(Invited, Digital Presentation) Molecular Nanocarbon Synthesis and Beyond

Abstract

Our goal is the creation of super molecules, innovative functional molecules with significant properties and/or beautiful molecules. To this end, we have focused on catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry with broad directions, including applications in molecular nanocarbons, pharmaceuticals, and plant/animal chemical biology, and the development of rapid molecule-assembly methods using unique catalysts. In particular, we have pioneered molecular nanocarbon science by the bottom-up synthesis of structurally uniform nanocarbons of fundamental and practical importance. Representative achievements include: (1) the development of single-step aromatic π-extension (APEX) methods for the rapid and programmable synthesis of nanocarbon molecules (Science 2018, Nature Commun. 2015, Nature Chem. 2015, Nature Commun. 2021); (2) the synthesis of carbon nanorings, nanobelts and pure nanotubes (ACIE 2009, Science 2017, Nature Chem. 2013, Nature Commun. 2018, Nature Commun. 2019, Nature Chem. 2021); and (3) the synthesis of topologically unique nanocarbons such as warped nanographenes, carbon nanocages, all-benzene catenanes, and trefoil knots (Science 2019, Nature Chem. 2013, Nature Catal. 2020). In this talk, most recent beautiful molecular nanocarbons will be presented. We will also describe about our exciting interdisciplinary research conducted at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) in Nagoya University and Institute of Chemistry in Academia Sinica, Taiwan, where we aim at developing game-changing molecules for nanocarbon-based chemical biology. By using our original rapid molecule-assembling catalysts, a number of lead compounds were rapidly discovered.