Graduate School of Science, University of Hyogo

In organic chemistry, organic compounds and polymers are typically constructed from a limited set of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. In contrast, the periodic table contains a wide variety of main-group elements, most of which rarely appear in “conventional” organic or polymer chemistry. Our research group aims to break this limitation by incorporating elements such as boron, silicon, and fluorine—elements not commonly employed in traditional organic chemistry—into organic and polymeric frameworks. Through this approach, we strive to create new classes of substances endowed with novel and unprecedented functions, properties, and characteristics that conventional organic compounds cannot offer. Every element possesses its own intrinsic nature, or “elemental property.” By uncovering and understanding these elemental properties, we seek to develop innovative main-group element–based organic compounds with entirely new functions.