Crucial reaction of organic chemistry reviewed by Swedish and Hungarian scientists

Ruthenium-catalysed azide alkyne cycloaddition (RuAAC) is used in several areas, including medicinal chemistry, polymer synthesis, organocatalysis and supramolecular chemistry. The researchers discuss the reaction mechanism in detail and review the relevant literature in their recent study.


28 January, 2017


Heterocyclic nitrogenous compounds are frequent in nature: they are found in crucial biopolymers like RNA, DNA or proteins. They are also present in various alkaloids. Nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds (e.g. triazols) serve as the basis of synthetic chemical strategies, owing to several properties. The pharmaceutical industry uses these compounds extensively.

The ruthenium-catalysed azide alkyne cycloaddition (RuAAC) affords 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in one step and complements the more established copper-catalysed “click” reaction, providing the 1,4-isomer. The RuAAC reaction has quickly found its way into the organic chemistry toolbox and has become applicable in many different areas, such as medicinal chemistry, polymer synthesis, organocatalysis and supramolecular chemistry.

The Lendület (Momentum) Biomolecular Self-Assembly Research Group at the MTA Research Centre of Natural Sciences revealed that both 1,4- and 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole rings can be used to produce non-natural amino acids, which can serve as the basis for creating peptidomimetics, that is, peptide oligomer systems not found in nature. These compounds have considerable medicinal biology potential, as several of their properties resemble those of natural peptides and proteins, while they are resistant to metabolic enzymes, and their structure is easier to design. The recently published article discusses the mechanism of the RuACC reaction in detail, elaborating on its variations and possible uses.

Swedish and Hungarian researchers reviewed the literature from the first descriptive publications from 2005 and 2008 to the latest publications from 2016. The abstract of the article is available on this page.