Jin-Quan Yu

Yu pioneered enantioselective C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H bond-activation reactions via asymmetric C-H metalation (see his review: Science, 2018, 359, 759). He invented the first chiral palladium catalyst to accelerate C-H activation and induce asymmetry under mild conditions, providing remarkable enantioselective catalytic C(sp3)-H functionalization reactions for asymmetric synthesis which have been utilized in numerous total syntheses and more than 10 pharmaceutical companies. He invented U-shaped templates to achieve site selective C-H activation of remote C-H bonds and established the concept of using distance and geometry to control positional selectivity in C-H activation. His reactions provide fundamental new ways of designing organic syntheses.