10 Dec 2025
Prof. Xiaotai Wang, in the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, recently taught a very special class for his Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (CHE301) module to Year 4 students. During this session on transition metal catalysis, Prof. Wang discussed the mechanism of a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric arylation reaction. One student in the audience, Yanran Yang, knew better than anyone else, because she had conducted the mechanistic work through computational modeling under Prof. Wang's supervision. This research had been published just weeks earlier in ACS Catalysis (2025, 15, 17558), a leading journal in catalysis science managed by the American Chemical Society (ACS), with Yanran Yang as a co-first author.
Chiral α-trifluoromethylamines are a crucial class of structural motifs in many drug molecules. However, traditional synthetic methods for constructing these structures often face substantial challenges, such as complex linear synthetic pathways and reliance on costly precious metal catalysts. The above-mentioned research, involving Yanran Yang and others, utilizes a novel strategy known as reductive cross-coupling combined with low-cost nickel catalysts. This innovative approach enables the facile and efficient synthesis of chiral α-trifluoromethylamines from readily available α-CF? amino acetates and aryl halides as starting materials, marking a significant breakthrough in the field. The research was a fruitful collaboration between Prof. Xiaotai Wang’s computational group at XJTLU and the experimental groups of Prof. Hegui Gong and Prof. Weichen Huang at Shanghai University.
Yanran Yang, a proud Suzhou native, discovered her passion for chemistry in high school, where she actively participated in chemistry competitions. Upon entering XJTLU, choosing chemistry as her major was a natural decision. She has fully embraced the excellent hands-on research opportunities provided to undergraduate students at XJTLU. Under Prof. Xiaotai Wang’s supervision, she has conducted two SURF projects as well as volunteer research. Prof. Wang describes Yanran Yang as an intelligent and diligent student who excels in both her coursework and research endeavors. The mechanistic work mentioned earlier was no easy task; for example, Yanran Yang persevered through more than 20 attempts to successfully compute a critical transition state in the reaction pathway. Prof. Wang remarks that Yanran’s dedication and resilience were truly impressive. Looking ahead, Yanran is determined to continue her academic journey by pursuing a PhD in chemistry. She is currently applying to major research universities across Asia and America, ready to take the next step toward making her mark in the world of science.
Content：Professor Xiaotai Wang
Review：Professor John Moraros、Dr Lifeng?Ding
10 Dec 2025