Laboratory of Asymmetric Catalysis

Our laboratory’s research is aimed at the development of new methodologies for synthetic organic chemistry. The central focus of our work is directed toward the use of efficient chiral catalysts that can deliver products in high enantiopurity, which is a prerequisite for present-day pharmaceutical applications. We work in three major areas: asymmetric organocatalysis, organometallic chemistry, and computational chemical modelling.

We are principally interested in new chemical reactions that can be promoted by two families of nucleophilic catalysts, namely, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and phosphines. An important area of our research is the development of reactions involving a cooperative (synergistic) catalysis by a NHC/phosphine and a transition metal. Combining well-known reactivities of organometallic species with novel modes of activation offered by the nucleophilic catalysts lets us have the best of both worlds, allowing currently impossible reactions to occur. We make extensive use of modern computational methods to investigate reaction mechanisms and the origins of various selectivities displayed by catalytic processes, as well as to design new efficient chiral catalysts and fine-tune their structure.

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