Oxidation from alcohols to aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids, which are three classes of essential chemicals in daily life, academic laboratories, and industry, is a fundamental reaction, usually using at least a stoichiometric amount of an expensive and toxic inorganic oxidant. In this lecture, an efficient and practical sustainable highly selective oxidation technology of alcohols to aldehydes, ketones, or carboxylic acids using pure O2 or even O2 in air as the oxidant will be discussed: utilizing a catalytic amount each of Fe(NO3)3∙9H2O/TEMPO/MCI (M = Na or K), a series of aldehydes, ketones, or carboxylic acids were obtained from alcohols (also aldehydes) in high yields at room temperature. Some large scale reactions were demonstrated using a stream of air. As synthetic applications, total synthesis of some naturally occurring targets will also be discussed.
About the speaker
Prof Shengming Ma obtained his BS in Organic Chemistry from Hangzhou University in 1986 and PhD in Organic Chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC) in 1990. He then became the Assistant Professor there in 1991. Subsequently, he began his postdoctoral research at the ETH Zurich and returned to SIOC in 1997. From 2003 to 2007, he was jointly appointed by SIOC and Zhejiang University (ZJU) as Professor, before he moved to East China Normal University to help build the research program in organic chemistry. In 2014, he relocated to Fudan University and is currently the Professor both at SIOC and Fudan University. He has adjunct appointments at ZJU, East China Normal University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Prof Ma’s research focuses on allenes, carbon dioxide methodologies and total synthesis of target molecules. He has published over 250 papers in peer reviewed international journals including Chemical Reviews, Accounts of Chemical Research, Aldrichimica Acta, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie and Chemistry: A European Journal etc.
Prof Ma received numerous awards including the National Award for Research in Natural Science in China (2006, 1999), Organometallic Chemistry Directed Towards Organic Synthesis (OMCOS) Springer Award (2005), Mr & Mrs Sun Chan Memorial Award in Organic Chemistry (2004) and Natural Science Awards of Chinese Academy of Sciences (1997, 1992). He is members of the World Academy of Sciences (since 2008) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (since 2005).
For attendees’ attention
The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
