（7月15日）Controlling Reactivity and Selectivity in Pd-Catalyzed C–H Activation through Fluorinated Motifs

报告时间：2026年7月15日10:30

报告地点：福州大学化学学院嘉锡楼413

报告人： Claire Empel

组织单位：有机合成与功能福建省高校重点实验室

联系人及方式：杨凯 18059870235

报告摘要：Selective C–H activation has emerged as a powerful strategy for the efficient functionalization of arenes and heteroarenes. In this context, fluorinated motifs are of particular importance in medicinal chemistry and materials science due to their strong influence on metabolic stability, lipophilicity, and electronic properties. Herein, we report complementary palladium-catalyzed C–H functionalization strategies that demonstrate how fluorinated motifs can be leveraged to control reactivity and selectivity through catalyst and reaction design. First, a non-directed Pd-catalyzed C–H functionalization of simple arenes with α-trifluoro-methyl styrene derivatives was developed using electron-deficient 2-pyridone ligands. The protocol enables direct access to trifluoromethylated olefin products without requiring directing groups or prefunctionalized substrates and proceeds with good regio- and E/Z-selectivity across a broad substrate scope.In parallel, a generalized protocol for distal meta-selective C–H arylation using aryl iodides as coupling partners was established. Computational and experimental studies revealed that trifluoroacetate counter anions play a crucial role in controlling meta-selectivity by stabilizing key transition states and lowering the activation barrier for remote C–H activation. Together, these studies highlight the unique role of fluorinated motifs, ligands, and counterions in controlling reactivity and selectivity in Pd-catalyzed C–H activation chemistry.

报告人简介：Prof. Dr. Claire Empel is focusing on C–H functionalization, DFT computational research, palladium chemistry, photocatalysis and fluorine chemistry, currently serving as a Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg starting from January 2026. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a Scientific Manager and independent junior research group leader jointly at RWTH Aachen University and the University of Bayreuth from 2024 to 2025. Before taking this leadership role, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship under the supervision of Prof. R. M. Koenigs and Prof. Dr. Debabrata Maiti across RWTH Aachen University and IIT Bombay in 2023. She earned her PhD under Prof. R. M. Koenigs between March 2020 and January 2023, with her doctoral research centered on experimental and theoretical exploration of novel synthetic strategies for constructing C-C and C-X chemical bonds.