Kazuaki Ishihara

Professor Kazuaki Ishihara leads the laboratory of catalysis in organic synthesis at the Department of Molecular & Macromolecular Chemistry, Nagoya University, Japan.

Current research interests:

Rational design of high-performance catalysts based on acid–base combination chemistry. Green & sustainable chemistry. Biomimetic chemistry

Education:

B.Eng. (1986, Prof. Hisashi Yamamoto, Nagoya University),
M.Eng. (1988, Prof. Hisashi Yamamoto, Nagoya University), Visiting Scholar (June–August 1988, Prof. Clayton H. Heathcock, University of California, Berkeley)
D.Eng. (1991, Prof. Hisashi Yamamoto, Studies on Stereoselective Reactions of Acetals, Nagoya University)
Postdoctoral Fellow (1991–1992, Prof. Elias J. Corey, Harvard University)

Awards:

2005 JSPS Prize
2007 IBM Japan Science Prize
2009 Mukaiyama Award
2011 Inoue Prize for Science
2013 The Ichimura Prizes in Technology–Contribution Prize
2015 SIS Award, 2016 Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award, Japan
2017 Prize for Science and Technology (Research Category) in the Commendation for Science and
Technology by the MEXT
2018 CSJ Award

Motto: “One who knows is no match for one who likes. One who likes is no match for one who enjoys. (子曰, 知之者不如好之者, 好之者不如樂之者.)”

Selected publications

(1) “Chemoselective oxidative generation of ortho-quinone methides and tandem transformations”
Muhammet Uyanik, Kohei Nishioka, Ryutaro Kondo, Kazuaki Ishihara*
Nat. Chem. 2020, 12(4), 353–362.

(2) “Enantioselective 1,4-addition reaction of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids with cycloalkanones using cooperative chiral amine–boronic acid catalysts”
Takahiro Horibe, Takashi Hazeyama, Yuta Nakata, Kazuki Takeda, Kazuaki Ishihara*
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59(39), 17256–17260.

(3) “Chemo- and enantioselective oxidative α-azidation of carbonyl compounds”
Muhammet Uyanik, Naoto Sahara, Mayuko Tsukahara, Yuhei Hattori, Kazuaki Ishihara*
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59(39), 17110–17117.

(4) “Enantio‐ and site‐selective α‐fluorination of N‐acyl‐3,5‐dimethylpyrazoles catalyzed by chiral π–Cu(II) complexes”
Kazuaki Ishihara,* Kazuki Nishimura, Katsuya Yamakawa
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59(40), 17641–17647.

(5) "Chemoselective transesterification of methyl (meth)acrylates catalyzed by sodium(I) or magnesium(II) aryloxides"
Jie Qi Ng, Hiro Arima, Takuya Mochizuki, Kohei Toh, Kai Matsui, Manussada Ratanasak, Jun-Ya Hasegawa*, Manabu Hatano*, Kazuaki Ishihara*
ACS Catal. 2021, 11,(1), 199–207.