Guthikonda Lectureship: Professor Kenichiro Itami, Nagoya University

Guthikonda Lectureship: Professor Kenichiro Itami, Nagoya University (Host: Carolyn Bertozzi)

"Exploring molecular nanocarbon science"

About the Seminar

Nanocarbons conduct electricity, absorb and emit light, and exhibit interesting magnetic properties. At present, however, synthetic routes to nanocarbons mainly lead to mixtures of molecules with a range of different structures and properties, which cannot be easily separated or refined into pure forms. Obtaining “pure” nanocarbons is a great challenge in the field of nanocarbon science and technology. Toward addressing this grand challenge in nanocarbon science, we are trying to synthesize structurally uniform nanocarbons and a new form of carbons. To achieve this goal, the development of new reactions and catalysts has been the key. For example, our powerful palladium catalyst can promote the regioselective aromatic π-extension (APEX) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This C-H activation methodology can be applied to various planar and geodesic PAHs to generate graphene nanoribbons (Science 2018, Nature Comm 2015) and three-dimensional warped nanographenes (Nature Chem 2013). In addition to the above-mentioned chemistry of nanoribbons and saddles, our synthetic campaign toward carbon nanotubes (Nature Chem 2013) and carbon nanobelts (Science 2017) will also be described.

About the Speaker

Education

 1990~1994       B.S. in Chemistry, Kyoto University, Japan (Advisor: Prof. Hisanobu Ogoshi)

 1994~1998       M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry, Kyoto University, Japan (Advisor: Prof. Yoshihiko Ito)

   1997~1998  Exchange Student, Uppsala University, Sweden (Prof. Jan-E. Bäckvall)

Academic Career

 1998~2005       Assistant Professor, Kyoto University

 2005~2008       Associate Professor, Nagoya University

 2008~              Professor, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University

 2012~              Director, Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University

 2013~ Research Director, JST-ERATO, Itami Molecular Nanocarbon Project

Research Field

Synthetic chemistry; Nanocarbon molecules; Bioactive molecules; Catalytic chemistry

Academic Record

H-index 58 (ResearcherID: B-5110-2011)

304 publications (11,940 citations)

>80 patent applications

>350 plenary/invited lectures since 2006

Awards, Named Lectureships, and Honors

The Guthikonda Lecturer, Stanford University (2018), The Roland K. Pettit Centennial Lecturer, University of Texas, Austin (2018), CSJ Award for Creative Work, The Chemical Society of Japan (2018), Highly Cited Researchers 2017, Clarivate Analytics (2017), ICI Distinguished Lecturer, University of Calgary, Canada (2017), The Holger Erdtman Lecture, KTH, Sweden (2016), The Nagase Prize (2016), Treat B. Johnson Lecture, Yale University (2016), Ta-Shue Chou Lectureship Award, Academia Sinica (2016), R. C. Fuson Visiting Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015), Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society (2015), Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship Award (2015), Nankai University Lectureship Award (2014), The Aldrich Lectureship Award, Emory University (2014), The JSPS Prize (2014), Novartis Chemistry Lectureship Award (2013), Mukaiyama Award (2013), Asian Rising Star Award, Asian Chemical Congress (2013), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (2012), German Innovation Award “Gottfried Wagener Prize” (2012), Novartis-MIT Lectureship Award, MIT, USA (2012), ACP Lectureship Award, China (2011), ACP Lectureship Award, Malaysia (2011), Nozoe Memorial Award for Young Organic Chemists (2011), Merck-Banyu Lectureship Award (2008), Banyu Young Chemist Award (2007), Minister's Award for Distinguished Young Scientists (MEXT) (2016), Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award of Encouragement (2005), The Chemical Society of Japan Award for Distinguished Young Chemists (2005), Thieme Journals Award (2005)

Editorial Board (present)

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, RSC (Editorial Board), Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry (Associate Editor), ChemCatChem (International Advisory Board), Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan (Senior Editor), Chemistry - An Asian Journal (International Advisory Board), Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis (Academic Advisory Board), The Chemical Record (Editorial Board), Tetrahedron/Tetrahedron Letters (Consulting Board of Editors), Accounts of Chemical Research (Editorial Advisory Board), Chem, Cell Press (Editorial Board), Angewandte Chemie (International Advisory Board)