"Water" is the most familiar, safe, and ideal medium. However, the reactions of organic compounds, which are "oil”, in water are theoretically difficult and extremely limited.
But we have sucessfully realized many aqueous catalytic organic transformations by using amphiphilic polymer-supported transition metal catalysts, including asymmetric reactions. We have also developed a new catalyst immobilization method, "molecular convolution method”, and we are developing catalytic membranes and expanding them to micro flow devices.
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