RESEARCH

The Wang Group is engaged in the discovery and development of new catalytic reactions for efficient, sustainable organic synthesis. Research activities in the group focus on the development of novel catalysts, reagents, and conditions for the construction of challenging bonds and stereocenters found in products of interest to pharmaceutical and materials research.

These efforts have included the development of a new mode of catalytic C–H functionalization that leverages the enhanced acidity of molecules containing C–C multiple bonds upon π-coordination to cationic metal centers. The acidity enhancement allows for deprotonation and subsequent functionalization under mild conditions, enabling the redox-neutral and selective functionalization of substrates ranging from simple hydrocarbons (pKa ~ 30 to 45) to derivatives of pharmaceutically active compounds:

We have discovered that a range of cationic metal centers—ranging from base metals to precious metals and late transition metals to main group "poor metals"—can engage in this mode of deprotonative C–H bond cleavage and organometallic intermediate formation. Our program is focused on uncovering, understanding, and exploiting the differences in reactivity and selectivity resulting from varying the choice of metal and the ancillary ligand set attached thereto. We expect particular choices of metal/ligand to provide opportunities for stereocontrolled synthesis, polar/radical crossover reactivity, and the development of dual catalytic systems using a second transition metal catalyst.

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Recent publications

Chem. Sci. 2025, 16, 12879

Abstract: We report an iridium-catalysed stereoselective cyclisation of aryl alkynes with tethered esters and imides to give silyl-protected O,O- and N,O-acetals. The optimised conditions afford chiral 5- and 6-membered heterocycles in excellent ee and moderate to high dr and can be isolated chromatographically as single diastereomers. A variety of esters, including acetates, formates, benzoates, and pivalates, can be employed to give functionalised tetrahydrofuran derivatives. Additionally, phthalimide- and maleimide-containing substrates give stereodefined nitrogen-containing bi- and tricyclic fused-ring products with potential applications in natural product synthesis, as illustrated by the synthesis of a known intermediate en route to furopyrrolizidine alkaloid UCS1025A.

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Recent publications

ACS Catal. 2026, 16, 8846

Abstract: We report a combined experimental and computational investigation into the mechanisms of the iridium-catalyzed stereoselective propargylic C−H allylation reaction. In situ NMR, kinetic isotope effects, kinetics studies, stoichiometric experiments, and computational studies shed light on the catalytically active iridium species and the origins of the unusual diastereodivergence observed upon switching from enantiopure to racemic ligand. Specifically, the reaction conducted using enantiopure phosphoramidite ligand proceeds via a monometallic mechanism, while the use of racemic ligand favors a distinct bimetallic pathway. 

This research was conducted in collaboration with the Peng Liu group.

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