The Inaugural Virtual Symposium of the International Carbene and Nitrene Consortium (ICNC) is held on May 15th 12 pm EST, we are arranging a symposium to honor Professor Michael P. Doyle who is planning to retire this summer. The title of his talk will be: A Brief History of Asymmetric Catalysis with Diazo Compounds

Mike has been a pioneer in the development of rhodium carbene chemistry and its synthetic applications. He also was the first to achieve high levels of asymmetric induction in rhodium carbene chemistry when he developed the C2 symmetric dirhodium tetracarboxamidate catalysts. His work has been highly innovative and he continues to discover exciting new directions to expand rhodium carbene chemistry. The first report that a homogeneous chiral catalyst could be used for asymmetric induction was published in 1966 by Nozaki and coworkers that included R. Noyori. Their target was the cyclopropanation of styrene, and although initial results with their copper-ligated chiral salicylaldimines showed low enantiomeric excesses, this and subsequent publications described extensive efforts in chiral ligand design. Efforts were also taken in the use of alternative metal complexes, especially those of dirhodium(II), and in the synthesis of new diazo compounds. For many years, up to the present, diazo compounds were avoided because of the perception that they were toxic and/or explosive, yet commercial products from their use, especially those provided via asymmetric catalysis, continue to be produced. Applications of diazo compounds for carbene-based transformations continue to multiply and today include insertion, addition, and cycloaddition reactions. In recent years the use of protein structures as ligands for metallocarbene reactions have further expanded understanding of asymmetric catalysis.

About the speaker

Michael P. (Mike) Doyle, the Rita and John Feik Distinguished University Chair in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has had academic appointments at undergraduate institutions (Hope College and Trinity University) and graduate universities (University of Arizona and University of Maryland), as well as being Vice President, then President, of a science foundation (Research Corporation) before taking his current position. He is the recipient of numerous awards, the latest being the 2020 Henry J. Albert Award from International Precious Metals Institute for his research in dirhodium (II) chemistry. An early pioneer in transition metal catalyzed reactions of diazo compounds, his research group’s efforts uncovered effective methodologies for asymmetric catalysis, and he is one of the organizers of the Metal Carbene and Nitrene Consortium.