Research Projects

The proposed research aims to advance the field of asymmetric catalysis by developing innovative organoselenium-based methodologies for unactivated olefin functionalization, addressing critical challenges in modern synthetic chemistry. While asymmetric organocatalysis is celebrated for its environmental sustainability, operational simplicity, and cost-effectiveness, its substrate scope is often limited to compounds with specific polar functional groups, such as carbonyl or nitro groups. This limitation restricts its broader utility in synthetic applications. For example, unactivated olefins are not ideal substrates for organocatalysis due to the challenge in achieving effective catalyst-substrate interactions. However, unactivated olefin functionalization is a pivotal transformation in organic synthesis, enabling the direct modification of simple alkenes into valuable products essential for constructing complex molecular architectures. The existing methodologies largely depend on metal-based catalysts such as palladium, platinum, rhodium, and nickel which, despite their efficiency, are associated with significant drawbacks, including high cost, toxicity, environmental hazards, recycling difficulties, and limited compatibility with sensitive functional groups. This research aims to overcome these limitations by introducing organoselenium catalysis as a sustainable, metal-free alternative for unactivated olefin functionalization. Building on recent advances in selenium catalysis, which exploit selenium's unique electronic and bonding properties, the project seeks to design chiral electrophilic selenium catalysts capable of mediating a range of enantioselective transformations, including oxidative carbofunctionalization, tethered oxidative amination, aza-cyclization, and olefin difunctionalization. These transformations will facilitate the direct and stereoselective synthesis of valuable chiral building blocks, which are crucial intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, bioactive natural products, and fine chemicals. By introducing new reactivity patterns and selectivity principles, this project promises to broaden the synthetic utility of organoselenium catalysis while addressing pressing limitations in asymmetric synthesis. The outcomes will provide a sustainable framework for olefin functionalization, reinforcing the potential of organocatalysis in environmentally friendly and cost-effective synthetic chemistry.