Transition-metal catalysis has transformed synthetic chemistry during past decades and will continue to provide sustainable, atom- and step-economical transformations. Though numerous progress has been made, the chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated hydrocarbons remain underdeveloped. To this end, the main project in our group is to develop new strategies and novel ligands to achieve highly efficient and highly selective borylation of hydrocarbons, which consists of four major parts:

1) Design and Synthesis of novel chiral ligands

2) Ligand enabled chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated alkenes;

3) Ligand enabled chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective functionalization of C-H bonds;

4) Application of new methods in the synthesis of bioactive compounds.

2013-2015     Boston College, Postdoc, Advisor: Prof. Shih-Yuan Liu
2010-2013     University of Oregon, Postdoc, Advisor: Prof. Shih-Yuan Liu
2009-2010     Kyoto University, Postdoc, Advisor: Prof. Keiji Maruoka
2004-2009     Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of 
                      Sciences, Ph.D., Advisors: Prof. Kuiling Ding, Prof. Xumu Zhang
2000-2004     Zhejiang Univeristy, B.Sc.

2015.3-present       Professor, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

2008  3^rd Roche Creative Chemistry Award (Roche R&D Center, Shanghai)

2015  1000 Plan Recruitment for Young Talents

2020  Thieme Chemistry Journals Award

2021  JSPS invitational Fellowship

Recent Pulications

10. Xie, T.; Chen, L.; Shen, Z.;* Xu, S.* Simple Ether-Directed Enantioselective C(sp³)-H Borylation of Cyclopropanes Enabled by Iridium Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300199.

8. Song, S.; Zhou, X.; Ke, Z.;* Xu, S.* Synthesis of Chiral Sulfoximines via Iridium-Catalyzed Regio-and Enantioselective C-H Borylation: A Remarkable Sidearm Effect of Ligand. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202217130.

7. Shi, Y.; Yang, Y.; Xu, S.* Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp³)-H Borylation of Aminocyclopropanes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202201463

6. Du, R.; Liu, L.; Xu, S.* Iridium-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective Borylation of Unbiased Methylene C(sp³)-H Bonds at the Position Beta to a Nitrogen Center. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 5843-5847

5.  Yang, Y.; Chen, L.；Xu, S.* Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Unbiased Methylene C(sp³)-H Borylation of Acyclic Amides. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 3524-3528.

4. Chen, L.; Yang, Y.; Liu, L.; Gao, Q.; Xu, S.* Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective α-C(sp³)-H Borylation of Azacycles. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142，12062-12068. 

3. Shi, Y.; Gao, Q.; Xu, S.* Chiral Bidentate Boryl Ligand Enabled Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp3)-H Borylation of Cyclopropanes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 10599-10604. 

2. Wang, G.; Liang, X.; Chen, L.; Gao, Q.; Wang, J.-G.; Zhang, P.; Peng, Q.; Xu, S.*, Iridium-Catalyzed Distal Hydroboration of Aliphatic Internal Alkenes. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 8187-8191. 

1. Zou, X.; Zhao, H.; Li, Y.; Gao, Q.; Ke, Z.; Xu, S.*, Chiral Bidentate Boryl Ligand Enabled Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric C(sp2)-H Borylation of Diarylmethylamines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 5334-5342. 

Prof. Dr. Senmiao Xu

State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation

Lanzhou Insitute of Chemical Physics

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lanzhou 730000, China

Email: senmiaoxu@licp.cas.cn