito
Room 2N-43; phone +39-081-674308 Email cuccioli@unina.it;
Dr Roberto Esposito
Room 2N-46; phone +39-081-674454 Email roberto.esposito@unina.it;
Research:
Precision design of metal complexes with improved biological activity
Catalytic conversion of vegetable oils into biofuels and biochemical
Precision design of metal complexes with improved biological activity
An important application of coordination chemistry is the design and the synthesis of metal complexes with biological activity. The properties of the compounds can be controlled through the wide choice of metals, oxidation states, coordination numbers and respective geometries. Furthermore the introduction of tumor-targeting fragments into metal drugs can be a useful strategy to improve the selectivity. Within this context, our group is investigating gold(I) and platinum(II) complexes, containing modular sugar ligands. The sugar portion is widely tunable through the introduction of targeted R substituents, an option useful to control key-properties of the complexes. The linkage to the metals is realized either through nitrogen donor functions or directly via a C-glicosyl bonded carbon, an option that helps to control also the stability of the species against speciation in solution. The cytotoxic activity of the complexes, evaluated on different cell lines, demonstrates the feasibility of the approach.
Catalytic conversion of vegetable oils into biofuels and biochemical
Vegetable oils are versatile components of biomass and possess functional groups useful for many industrial applications. They are chemically similar to the aliphatic fraction of petroleum, rich of saturated and unsaturated chains. Accordingly, the activity within this frame is centred on their catalytic transformation, according to the following: - trans-esterification/esterification, for producing biofuels and biochemicals. - oxidative cleavage of the double bond of the unsaturated fatty chains, for obtaining diacids (eg azelaic acid). - conversion of residual glycerol into valuable chemicals. The project aims to prepare catalytic systems for the realization of the processes with low energy consumption and reduced environmental impact. Particular attention is paid to the development of catalysts that allow the use of raw materials of low quality, such as waste oils. Furthermore, to eliminate the problems related to corrosion, toxicity and purification of the reaction products, it is also studied their heterogeneization on matrix, in order to favour separation and recycling.
