Young chemistry researcher to undergo training at Linz University

Tigran Yeghanyan noted that in Armenia, research in asymmetric organocatalysis was undertaken for the first time (beginning in 2021) by the Asymmetric Catalysis Research Group of the Faculty of Chemistry, of which he is also a member.

"We encountered numerous difficulties, as the topic was new and, one might say, resembled a dark room. Nevertheless, we did not despair; we continued our work and, over time, resolved the issues that arose. Some of the results of this research have been included in my PhD dissertation. The findings have also been published in two international articles. This program will allow me to further advance my skills in the field of asymmetric organocatalysis and, in the future, to pass on the knowledge I acquire to the next generation," he said.

Over the course of three years, under the leadership of Armen Galstyan, Head of the Asymmetric Catalysis Research Group of the Faculty of Chemistry, the researchers have synthesized more than 300 substances and are currently studying their catalytic activity.

In the interview with us, Armen Galstyan stressed the significance of this work, noting that, for example, if a medicine contains a mixture of two different geometric forms of a molecule, that medicine may be harmful to human health.

"We have designed and synthesized numerous tools with various structures and are testing them in different reactions. Many reactions produce one or several geometric forms of molecules. Our goal is to obtain the geometric form with the structure we prefer. In other words, we introduce the synthesized molecules into reactions as asymmetric catalysts and observe whether the reaction proceeds in the form we intend—whether it yields a single geometric form or predominantly favors one form," he explained.  

Speaking about asymmetric organocatalysis and presenting the work he intends to carry out abroad, young researcher Tigran Yeghanyan said, "Some substances and molecules are like our right and left hands—meaning that, in structure, they are mirror images of each other (enantiomers). Although they have the same structure, they are not superimposable. At first glance, this difference appears minor, yet their coexistence can have a significant impact on the human organism. Very often, one of these forms may have a therapeutic effect, while the other may have a negative one." 

He further noted that this is because only one of these forms naturally exists in the human organism.

"Classical organic synthesis yields a mixture of the two forms, which are difficult to separate. Asymmetric organocatalysis makes it possible, through the use of small organic molecules (organocatalysts), to obtain only one of the enantiomers or a mixture strongly dominated by one of them," the YSU researcher said.

Tigran Yeghanyan will study at Johannes Kepler University Linz how to design organocatalysts for various asymmetric reactions. He will undergo training there in June and July of 2026.