Quasi-Nature Catalysis:  Developing C−C Bond Formations Catalyzed by Late Transition Metals in Air and Water

Chao-Jun Li, born in 1963, received a B.S. (1983) and an M.S. (1988) from Zhengzhou University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively. He completed his Ph.D. study (1989−1992) at McGill University and was an NSERC (Canada) Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Since 1994, he has been on the faculty of Chemistry Department at Tulane University as an assistant professor, associate professor (1998), and full professor (2000−present). His current research activities are focused on green chemistry, organic reactions in water, transition-metal catalyses, and natural product syntheses.

This Account outlines the recent efforts of developing catalysis under the ambient conditions of air and water for synthetic purposes from the author's laboratory. The discussions are focused on catalytic reactions (mostly C−C bond formations) other than oxidations via late transition metals. It includes the following aspects:  (1) copper-catalyzed C−C bond formations; (2) palladium-catalyzed C−C bond formations; (3) rhodium-catalyzed C−C bond formations; (4) ruthenium-catalyzed olefin isomerizations and C−H activations. The mechanism, limitations, and synthetic applications of these reactions are also discussed.