Speaker: Prof. Takahiko Akiyama

Affiliation: Gakushuin University

Time: 13:30–14:50, June 25, 2025

Venue: Lecture Hall, 2nd Floor, Building 6, Zhangjiang Campus

Host: Prof. Chen Zhu (Distinguished Professor)

Abstract

Our group developed chiral phosphoric acid derived from (R)-BINOL as a chiral Brønsted acid in 2004. We have reported a range of chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed enantioselective reaction.  In this lecture, we will focus on the reactions realized by the combination of chiral phosphoric acid catalysis and photocatalysis.

Brief introduction

Takahiko Akiyama was born in Okayama, Japan in 1958. He graduated in 1980 and received his Ph.D. degree in 1985 from the University of Tokyo. After working at Shionogi Research Laboratories, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., as a research chemist, he was appointed as an assistant professor at Ehime University in 1988. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University in 1992−1993, where he worked with Professor Barry M. Trost. He joined Gakushuin University as an associate professor in 1994 and was promoted to professor in 1997. He is a recipient of the Chemical Society of Japan Award for Creative Work (2009), SSOCJ(The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan) Daiichi-Sankyo Award for Medicinal Organic Chemistry (2009), and Nagoya Silver Medal (2012), Humboldt Research Award (2016), ACS, Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2016), and Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award, Japan (2017). His current research interests include the development of new and useful synthetic methodologies based on the design of novel chiral Brønsted-acid catalysts as well as the utilization of transition-metal catalysts.