Nature inspired catalytic systems using sulfonamido-phosphorus based complexes: Increasing complexity in transition metal catalysis

Most industrial transformations include at least one catalytic step, as catalysis allows the reduction of waste and reduces the energy consumption. Driven by economic and environmental concerns, chemists are making constant efforts to develop ever-more efficient catalysts. Enzymes, catalysts found in living organisms, are great sources of inspiration for scientists as they are able to catalyze chemical reactions in a clean way. Contrary to "traditional" synthetic catalysts, natural enzymes are not isolated molecules, but they are elements of complex systems, namely, living organisms. Each part of a biologic complex system has a well-defined role and interacts with other parts in a well-defined way. The challenge for synthetic chemists is to mimic this high level of organization, in order to achieve the emergence of new properties or of new catalytic reactions that would be otherwise impossible, or to improve known catalyzed transformation. The contributions reported in this thesis represent further steps towards the mimicking of some aspects of natural catalytic systems, especially their complex behaviors. This work shows that by embracing the notion of complexity, new approaches can be defined which results exceed those of traditional approaches. As the subject of complexity barely overlaps with chemistry yet, we believe this thesis will contribute to the establishment of a better defined conceptual framework for complexity in catalysis. It is anticipated that in the future, a bigger importance will be given to the understanding and the design of increasingly complex synthetic catalytic systems enabling cleaner technologies for a sustainable industry.