Chemistry Department Faculty

Amir H. Hoveyda

Professor of Chemistry; Patricia and Joseph T. '49 Vanderslice Millennium Chair

Photo of Amir H. Hoveyda

Amir H. Hoveyda

Ph.D.

Contact

Merkert Center 303

Telephone: 617-552-3618

Email: amir.hoveyda@bc.edu

Education

  • B.A., Columbia University
  • Ph.D., Yale University

Research Interests

Complex molecule total synthesis (testing our catalysts), study of reaction mechanism (how do our catalysts work?) and new approaches to catalyst discovery.

Research

We discover, design and develop new catalysts for chemical synthesis that are easily prepared, are stable to air and moisture and can be recycled. We introduce efficient new chiral catalysts that can be used to synthesize important enantiomerically pure compounds for the preparation of biologically and medicinally active agents. Our focus is on transformations that are truly important (such as conjugate additions and olefin metathesis), but cannot be catalyzed efficiently by existing methods. We are interested in complex molecule total synthesis (testing our catalysts), study of reaction mechanism (how do our catalysts work?) and new approaches to catalyst discovery (combinatorial chemistry).

Selected Honors and Awards

  • Yamada-Koga Prize, 2010
  • American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Organic Synthesis, 2014
  • Eni Award, 2014
  • American Chemical Society H. C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods, 2020

Representative Key Publications

  • Nguyen, T. T.; Koh, M. J.; Shen, X.; Romiti, F.; Schrock, R. R.; Hoveyda, A. H. Kinetically E-Selective Olefin Metathesis Reactions. Science 2016, 352, 569.
  • Koh, M. J.; Nguyen, T. T.; Lam, J. K.; Torker, S.; Hyvl, J.; Schrock, R. R.; Hoveyda, A. H. Molybdenum Chloride Catalysts for Challenging Z-Selective Olefin Metathesis Reactions. Nature 2017, 542, 80.
  • Zhang, S.; del Pozo, J.; Romiti, F.; Mu, Y.; Torker, S.; Hoveyda, A. H. Delayed Catalyst Function Enables Direct Enantioselective Conversion of Nitriles to NH 2 -Amines. Science 2019, 364, 45.
  • Huang, Y.; Li, X.; Mai, B. K.; Tonogai, E. J.; Smith, A. J.; Hergenrother, P. J.; Liu, P.; Hoveyda, A. H. A Catalytic Process Enables Efficient and Programmable Access to Precisely Altered Indole Alkaloids. Nat.Chem. 2024, 16, 1003.
  • Ng, S.; Howshall, C.; Ho, T. H.; Mai, B. K.; Zhou, Y.; Qin, C.; Tee, K. Z.; Liu, P.; Romiti, F. ; Hoveyda, A. H. Catalytic Prenyl Conjugate Additions for Synthesis of Enantiomerically Enriched PPAPs. Science 2024, 386, 167鈥�175.
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