Publications

Hu, C.; Cai, C.-Y.; Barta, E. S.; Merchant, R. R.; Matsuura, B.; Chen, S.-J.; Chen, S.*, Qin, T.* Ligand-Controlled Regioselective Dearomative Vicinal and Conjugate Hydroboration of Quinolines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 11906.

Liang, H.; Morais, G. N.; Chen, G.; Tang, W.; Zhao, J.; Wang, C.; Houk, K. N.; Chen, S.*, Ma, J.* Half-Sandwich Ru(II) Complexes Featuring Metal-Centered Chirality: Configurational Stabilization by Ligand Design, Preparation via Kinetic Resolution, and Application in Asymmetric Catalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 6825.

Lee, H.-W.; Hwang, J.; Kim, J.-Y.; Morais, G. N.; Tang, K. S.; Choi, M.; Choi, H.; Youn, H.-B.; Kim, S.-T.; Ha, J. H.; Kang, S. J.; Chen, S.*; Suh, S.-E.*; Kwak, W.-J.* Reactive Oxygen Species Resistive Redox Mediator in Lithium–Oxygen Batteries. Adv. Mater. 2025, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202415805.

Goodner, R. M.; Brandes, D. S.; Morais, G. N.; Tao, Q.; Tassone, J. P.; Mercado, B. Q.; Chen, S.*; Ellman, J. A.* C–H Activation and Sequential Addition to Dienes and Imines: Synthesis of Amines with β-Quaternary Centers and Mechanistic Studies on the Complex Interplay Between the Catalyst and Three Reactants. ACS Catal. 2024, 14, 18124.

Zhou, B.; Ih, M. I.; Yao, S.; Hemming, M.; Ivlev, S. I.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E.* β3-Tryptophans by Iron-Catalyzed Enantioselective Amination of 3-Indolepropionic Acids. Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 8361.

Aquilina, J. M.; Banerjee, A.; Morais, G. N.; Chen, S.*; Smith, M. W.* Total Synthesis of (−)-Rauvomine B via a Strain-Promoted Intramolecular Cyclopropanation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 22047.

Moppel, I.; Elliott, B.; Chen, S.* Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding Behavior of Amino Acid Radical Cations. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2024, 22, 3966.

Tong, G.; Griffin, S.; Sader, A.; Crowell, A. B.; Beavers, K.; Watson, J.; Buchan, Z.; Chen, S.*; Shenvi, R. A.* C5 Methylation Confers Accessibility, Stability and Selectivity to Picrotoxinin. Nat. Comm. 2023, 14, 8308.

Lyu, M.-Y.; Morais, G. N.; Chen, S.*; Brown, M. K.* Ni-Catalyzed 1,1- and 1,3-Aminoboration of Unactivated Alkenes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 27254.

Liu, D.-H.; Nagashima, K.; Liang, H.; Yue, X.-L.; Chu, Y.-P.; Chen, S.*; Ma, J.* Chemoselective Quinoline and Isoquinoline Reduction by Energy Transfer Catalysis Enabled Hydrogen Atom Transfer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202312203. (Featured in Org. Chem. Highlights)

Nie, X.; Ritter, C. W.; Hemming, M.; Ivlev, S. I.; Xie, X.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E.* Nitrene-Mediated Enantioselective Intramolecular Olefin Oxyamination to Access Chiral γ-Aminomethyl-γ-Lactones. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202314398.

Qian, H.; Cheng, Z. P.; Luo, Y.; Lv, L.*; Chen, S.*; Li, Z.* Pd/IPrBIDEA-Catalyzed Hydrodefluorination of gem-Difluorocyclopropanes: Regioselective Synthesis of Terminal Fluoroalkenes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 24. 

Qian, H.; Nguyen, H. D.; Lv, L.*; Chen, S.*; Li, Z.* Chemo-, Stereo- and Regioselective Fluoroallylation/Annulation of Hydrazones with gem-Difluorocyclopropanes via Tunable Palladium/NHC Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202303271.

Ye, C.-X.; Dansby, D. R.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E.* Expedited Synthesis of α-Amino Acids by Single-Step Enantioselective α-Amination of Carboxylic Acids. Nat. Synth. 2023, 2, 645. 

Shen, Z.; Vargas-Rivera, M. A.; Rigby, E. L.; Chen, S.*; Ellman, J. A.* Visible Light-Mediated, Diastereoselective Epimerization of Morpholines and Piperazines to More Stable Isomers. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 12860.

Guo, R.; Adak, S.; Bellotti, P.; Gao, X.; Smith, W. W.; Le, S. N.; Ma, J.; Houk, K. N.*; Glorius, F.*; Chen, S.*; Brown, M. K.* Photochemical Dearomative Cycloadditions of Quinolines and Alkenes: Scope and Mechanism Studies. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 17680.

Ji, P.; Davies, C. C.; Gao, F.; Chen, J.; Meng, X.; Houk, K. N.*; Chen, S.*; Wang, W.* Selective Skeletal Editing of Polycyclic Arenes Using Organophotoredox Dearomative Functionalization. Nat. Comm. 2022, 13, 4565.

Han, F.; Choi, P. H.; Ye, C.-X.; Grell, Y.; Xie, X.; Ivlev, S. I.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E.* Cyclometalated Chiral-at-Ruthenium Catalyst for Enantioselective Ring-Closing C(sp3)–H Carbene Insertion to Access Chiral Flavanones. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 10304.

Kazerouni, A. M.; Brandes, D. S.; Davies, C. C.; Cotter, L. F.; Mayer, J. M.*; Chen, S.*; Ellman, J. A.* Visible Light-Mediated, Highly Diastereoselective Epimerization of Lactams from the Most Accessible to the More Stable Stereoisomer. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 7798.

Ma, J.; Chen, S.; Bellotti, P.; Wagener, T.; Daniliuc, C.; Houk, K. N.; Glorius, F. Facile Access to Fused 2D/3D Rings via Intermolecular Cascade Dearomative [2 + 2] Cycloaddition/Rearrangement Reactions of Quinolines with Alkenes. Nat. Catal. 2022, 5, 405.

Lv, L.*; Qian, H.; Crowell, A. B.; Chen, S.*; Li, Z*. Pd/NHC-Controlled Regiodivergent Defluorinative Allylation of gem-Difluorocyclopropanes with Allylboronates. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 6495.

Ye, C.-X.; Shen, X.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E*. Stereocontrolled 1,3-Nitrogen Migration to Access Chiral α-Amino Acids. Nat. Chem. 2022, 14, 566.

Huffman, B. J.; Chu, T.; Hanaki, Y.; Wong, J. J.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N.; Shenvi, R. A. Stereodivergent Attached-Ring Synthesis via Non-Covalent Interactions: A Short Formal Synthesis of Merrilactone A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202114514.

Gao, A. Z.; Chen, S.* Mechanism and Selectivities in Ru-Catalyzed Anti-Markovnikov Formal Hydroalkylation of 1,3-Dienes and Enynes: A Computational Study. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 11895.

Zhang, C.; Gao, A. Z.; Nie, X.; Ye, C.-X.; Ivlev, S. I.; Chen, S.*; Meggers, E.* Catalytic α-Deracemization of Ketones Enabled by Photoredox Deprotonation and Enantioselective Protonation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 13393.

Zhang, H.; Novak, A. J. E.; Cooper, J. S.; Xue, X.-S.; Chen, S.; Trauner, D.; Houk, K. N. Computational Exploration of the Mechanism of Critical Steps in the Biomimetic Synthesis of Preuisolactone A, and Discovery of New Ambimodal (5+2)/(4+2) Cycloadditions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 6601.

Chen, S.*; Hu, T.; Houk, K. N. The Energy of Concert and Origins of Regioselectivity for 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Diazomethane. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 6840. 

Ma, J.†; Chen, S.†; Bellotti, P.†; Guo, R.; Schäfer, F.; Heusler, A.; Zhang, X.; Daniliuc, C.; Brown, M. K.; Houk, K. N.; Glorius, F. Photochemical intermolecular dearomative cycloaddition of bicyclic azaarenes with alkenes. Science 2021, 371, 1338. 

Shen, Z.; Walker, M. M.; Chen, S.; Parada, G. A.; Chu, D. M.; Dongbang, S.; Mayer, J. M.; Houk, K. N.; Ellman, J. A. General Light-Mediated, Highly Diastereoselective Piperidine Epimerization: From Most Accessible to Most Stable Stereoisomer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 126.

Xu, Y.; Wong, J. J.; Samkian, A. E.; Ko, J. H.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N.; Grubbs, R. H. Efficient Z-Selective Olefin-Acrylamide Cross-Metathesis Enabled by Sterically Demanding Cyclometalated Ruthenium Catalysts. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20987. 

Demoret, R. M.; Baker, M. A.; Ohtawa, M.; Chen, S.; Lam, C. C.; Khom, S.; Roberto, M.; Forli, S.; Houk, K. N.; Shenvi, R. A. Synthetic, Mechanistic, and Biological Interrogation of Ginkgo biloba Chemical Space En Route to (−)-Bilobalide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 18599. 

Yamano, M. M.; Kelleghan, A. V.; Shao, Q.; Giroud, M.; Simmons, B. J.; Li, B.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N.; Garg, N. K. Intercepting fleeting cyclic allenes with asymmetric nickel catalysis. Nature 2020, 586, 242. 

Tan, Y.; Chen, S.; Zhou, Z.; Hong, Y.; Ivlev, S.; Houk, K. N.; Meggers, E. Intramolecular C(sp3)-H Bond Oxygenation through Transition Metal Acylnitrenoids. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 21706. 

Gieuw, M. H.; Chen, S.; Ke, Z.; Houk, K. N.; Yeung, Y.-Y. Boron Tribromide as Reagent for Anti-Markovnikov Addition of HBr to Cyclopropanes. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 9426. (Recommended by referees to the 2020 Chemical Science HOT Article Collection)

Ye, C.-X.; Chen, S.; Han, F.; Xie, X.; Ivlev, S.; Houk, K. N.; Meggers, E. Atroposelective Synthesis of Axially Chiral N‐Arylpyrroles by Chiral‐at‐Rhodium Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 13552. 

Gao, L.; Su, C.; Du, X.; Wang, R.; Chen, S.; Zhou, Y.; Liu, C.; Tian, R.; Xie, K.; Chen, S.; Guo, Q.; Guo, L.; Hano, Y.; Shimazaki, M.; Minami, A.; Oikawa, H.; Huang, N.; Houk, K. N.; Huang, L.; Dai, J.; Lei, X. FAD-Dependent Enzyme-Catalysed Intermolecular [4+2] Cycloaddition in Natural Product Biosynthesis. Nat. Chem. 2020, 12, 620. 

Walker, M. M.; Koronkiewicz, B.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N.; Mayer, J. M.; Ellman, J. A.  Highly Diastereoselective Functionalization of Piperidines by Photoredox-Catalyzed α-Amino C–H Arylation and Epimerization. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 8194.  

Chen, S.*; Wong, J. J.; Houk, K. N. Mechanism of the Manolikakes Enamide-Based Domino Reaction for the Stereospecific Construction of Tetrahydropyrans. J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 3806.

He, C. Q.; Lam, C. C.; Yu, P.; Song, Z.; Chen, M.; Lam, Y.-h.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N. Catalytic Effects of Cationic Catalysts and External Electric Fields on Aza-Diels–Alder Reactions. J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 2618.  

Lovett, G. H.; Chen, S.; Xue, X.-X.; Houk, K. N.; MacMillan, D. W. C. Open-Shell Fluorination of Alkyl Bromides: Unexpected Selectivity in a Silyl Radical-Mediated Chain Process. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 20031.  

Zhou, Z.†; Chen, S.†; Hong, Y.; Winterling, E.; Tan, Y.; Hemming, M.; Harms, K.; Houk, K. N.; Meggers, E. Non-C2-Symmetric Chiral-at-Ruthenium Catalyst for Highly Efficient Enantioselective Intramolecular C(sp3)-H Amidation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 19048.  

Huffman, B. J.; Chen, S.; Schwarz, J. L.; Plata, R. E.; Chin, E.; Lairson, L. L.; Houk, K. N.; Shenvi, R. A. Electronic Complementarity Permits Hindered Butenolide Heterodimerization and Discovery of Novel cGAS/STING Pathway Antagonists. Nat. Chem. 2020, 12, 310. 

Zhang, C.†; Chen, S.†; Ye, C. -X.; Harms, K.; Zhang, L.; Houk, K. N.; Meggers, E. Asymmetric Photocatalysis by Intramolecular Hydrogen-Atom-Transfer in Photoexcited Catalyst–Substrate Complex. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 14462.

Zou, Y.; Chen, S.*; Houk, K. N. Origins of Selective Formation of 5-Vinyl-2-methylene Furans from Oxyallyl/Diene (3+2) Cycloadditions with Pd(0) Catalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 12382.

Cai, L.; Zhang, K.; Chen, S.; Lepage, R. J.; Houk, K. N.; Krenske, E. H.; Kwon, O. Catalytic Asymmetric Staudinger–aza-Wittig Reaction for the Synthesis of Heterocyclic Amines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 9537.

Chen, S.*; Wang, S.; Houk, K. N. Origins of Contrasteric π-Facial Selectivity in Epoxidations of Encumbered Tetrahydropyridines by a Bifunctional Peracid. Synlett  2019, 30, 459.  

Chen, S.; Chan, A. Y.; Walker, M. M.; Ellman, J. A.; Houk, K. N. π-Facial Selectivities in Hydride Reductions of Hindered Endocyclic Iminium Ions.  J. Org. Chem. 2019, 84, 273.

Chen, S.*; Yu, P.; Houk, K. N. Ambimodal Dipolar/Diels-Alder Cycloaddition Transition States Involving Proton Transfers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 18124.

Zhou, Z.†; Chen, S.†; Qin, J.; Nie, X.; Zheng, X.; Harms, K.; Riedel, R.; Houk, K. N.; Meggers, E. Catalytic Enantioselective Intramolecular C(sp3)-H Amination of 2-Azidoacetamides. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 1088.

Suh, S.–E.; Chen, S.; Houk, K. N.; Chenoweth, D. M. The Mechanism of the Triple Aryne-Tetrazine Reaction Cascade: Theory and Experiment. Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 7688. 

Chen, S.; Zheng, Y.; Cui, T.; Meggers, E.; Houk, K. N. Arylketone π-Conjugation Controls Enantioselectivity in Asymmetric Alkynylations Catalyzed by Centrochiral Ruthenium Complexes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 5146. 

Walker, M. M.; Chen, S.; Mercado, B. Q.; Houk, K. N.; Ellman, J. A. Formation of Aminocyclopentadienes from Silyldihydropyridines: Ring Contraditions Driven by Anion Stabilization. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 6605. 



Chen, S.; Houk, K. N. Origins of Stereoselectivity in Mannich Reactions Catalyzed by Chiral Vicinal Diamines. J. Org. Chem. 2018, 83, 3171. 



Chen, S.; Huang, X.; Meggers, E.; Houk, K. N. Origins of Enantioselectivity in Asymmetric Radical Additions to Octahedral Chiral-at-Rhodium Enolates: A Computational Study. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 17902. 



Chen, S.; Bacauanu, V.; Knecht, T.; Mercado, B. Q.; Bergman, R. G.; Ellman, J. A. New Regio- and Stereoselective Cascades via Unstabilized Azomethine Ylide Cycloadditions for the Synthesis of Highly Substituted Tropane and Indolizidine Frameworks. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 12664
.

Hernández-Soto, H.; Jaffer, E.; Chen, S.; Pesch, M. J. Theoretical Study of CH3SO3−Na+·[H2O]n Clusters: Implications for Sea-Salt Methanesulfonate Aerosols. Comput. Theor. Chem. 2015, 1065, 7.

Chen, S.; Mercado, B. Q.; Bergman, R. G.; Ellman, J. A. Regio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Highly Substituted, Oxygenated Piperidines from Tetrahydropyridines. J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 6660.

Chen, S.; Bergman, R. G.; Ellman, J. A. Facile Rh(III)-Catalyzed Synthesis of Fluorinated Pyridines. Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 2567.

Duttwyler, S.; Chen, S.; Mercado, B. Q.; Bergman, R. G.; Ellman, J. A. Regio- and Stereoselective 1,2-Dihydropyridine Alkylation/Addition Sequence for the Synthesis of Piperidines with Quaternary Centers. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2014, 126, 3958.

Duttwyler, S.; Chen, S.; Takase, M. K.; Wiberg, K. B.; Bergman, R. G.; Ellman, J. A.  Proton Acidity Controls Selectivity in Nonaromatic Nitrogen Heterocycle Synthesis. Science 2013, 339, 678.

Dander, J. E.; Morrill, L. A.; Nguyen, M. M.; Chen, S.; Garg, N. K. Breaking Amide C–N Bonds in an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory. J. Chem. Educ. 2019, 96, 776.

Chen, S.* Room-Temperature C–H Functionalization Sequence under Benchtop Conditions for the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 1050.

Chen, S.* Let There Be Light: Hypothesis-Driven Investigation of Ligand Effects in Photoredox Catalysis for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 872.