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“The asymmetric conjugate addition has been recognized to be one of the most versatile and reliable asymmetric carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.”
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Most of my publications which have been highly cited are
concerned with rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition
reactions. The asymmetric conjugate addition has been recognized to
be one of the most versatile and reliable asymmetric carbon-carbon
bond-forming reactions. Many researchers started to work in this
research field after my publication.
What
are the circumstances which led you to your work?
Many researchers, including myself, who are interested in organic
synthesis, have been waiting for a new efficient method of forming a
carbon-carbon bond in an asymmetric manner.
How
would you describe the significance of this work for your field?
It is our general understanding that catalytic asymmetric
synthesis provides, in principle, a most efficient route to
pharmaceutical products, and the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric
1,4-addition described in the Chemical Reviews paper appeared
on the stage of organic synthesis as a new and promising method with
a broad scope.
How
much has this research advanced since you first started publishing on
it?
Since 1998, when the first publication on the rhodium-catalyzed
asymmetric 1,4-addition appeared, this research has made a great
advance. The scope of the nucleophiles and acceptors has been
widened and the selectivity has been improved. Its catalytic cycle
is now well understood.
Where
do you see this research going 10 years from now?
The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition together with its
related asymmetric reactions will keep its highly cited position
even after 10 years from now. The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric
reactions are developing year by year.
What
are the practical applications for asymmetric catalysis? Are there any
products incorporating this technique on the market at present?
Although the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric reactions provide
potentially useful methods of producing various types of
enantiomerically pure materials, they are too new to be applied to
practical production on a big scale.
n this interview, Professor Tamio Hayashi talks about his highly cited work in asymmetric catalysis. According to our Special Topics analysis of asymmetric catalysis research over the past decade, Professor Hayashi’s work ranks at #3, with 81 papers cited a total of 2,452 times. His 2003
Chemical Reviews paper, “Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition and its related asymmetric reactions,” (Hayashi T and Yamasaki K, Chemical Reviews 103:2829-44, 2003), ranks at #2 among papers published on asymmetric catalysis in the past two years. In
, Professor Hayashi’s work can be found in the field of Chemistry. Professor Hayashi is a member of the Department of Chemistry at Kyoto University’s Faculty of Science.