Professor of Chemistry
Merkert Center 318
Telephone: 617-552-1483
Email: peter.zhang@bc.edu
ORCID
Development of fundamentally new catalytic systems for stereoselective chemical transformations and their applications for practical synthesis of organic molecules.
Our research program focuses on the development of fundamentally new catalytic systems for stereoselective chemical transformations and their applications in practical organic synthesis. We are particularly interested in metalloradical catalysis (MRC), a concept that employs open-shell transition-metal complexes as one-electron catalysts to generate and control reactive organic radicals. Our studies have established structurally well-defined Co(II) porphyrin complexes, including D鈧�-symmetric chiral amidoporphyrins, as effective metalloradical catalysts for a broad range of stereoselective radical transformations. These reactions proceed through metal-entangled organic radicals, such as 伪-Co(III)-alkyl and 伪-Co(III)-aminyl radicals, enabling new approaches to cyclopropanation, C鈥揌 functionalization, cyclization, and related bond-forming processes. More recently, we have expanded MRC to Fe(III)-based systems, including the development of catalytic radical processes involving 伪-Fe(IV)-alkyl and 伪-Fe(IV)-aminyl radical intermediates for cyclopropanation and C鈥揌 amination. Through the design of new open-shell catalysts and mechanistic understanding of their radical intermediates, we seek to address long-standing challenges in reactivity, chemoselectivity, and stereoselectivity in organic synthesis.
路听 Lee, W.-C. C.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淢etalloradical Catalysis: General Approach for Controlling Reactivity and Selectivity of Homolytic Radical Reactions鈥� Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202320243. []
路听 Xu, P.; Wang, D.-S.; Zhu, Z.-Y.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淓nantioselective Radical Dearomative Conjugate Amination Enabled by Co(II)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis鈥� Nat. Catal. 2025, 8, 1051鈥�1061. []
路听 听Lee, W.-C. C.; Wang, D.-S.; Zhu, Y.-L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淚ron(III)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis for Asymmetric Cyclopropanation via Stepwise Radical Mechanism鈥� Nat. Chem. 2023, 15, 1569鈥�1580. []
路听 Xu, P.; Xie, J.-J.; Wang, D.-S.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淢etalloradical Approach for Concurrent Control in Intermolecular Radical Allylic C鈭扝 Amination鈥� Nat. Chem. 2023, 15, 498鈥�507. []
路听 听Lang, K.; Hu, Y.; Lee, W.-C. C.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淐ombined Radical and Ionic Approach for The Enantioselective Synthesis of b-Functionalized Amines from Alcohols鈥� Nat. Synth. 2022, 1, 548鈥�557. []
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