Copper-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions: Mechanism, Catalysis, and Applications in Life Sciences

Copper-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions: Mechanism, Catalysis, and Applications in Life Sciences

Apr 7, 2023 - 1:10 PM
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Headshot of speaker

Dr. Wei Liu, University of Cincinnati

Host: Dr. VanVeller

Owing to their many attractive characteristics, copper catalysts represent appealing alternatives to precious metal catalysts, although various limitations remain in copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Recently, we and others recognized that copper catalysis presents a powerful strategy to functionalize sp3 hybridized carbon radicals for the construction of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. In this talk, I will discuss our group's recent efforts in understanding the mechanism of copper catalysis and developing new copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.

Wei completed his undergraduate studies at Peking University under the supervision of Prof. Gu Yuan. In 2008, he moved to Princeton University for doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. John T. Groves, focusing on metalloporphyrin-catalyzed C-H halogenation reactions. Wei then joined the Chang lab at Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher. He started as an assistant professor at Miami University and moved to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati in August 2020. The research in the Liu Lab focuses on the field of catalysis, with specific interests in organic synthesis and energy conversion. We develop interdisciplinary approaches to address unsolved problems in organic synthesis and sustainable chemistry.