(April 14, 2015) Tuning
the para position of benzene moieties is significant for creating biologically
active compounds and optoelectronic materials. Yet, attaching a functional
handle specifically at the para position of benzene has been challenging due to
multiple reactive sites on the ring. Yutaro Saito, Yasutomo Segawa and
Professor Kenichiro Itami at ITbM, Nagoya University have developed a novel
iridium catalyst that enables highly para-selective borylation on benzene,
leading to the rapid synthesis of drug derivatives for treating Parkinson's
disease..