Professor Junichiro Yamaguchi (Waseda University)

Title: "Exploring Ring Transformation: Opening, Formation, and Swapping of Cyclic Structures"

Abstract:
Cyclic structures, such as benzene and heterocycles, are fundamental motifs in organic molecules. In this lecture, I will present three synthetic strategies that dramatically remodel such cyclic frameworks: (1) a ring-opening of cyclic amines via photoredox catalysis and Lewis acid activation; (2) a ring-formation method using in situ generated ortho-quinodimethanes for polycycle construction; and (3) a heteroaromatic swapping transformation that enables replacement of aromatic rings in ketones through a Claisen/retro-Claisen sequence. These approaches provide new tools for precise and modular skeletal editing.

Biography:
Junichiro Yamaguchi earned a B.S. in 2002 from Tokyo University of Science and then a Ph.D. in 2007 under the direction of Prof. Yujiro Hayashi. Following postdoctoral studies with Prof. Phil S. Baran at The Scripps Research Institute, he began his career at Nagoya University in 2008 as an assistant professor working with Prof. Kenichiro Itami, and was promoted to associate professor in 2012. He moved to Waseda University in 2016 as a principal investigator and was promoted to full professor in 2018.
His research focuses on synthetic organic chemistry. He has received several awards, including the MEXT Young Scientists’ Prize (2017), the FACS Distinguished Young Chemist Award, and the Mukaiyama Award (2024).