Organic Chemistry

The Organic Chemistry group at the University of Sassari comes from an established background in organic synthesis, particularly in the development of new methodologies and the use of carbanions. Recently, the group has expanded its expertise with the use of organic catalysts or with non-noble metals, photoactivated reactions, and the use of unconventional solvents. The development of new methodologies has made it possible to improve the environmental impact of syntheses and to apply them to compounds of renewable origin to obtain materials and products with new characteristics in technological and biomedical fields.

Active lines of research currently include:

- development of new synthesis methods using noble metal-free catalysts, photochemical activation and employing low-toxic and easily recyclable solvents;

- transformation of small molecules from renewable sources, such as glycerol, glucose and their derivatives; 

- transformation of triglycerides through transesterification, epoxidation and other reactions;

- cellulose functionalization;

- synthesis, including products of renewable origin, of compounds capable of binding non-canonical structures of DNA/RNA

Lidia De Luca (ldeluca@uniss.it), Professore Ordinario, SSD CHEM-05/A, ORCID 0000-0001-7211-9076, Scopus ID 7201912382

 Silvia Gaspa (sgaspa@uniss.it), Ricercatore Tempo Determinato A, SSD CHEM-05/A, ORCID 0000-0002-5744-4134, Scopus ID 55793650300

Luigi Pinna (pinna@uniss.it), Ricercatore Universitario, SSD CHEM-05/A, ORCID 0000-0002-5223-2255 , Scopus ID 7101882976

Luisa Pisano (luisa@uniss.it), Ricercatore Universitario, SSD CHEM-05/A, ORCID 0000-0003-2782-5400 , Scopus ID 7003825027

Massimo Carraro (mcarraro@uniss.it), Ricercatore Universitario, SSD CHEM-05/A, ORCID 0000-0003-2712-6132 , Scopus ID 57213633007

Madan Mohan Urma, Dottorando SSD CHEM-05/A

1. Pisano, L.; Satta, G.; Azzena, U.; De Luca, L.; Gaspa, S.; Primozic, J.J.; Carraro, M. Synthesis of Beta-Enaminoketones and Enaminoesters Catalyzed by Brønsted Acids Ammonium Chloride and Glycine Hydrochloride. ChemistrySelect 2025, 10, e02686, https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202502686
2. Satta, G.; Trajkovski, M.; Cantara, A.; Mura, M.; Meloni, C.; Olla, G.; Dobrovolná, M.; Pisano, L.; Gaspa, S.; Salis, A.; De Luca, L.; Mocci, F.; Brazda, V.; Plavec, J.; Carraro, M. Complex Biophysical and Computational Analyses of G-Quadruplex Ligands: The Porphyrin Stacks Back. Chemistry – A European Journal 2024, e202402600. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202402600
3. Silvia Gaspa, Luca Ledda, David d’Atri, Andrea Porcheddu, Luisa Pisano, Massimo Carraro, Lidia De Luca “A Visible-Light Driven Esterification of Aldehydes Catalyzed by VOSO4” Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis, 2023, 365, 508-514. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsc.202201134
4. Silvia Gaspa, Giuseppe Sciortino, Andrea Porcheddu, Chiara Dell’Osa, Giuseppe Satta, Ugo Azzena, Luisa Pisano, Massimo Carraro, Daniele Sanna, Eugenio Garribba, Feliu Maseras, Lidia De Luca “Oxidovanadium(IV) sulfate catalyses light-driven C–N bond formation” Molecular Catalysis, 2023,541, 113054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcat.2023.113054
5. Silvia Gaspa, Andrea Farina, Mariella Tilocca, Andrea Porcheddu, Luisa Pisano, Massimo Carraro, Ugo Azzena, Lidia De Luca “Visible-Light Photoredox-Catalyzed Amidation of Benzylic Alcohols” Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2020, 85, 11679 – 11687. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.joc.0c01320
6. Polese, R.; Pintus, E.; Nuvoli, L.; Tiana, M.; Pintus, S.; Satta, G.; Beccu, A.; Gaspa, S.; Carraro, M.; De Luca, L.; Azzena, U.; Pisano, L. Aquivion Perfluorosulfonic Superacid as an Effective Catalyst for Selective Epoxidation of Vegetable Oils. Royal Society Open Science 2022, 9 (4), 211554. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211554 

PRIN PNRR, by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU- Project Title: The Second Life of Posidonia Oceanica: Sustainability-guided Isolation and Valorization of its Main Constituents. Responsabile: Professoressa Lidia De Luca

• Cellulose functionalization
• Synthesis, including products of renewable origin, of compounds capable of binding DNA/RNA
• Development of new sustainable synthetic methodologies, mediated by visible light, metal-free and photo-catalyzed