SOS Case Study: Enantioselective Hydroselenation of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

Chen Cui | Beijing Institute of Technology, P. R. of China

Chen Cui obtained his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) in 2017. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the group of Prof. Xiao-Hui Yang at BIT, where he works on organoselenium chemistry.

Abstract:

Selenium plays a vital role as a micronutrient in various biological processes and also exhibits unique catalytic properties in synthetic chemistry. While there has been remarkable progress in achieving asymmetric hydroselenation of activated alkenes (e.g., Michael acceptors, etc.), the catalytic asymmetric hydroselenation of unactivated alkenes and alkynes remains a significant and persistent challenge (Scheme 1). A successful transformation requires a combination of highly active catalysts, precisely tuned and optimized ligands, appropriate substrates, and other conditions.

With the assistance of Science of Synthesis, we were able to quickly obtain extensive background information and high-quality relevant literature related to this topic, thereby facilitating the efficient design of our reactions and optimization of the reaction conditions.