Prof. Dr. Benjamin List
Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1
D-45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Phone +49-208-306-2410
Fax +49-208-306-2999
E-mail: list@mpi-muelheim.mpg.de

Administrative Assistant: Inge Sander, Phone +49-208-306-2411
Resaerch:

• New Synthetic Methodologies,
• Asymmetric Catalysis,
• Organocatalysis,
• Bioorganic Chemistry,
•  Natural Product Synthesis

Awards

2007 OBC-Lecture Award
2007 Award of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (Silver)
2006 100 Masterminds of Tomorrow, Germany
2006 JSPS Fellowship Award, Japan
2005 Novartis Young Investigator Award
2005 AstraZeneca European Lecturer 2005
2005 Visiting Professor at Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
2005 The Society of Synthetic Chemistry, Japan: 2005 Lectureship Award 
2004 Lieseberg-Price of the University of Heidelberg 
2004 Lecturer’s Award of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie
2004 Degussa Price for Chiral Chemistry
2003 Carl-Duisberg-Memorial Award of the German Chemical Society
2000 Synthesis-Synlett Journal Award
1997 Feodor-Lynen Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
1994 NaFöG-Award from the City of Berlin

Organocatalysis

Inventing new strategies for the development of "perfect chemical reactions" that approach 100% yield, while not requiring toxic solvents, protecting groups, heating, cooling, or inert gas atmosphere is the ultimate goal of our research. We approach this goal using selective catalysis based on small organic molecules. This area has recently become a goldmine for the discovery of new reactivity.

Remarkably, while Chemists use mostly metal-based catalysts, half of all enzymes are metal-free. In recent years however, it has been demonstrated that small organic molecules can be as efficient and selective as the more commonly used metal-based catalysts. An “explosive” research activity in this new area of Organocatalysis resulted and we propose that it will ultimately complement existing strategies for selective catalysis such as biocatalysis and transition metal catalysis.

We explore small-molecule amines as asymmetric catalysts for carbonyl transformations. “Asymmetric Aminocatalysis” functions by activating carbonyl compounds as iminium ions and enamines using a catalytic amount of an amine. Our strategy complements existing catalytic methods based on chiral acids and bases that typically involve metals. One of the oldest and most famous asymmetric aminocatalytic reactions is the Hajos-Parrish-Eder-Sauer-Wiechert-cyclization, a proline-catalyzed enantiogroup-differentiating intramolecular aldol reaction that has been invented at Roche and Schering. On the basis of this reaction and lessons we learned form studying aldolase enzymes and antibodies we discovered the first asymmetric proline-catalyzed intermolecular aldol reaction in 2000. In this direct asymmetric aldol reaction, unmodified carbonyl compounds give aldols in good yields and up to >99% ee.

Since then, we realized that enamine catalysis has the potential to be a general strategy for the catalytic utilization of carbanion equivalents and have discovered several other proline-catalyzed reactions: The first direct asymmetric Mannich reaction (2000), the first direct asymmetric intermolecular Michael reaction (2001), a novel three-component reaction ("carba-acetalization", 2001), the first direct asymmetric alpha-amination (2002), and the first direct asymmetric enolexo aldolization (2003). In 2004 we have extended this strategy to the first catalytic asymmetric aldehyde alpha-alkylation and intramolecular Michael reactions. A very recent discovery has been the first example of a completely metal-free, organocatalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation.

List教授是被Max-Planck Institute的 Reetz教授从 The Scripps Research Institute挖来的。
Chemical Review 2007, 107. vol.12的 Guest Editor，推荐大家好好阅读一下这一期的Chem. Rev.

个人主页
http://www.mpi-muelheim.mpg.de/kofo/english/mpikofo_home_e.html

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以上来自麦兜

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