Activate dormant C–H bonds with tons of enthusiasm: an interview with Jin-Quan Yu

Synthetic chemistry is the art of molecules. By breaking and forming chemical bonds, chemists can transform one molecule into another, and provide a variety of chemicals that we use in our daily lives. Among all chemical bonds, the carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond is one of the most common, and is present in almost every organic compound. Breaking C-H bonds and connecting the carbon atoms with other atoms or groups is an essential step for the synthesis of a large variety of chemicals-from bulk chemicals to functional materials and drug candidates. However, the C-H bond is extremely stable and difficult to break, and C-H activation and functionalization has been a challenging fundamental problem for decades. Professor Jin-Quan Yu () from the Scripps Research Institute is one of the most active scientists in this field. His group developed a number of C-H activation catalysts-often consisting of metal centers and elaborately designed ligands-that drastically shorten the synthesis steps of diverse functional molecules and provide high reactivity and selectivity. Here, Professor Yu discussed with NSR the interesting field of C-H activation, as well as sharing reflections on his own research.