PFI-TT: New metal scavengers for metal recycling and sustainable chemical manufacturing

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project includes sustainable chemical synthesis and more cost-effective chemical manufacturing. Recovery of metals will have a direct impact in the pharmaceutical sector by assisting compliance with regulatory requirements related to trace metals in pharmaceutical ingredients. This new approach will help lower the cost of the drug development process. Furthermore, entrepreneurship training for the next generation of leaders in commercialization of technologies is proposed, through the grant activity and a formal training program. This broader impact will enhance human resources for future technology transfer by helping chemistry graduate students envision an entrepreneurial career. Lastly, metals play a vital role in the US economy and in defense. The declaration of certain essential metals needed by the federal government is expected to increase the demand for sustainable practices in the recovery, recycling, and reuse of these metals. Since isocyanides are strong binding ligands, they have the potential to affect other markets such as commodity chemicals and metal recycling, where current scavengers have limited impact due to their ineffectiveness and high cost. This project has the potential to impact a larger market segment of the economy, and result in a more efficient and sustainable chemical manufacturing. The proposed project develops isocyanide-based scavengers for sustainable chemical synthesis. Scavengers allow precious metals to be recovered and recycled. Metals are widely used in the chemical industry as catalysts for cost effective chemical production. In this proposal, five new solid supported isocyanide scavengers will be produced in large scale and sold in the market, with emphasis on the pharmaceutical industry. A streamlined two step synthesis was validated and allowed the estimation of a significantly reduced cost on production scale. This cost decrease is projected to allow the new scavengers to be cost-competitive with existing technology, stimulating market uptake. In addition to the polystyrene-based and silica gel-based isocyanides, a cartridge will be developed to aid in the rapid screening of scavengers, facilitating comparisons by a validated practice. Preliminary data show that the currently developed gel-supported isocyanide proposed in this project was superior to existing technologies, suggesting that this technology will be highly competitive in the marketplace. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.