News & Events

Proton Transfer Mechanisms and Developing Ring Formation Reactions

Date: 
Monday, August 13, 2018 - 14:00 to 15:00
Speaker: 
Prof. Zhi-Xiang Yu
Affiliation: 
Peking University
Event Category: 
Seminar - Seminar
Host: 
Jason Hein
Location: 
Chemistry D200

Abstract: 

This talk will include two parts. In part I, mechanisms of [1,n]-proton shifts for carbanions, which have been found in many reactions such as Lu-[3+2] reaction, carbene's insertion into OH, NH bonds, benzyne' reactions with amines, will be discussed. In part II, several Rh-catalyzed cycloadditions such as [5+2+1], [7+1], [5+2], [3+2], [3+2+1] reactions of vinylcyclopropanes (acting as 5-C or 3-C synthon) with alkenes/alkynes/allenes (2-C synthon), CO(1-C synthon) for the synthesis of ring compounds will be presented. Also applications of [3+2+1] reaction in total syntheses of natural products such as galanthamine, clovandione will be elucidated.

 

Zhi-Xiang Yu  obtained his BS (Wuhan U.,1991), MS (Peking U.,1997) and Ph.D. (the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, 2001). After a three-year postdoctoral study at University of California, Los Angeles, he joined the faculty of Peking University as an associate professor in 2004 and was promoted to a full professor in 2008. With a research philosophy of “chem is try computationally and experimentally”, his laboratory focuses on application of computational and synthetic organic chemistry to study reaction mechanisms, develop new reactions and catalysts, and apply the new reactions discovered from his group to synthesize natural and non-natural products.