| ChemComm would like to celebrate the dedicated authors who have continually published their outstanding research in our journal. In this new and ongoing feature, you can learn more about the ChemComm community and the authors who have chosen our journal for the home of their urgent Communications.
In the interview below, find out about our dedicated author, Nitin T. Patil (IISER, Bhopal) and his latest Feature Article ‘Gold and hypervalent iodine(iii): liaisons over a decade for electrophilic functional group transfer reactions‘. Read Nitin’s impactful review in our new collection ChemComm Community – Dedicated Authors. |
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Our interview with Nitin
What was the motivation for carrying out this work?
It all started when my former student Dr. Banerjee was writing the introduction for his doctoral thesis, which describes alkynylative cross-coupling reactions merging hypervalent iodine(III) chemistry and Au(I)/Au(III) catalysis. While trying to do that, we realized there existed not even a single article capturing the evolution of the decade-long association between Au-catalysis and hypervalent iodine(III) chemistry. Since our lab has contributed to this field with six reports over the years, we felt a keen interest to write an article that would not only conceptually consolidate all the literature available, but would also highlight the close association of the development of Au-catalysis with that of functional group transfer reactions employing hypervalent iodine(III) reagents.
What are the main areas of research in your laboratory?
Our lab has mainly been dedicated to the development of novel chemical transformations utilising two important modes of reactivities in gold catalysis, namely carbophilic activation and Au(I)/Au(III) catalysis. Lately, we have focused our attention on the development of novel difunctionalization reactions of C-C multiple bonds by using the interplay of these two distinct modes of reactivities. We are also developing new, efficient and sustainable ways to achieve the arduous Au(I)/Au(III) catalytic cycle to facilitate novel cross-coupling reactions.
How is gold catalysis helping chemists tackle the long-lasting challenges in the field of organic synthesis?
I believe just like every element in the periodic table, gold is unique in its own way. It brings with itself a unique set of properties that provides access to unparalleled reactivities and selectivities. Indeed, owing to the dedicated efforts of many esteemed groups working in this field, it is now quite clear that the gold catalysts exhibit excellent chemo- and regioselectivity. This has indeed provided access to a broad spectrum of chemical space that is previously unattainable.
What aspect of your research are you most excited about at the moment?
We are currently focused on the development of novel transformations using ligand-enabled Au(I)/Au(III) catalysis. I find this particular area of gold catalysis intriguing as it offers a complementary reactivity/selectivity to that obtained by other transition metal catalysis which involves classical oxidative addition/migratory insertion pathways. Though there exist some examples which clearly reflect the complementarity in reactivity/selectivity, we are excited to see if we can develop more such reactions thereby increasing the portfolio of the field.
Why did you decide to publish this work in ChemComm?
The journal covers a diverse field of chemical research and therefore I expect maximum readability of the published work. Moreover, a quick reviewing process and short processing time before publication are equally important factors. Additionally, the reviewer’s comments and editor’s decision are fair; and most importantly, authors’ appeal/rebuttals are seriously considered by the editors. It is for these reasons that during my independent research career, I have published 18 articles in this journal.
We would like to extend our thanks to Nitin for his continual support of ChemComm. Don’t miss his Feature Article in our ChemComm Community – Dedicated Authors collection.
