AI meets green chemistry: Freiburg team targets cleaner amidations
Date: 29-Oct-2025
A research team at the University of Freiburg, led by Dr Tobias Schnitzer, is using Artificial Intelligence to develop boronic acid-catalysed amidation reactions that avoid toxic reagents, run in sustainable solvents, and require far less energy. The Vector Foundation is funding the project with £1.5 million over six years.
Image credit: Klaus Polkowski / University of Freiburg
Why amidation needs a rethink
About 16% of all reactions in the chemical industry are amidations. They underpin pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, polymers, and fine chemicals like dyes and fragrances.
Conventional processes often rely on chlorination and coupling reagents that are toxic, explosive, or corrosive, and they use solvents that are hard to degrade. The result: high energy use and large volumes of hazardous waste.
The approach: boronic acid catalysis + AI
The team is assembling a large, structurally diverse library of boronic acid catalysts and screening them in high throughput for catalytic activity. Those measurements become training data for an AI model that predicts the properties and activity of hundreds of thousands of additional candidates-without having to synthesize or test each one.
This shortens cycle time, cuts energy consumption in development, and reduces chemical waste before scale-up even starts.
Targets and technical outcomes
- Amidation at room temperature
- Sustainable, bio-based solvents
- Water as the only by-product
- Broad substrate scope across "any starting materials"
- Lower costs and minimal waste
"Our goal is the AI-driven development of an amidation process in which water is the only by-product, which is cost-effective and can significantly improve resource efficiency in the chemical industry," says Schnitzer. He adds that the work makes a measurable contribution to the United Nations' sustainability goals and can help shift chemistry's image toward a clean, solution-oriented discipline.
Funding and broader impact
The Vector Foundation's support positions the project to deliver a practical pathway to greener synthesis at industrial scale. The objectives align with established green chemistry principles and global sustainability targets.
About the Vector Foundation
Founded in 2011, the Vector Foundation supports around 170 projects each year with approximately twelve million euros and has invested more than 100 million euros in charitable work. Its focus areas are research, education, and social engagement in Baden-Württemberg, with priorities in scientific and technical research, STEM education, and initiatives addressing homelessness and youth unemployment.
About Dr Tobias Schnitzer
Dr Schnitzer leads the Target-selective Catalysis research group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Freiburg, since 2023. He has received a Liebig Fellowship from the Chemical Industry Fund, the Eugen Graetz Prize from the University of Freiburg, and is part of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation's Elite Programme for Postdoctoral Researchers.
For researchers: what to watch
- AI-surrogate models to guide catalyst design and prioritize synthesis
- Lower E-factors through benign reagents and solvent selection
- Room-temperature amidations that preserve sensitive functionality
- Potential for late-stage functionalization and streamlined process development
Contact
Office of University and Science Communications
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-4302
kommunikation@zv.uni-freiburg.de
If you're building AI skills for lab and process development, explore curated programs for scientists and R&D teams: AI courses by job.
Your membership also unlocks:
