Chemistry Department Faculty

X. Peter Zhang

Professor of Chemistry

Photo of X. Peter Zhang

X. Peter Zhang

Ph.D.

Contact

Merkert Center 318

Telephone: 617-552-1483

Email: peter.zhang@bc.edu

ORCID

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests

Development of fundamentally new catalytic systems for stereoselective chemical transformations and their applications for practical synthesis of organic molecules.

Curriculum Vitae

Research

Our research program has centered on the development of fundamentally new catalytic systems for stereoselective chemical transformations and their applications for practical synthesis of organic molecules. We are particularly interested in developing one-electron catalytic approaches for homolytic radical chemistry to harness the vast potential of radical reactions for stereoselective construction of molecular structures. To this end, we have formulated 鈥淢etalloradical Catalysis鈥� (MRC) as a concept to guide the development of general approaches for controlling reactivity and selectivity of various radical processes. For achieving enantioselective radical reactions, we have developed a family of unique chiral metalloradical catalysts based on structurally well-defined Co(II) complexes of听D2-symmetric chiral porphyrins with tunable electronic, steric, and chiral environments. These Co(II)-based metalloradical catalysts have shown to be highly effective for a wide range of stereoselective organic reactions. Due to their distinctive radical mechanisms that involve unprecedented metal-stabilized radical intermediates, such as 伪-metalloalkyl radicals (also known as metallocarbene radicals) and 蓱-metalloaminyl radicals (also known as metallonitrene radicals), the Co(II)-based metalloradical systems enable addressing some long-standing challenges in these important organic transformations.

Selected Honors and Awards

  • NSF CAREER Award, 2006
  • ORAU Ralph Powe Faculty Award, 2003
  • NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1996

Representative Key Publications

  • Xie, J.-J.; Xu, P.; Zhu, Y.-L.; Wang, J.-Y.; Lee, W.-C. C.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淣ew Catalytic Radical Process Involving 1,4-Hydrogen Atom Abstraction: Asymmetric Construction of Cyclobutanones鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 111670鈥�111678. []
  • Wang, X.-X.; Ke, J.; Zhu, Y.-L.; Deb, A.; Xu, Y.-J.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淎symmetric Radical Process for General Synthesis of Chiral Heteroaryl Cyclopropanes鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 11121鈥�11129. []
  • Zhang, C.-Z.; Wang, D.-S.; Lee, W.-C. C.; McKillop, A. M.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淐ontrolling Enantioselectivity and Diastereoselectivity in Radical Cascade Cyclization for Construction of Bicyclic Structures鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 11130鈥�11140. []
  • Lee, W.-C. C.; Wang, D.-S.; Zhang, C.-Z.; Xie, J.-J.; Li, B.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淎symmetric Radical Cyclopropanation of Dehydroaminocarboxylates: Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopropyl a-Amino Acids鈥� Chem 2021, 7, 1588鈥�1601. []
  • Riart-Ferrer, X.; Sang, P.; Tao, J.-R.; Xu, H.; Jin, L.-M.; Lu, H.-J.; Cui, X.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淢etalloradical Activation of Carbonyl Azides for Enantioselective Radical Aziridination鈥� Chem 2021, 7, 1120鈥�1134. []
  • Lang, K.; Li, C.-Q.; Kim, I.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淓nantioconvergent Amination of Racemic Tertiary C-H Bonds鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20902鈥�20911. []
  • Jin, L.-M.; Xu, P.; Xie, J.-J.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淓nantioselective Intermolecular Radical C鈭扝 Amination鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20828鈥�20836. []
  • Hu, Y.; Lang, K.; Li, C.-Q.; Gill; J. B.; Kim, I.; Lu, H.-J.; Fields, K. B.; Marshall, M. K.; Cheng, Q.-G.; Cui, X.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淓nantioselective Radical Construction of 5-Membered Cyclic Sulfonamides by Metalloradical C鈭扝 Amination鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, .听
  • Lang, K.; Torker, S.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淎symmetric Induction and Enantiodivergence in Catalytic Radical C鈥揌 Amination via Enantiodifferentiative H-Atom Abstraction and Stereoretentive Radical Substitution鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 12388鈥�12396. []
  • Hu, Y.; Lang, K.; Tao, J.-R.; Marshall, M. K.; Cheng, Q.-G.; Cui, X.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淣ext-Generation D2-Symmetric Chiral Porphyrins for Cobalt(II)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis: Catalyst Engineering by Distal Bridging鈥� Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 2670鈥�2674. []
  • Li, C.-Q.; Lang, K.; Lu, H.-J.; Hu, Y.; Cui, X.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淐atalytic Radical Process for Enantioselective Amination of C(sp3)鈥揌 Bonds鈥� Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 16837鈥�16841. []
  • Wang, Y.; Wen, X.; Cui, X.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淓nantioselective Radical Cyclization for Construction of 5-Membered Ring Structures by Metalloradical C鈥揌 Alkylation鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 4792鈥�4796. []
  • Jiang, H.-L.; Lang, K.; Lu, H.-J.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. 鈥淎symmetric Radical Bicyclization of Allyl Azidoformates via Cobalt(II)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis鈥� J. Am. Chem. Soc. 听2017, 139, 9164鈥�9167. []
  • Wang, Y.; Wen, X.; Cui, X.; Wojtas, L.; Zhang, X. P. "Asymmetric Radical Cyclopropanation of Alkenes with In Situ-Generated Donor-Substituted Diazo Reagents via Co(II)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 1049鈥�1052. []

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