Benjamin List
2017; Wiley; Volume: 57; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Finlandês
10.1002/anie.201711047
ISSN1521-3773
Tópico(s)Chemical synthesis and alkaloids
ResumoAngewandte Chemie International EditionVolume 57, Issue 1 p. 30-31 Author ProfileFree Access Benjamin List First published: 08 December 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201711047Citations: 3AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract “My science ‘heroes’ are James Watson and Francis Crick, Emil Fischer, Albert Einstein, Max Planck. The secret of being a successful scientist is unknown to me; but it may have something to do with loving what you do ...” This and more about Benjamin List can be found on page 30. Benjamin List The author presented on this page has published more than 50 articles in Angewandte Chemie in the last 10 years, including: “1,1,3,3-Tetratriflylpropene (TTP): A Strong, Allylic C−H Acid for Brønsted and Lewis Acid Catalysis”: D. Höfler, M. van Gemmeren, P. Wedemann, K. Kaupmees, I. Leito, M. Leutzsch, J. B. Lingnau, B. List, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 1411; Angew. Chem. 2017, 129, 1433. The work of B. List has been featured on the cover of Angewandte Chemie: “Design and Enantioselective Synthesis of Cashmeran Odorants by Using ‘Enol Catalysis’”: I. Felker, G. Pupo, P. Kraft, B. List, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 1960; Angew. Chem. 2015, 127, 1983. Date of birth: January 11, 1968 Position: Director, Max Planck Institute for Coal Research; Honorary Professor, University of Cologne E-mail: list@kofo.mpg.de Homepage: http://www.kofo.mpg.de/en/research/homogeneous-catalysis- ORCID: 0000-0002-9804-599X Education: 1993 Diploma, Freie Universität Berlin 1997 PhD supervised by Johann Mulzer, University of Frankfurt 1997–1998 Postdoctoral position with Richard Lerner, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla Awards: 2003 Carl Duisberg Memorial Award, GDCh; 2007 AstraZeneca Research Award, AstraZeneca; 2012 Otto Bayer Prize, Bayer Foundation; 2013 Horst Pracejus Prize, GDCh; 2013 Mukaiyama Award, Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan; 2014 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, ACS; 2016 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, German Research Foundation Research: New concepts for chemical synthesis and catalysis Hobbies: Yoga, tennis, fine cuisine My science “heroes” are James Watson and Francis Crick, Emil Fischer, Albert Einstein, Max Planck. The secret of being a successful scientist is unknown to me; but it may have something to do with loving what you do. My favorite name reaction is the Hell–Volhard–Zelinsky reaction, co-invented by my great-great-grandfather Jacob Volhard. If I had one year of paid leave I would stay where I am. In the future I see myself being happy. The most important thing I learned from my students is that enthusiasm makes everything possible. The principal aspect of my personality is to be at ease. What I appreciate most about my friends is humor, beauty, and intelligence. My favorite painter is Nikolaus List. My favorite composers are Bach (and of course Brahms!). The natural talent I would like to be gifted with is the ability to play the guitar like Mark Knopfler. When I was eighteen I wanted to be a chemist! I am waiting for the day when someone will discover a synthetic equivalent of the “alanine scan” in proteins: a programmable, automatic and completely selective exchange of any desired C−H group in a given molecule into a C−CH3 group. Chemistry is fun because we make the things that change the world. Young people should study chemistry because of the above. Last time I went to the pub I drew molecules on the beer coaster. My favorite drink is 1990 Château Latour. If I were a car I would be a middle-aged Jaguar XJ (more realistically a Volvo 1988 245DL). My first experiment was mixing gunpowder. I advise my students to choose your problem wisely; you may actually solve it! How has your approach to chemistry research changed since the start of your career? In the beginning, I was eager to develop new concepts and establish my own field—just for the sake of it, but perhaps also hoping for some recognition. This sometimes led (and still occasionally leads) to questionable projects, in which it is less about the relevance of the problem we work on, but more about the fact that we can actually solve it. In the meantime, I became more selective in choosing the topics we work on. I want to creatively contribute to solving important chemical problems. How do you think your field of research will evolve over the next 10 years? Chemical synthesis appears to be less fashionable for the current younger generation. But I think this trend is just a phase. There will always be a need for people who design, understand, and make molecules. Moreover, catalysis research will be vital to solving some of the grand challenges of humanity, including climate change, antibiotic resistance, nutrition, energy, and transportation. So ultimately, chemical synthesis and catalysis will continue improving the world; not only for the coming ten years but also far beyond that. My 5 top papers: 1“Proline-Catalyzed Direct Asymmetric Aldol Reactions”: B. List, R. A. Lerner, C. F. Barbas III, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 2395. Our paper describes rationally designed and mechanistically well-defined catalysis with organic molecules. We propose the critical involvement of iminium ion and enamine intermediates and of Brønsted acid catalysis in this highly enantioselective organocatalytic aldol reaction. 2“The Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Three-Component Mannich Reaction”: B. List, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 9336. The proline-catalyzed Mannich reaction established the generality of the “enamine catalysis” concept. Several dozens of other aminocatalytic reactions proceeding via iminium ion and enamine intermediates have since been developed. 3“Asymmetric Counteranion-Directed Catalysis”: S. Mayer, B. List, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 4193; Angew. Chem. 2006, 118, 4299. We showed that catalytic reactions proceeding via cationic intermediates can proceed highly enantioselectively by incorporating an enantiopure anion into the catalyst. Ion-pairing catalysis with chiral, enantiopure anions became possible beyond Brønsted acid catalysis. Later many different organocatalytic, transition-metal-, and Lewis acid catalyzed reactions have been developed on the basis of this concept, which we have termed “asymmetric counteranion-directed catalysis” (ACDC). 4“Asymmetric spiroacetalization catalysed by confined Brønsted acids”: I. Čorić, B. List, Nature 2012, 483, 315. We proposed the idea of confinement in organocatalysis. This enzyme-inspired concept has proven to be quite general and has enabled several catalytic enantioselective reactions of small and unbiased substrates. In my opinion, handling “real”, unengineered substrates defines a frontier of current methodology development in chemical synthesis and catalysis. 5“Extremely Active Organocatalysts Enable a Highly Enantioselective Addition of Allyltrimethylsilane to Aldehydes”: P. S. J. Kaib, L. Schreyer, S. Lee, R. Properzi, B. List, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 13200; Angew. Chem 2016, 128, 13394. The imidodiphosphorimidate (IDPi) catalyst class we introduced in this paper is truly powerful for silylium-ACDC-based Lewis acid catalysis. Such extremely active catalysts for the first time enable millions of turnovers in challenging and highly enantioselective carbon–carbon-bond-forming reactions. Imidodiphosphorimidates are also exciting and are very strong Brønsted acids that activate previously inaccessible substrates in organocatalysis and enable unprecedented transformations. Citing Literature Volume57, Issue1January 2, 2018Pages 30-31 This article also appears in:Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 ReferencesRelatedInformation
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