Independent Research

4. Zeng, Q.-Q.; Zhou, Q.-Y.; Calvó-Tusell, C.; Dai, S.-Y.; Zhao, X.; Garcia-Borràs, M.*; Liu, Z.* “Biocatalytic desymmetrization for synthesis of chiral enones using flavoenzymes,” Nat. Synth. 2024, 3, 1340–1348.

3. Yin, H.-N.; Wang, P.-C.; Liu, Z.* “Recent advances in biocatalytic C–N bond-forming reactions,” Bioorg. Chem. 2024, 144, 107–108.

2. Qin, Z.-Y.; Gao, S.; Zou, Y.; Liu, Z.; Wang, J. B.; Houk, K. N.; Arnold, F. H. “Biocatalytic construction of chiral pyrrolidines and indolines via intramolecular C(sp³)–H amination,” ACS Cent. Sci. 2023, 9, 2333–2338.

1. Calvó-Tusell, C.; Liu, Z.*; Chen, K.; Arnold, F. H.; Garcia-Borràs, M.* “Reversing the enantioselectivity of enzymatic carbene N–H insertion through mechanism-guided protein engineering,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202303879.

Undergraduate, Graduate, and Postdoctoral Research

30. Ni, H.-Q.; Karunananda, M. K.; Zeng, T.; Yang, S.; Liu, Z.; Houk, K. N.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. “Redox-paired alkene difunctionalization enables skeletally divergent synthesis,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 12351–12359.

29. Liu, Z.^†; Qin, Z.-Y.^†; Zhu L.; Athavale, S. V.; Sengupta, A.; Jia, Z.-J.; Garcia-Borràs, M.; Houk, K. N.; Arnold, F. H. “An enzymatic platform for primary amination of 1-aryl-2-alkyl alkynes,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 80–85 (^†Authors contributed equally).

28. Liu, Z.; Calvó-Tusell, C.; Zhou, A. Z.; Chen, K.; Garcia-Borràs, M.; Arnold, F. H. “Dual-function enzyme catalysis for enantioselective carbon–nitrogen bond formation,” Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 1166–1172.

27. Athavale, S. V.^†; Gao, S.^†; Liu, Z.; Mallojjala, S. C.; Hirschi, J. S.; Arnold, F. H. “Biocatalytic, intermolecular C–H bond functionalization for the synthesis of enantioenriched amides,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 24864–24869 (^†Authors contributed equally).

26. Liu, Z.; Arnold, F. H. “New-to-nature chemistry from old protein machinery: carbene and nitrene transferases,” Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2021, 69, 43–51.

25. Wang, X.; Li, Z.-Q.; Mai, B. K.; Gurak, J. A., Jr.; Xu, J. E.; Tran, V. T.; Ni, H.-Q.; Liu, Z.; Liu, Z.; Yang, K. S.; Xiang, R.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. “Controlling cyclization pathways in palladium(II)-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydro-functionalization via substrate directivity,” Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 11307–11314.

24. Liu, Z.; Gao, Y.; Zeng, T.; Engle, K. M. “Transition-metal-catalyzed 1,2-carboboration of alkenes: strategies, mechanisms, and stereocontrol,” Isr. J. Chem. 2020, 60, 219–229.

23. Liu, Z.; Chen, J.; Lu, H.-X.; Li, X.; Gao, Y.; Coombs, J. R.; Goldfogel, M.; Engle, K. M. “Pd(0)-catalyzed directed syn-1,2-carboboration and -silyation: alkene scope, applications in dearomatization, and stereocontrol via a chiral auxiliary,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 17068–17073.

22. Liu, Z.; Li, X.; Zeng, T.; Engle, K. M. “Directed, palladium(II)-catalyzed enantioselective anti-carboboration of alkenyl carbonyl compounds,” ACS Catal. 2019, 9, 3260–3265.

21. Zeng, T.; Liu, Z.; Schmidt, M. A.; Eastgate, M. D.; Engle, K. M. “Directed, palladium(II)-catalyzed intermolecular aminohydroxylation of alkenes using a mild oxidation system,” Org. Lett. 2018, 20, 3853–3857.

20. Gao, D.-W.; Xiao, Y.; Liu, M.; Liu, Z.; Karunananda, M. K.; Chen, J. S.; Engle, K. M. “Catalytic, enantioselective synthesis of allenyl boronates,” ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 3650–3654.

19. Liu, Z.; Ni, H.-Q.; Zeng, T.; Engle, K. M. “Catalytic carbo- and aminoboration of alkenyl carbonyl compounds via five- and six-membered palladacycles,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 3223–3227.

18. Liu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Wang, Z.; Zeng, T.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. “Catalytic intermolecular carboamination of unactivated alkenes via directed aminopalladation,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 11261–11270.

17. Derosa, J.; Cantu, A. L.; Boulous, M. N.; O’Duill, M. L.; Turnbull, J. L.; Liu, Z.; De La Torre, D. M.; Engle, K. M. “Directed palladium(II)-catalyzed anti-hydrochlorination of unactivated alkynes with HCl,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 5183–5193.

16. Liu, Z.; Zeng, T.; Yang, K. S.; Engle, K. M. “β,γ-Vicinal dicarbofunctionalization of alkenyl carbonyl compounds via directed nucleopalladation,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 15122–15125.

15. Yang, K. S.; Gurak, J. A., Jr.; Liu, Z.; Engle, K. M. “Catalytic, regioselective hydrocarbofunctionalization of unactivated alkenes with diverse C–H nucleophiles,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14705–14712.

14. Liu, Z.; Derosa, J.; Engle, K. M. “Palladium(II)-catalyzed regioselective syn-hydroarylation of disubstituted alkynes using a removable directing group,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 13076–13081.

13. Gurak, J. A., Jr.; Yang, K. S.; Liu, Z.; Engle, K. M. “Directed, regiocontrolled hydroamination of unactivated alkenes via protodepalladation,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 5805–5808.

12. Liu, Z.; Xia, Y.; Feng, S.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Rh(I)-catalyzed coupling of 2-bromoethyl aryldiazoacetates with tertiary propargyl alcohols through carbene migratory insertion,” Org. Chem. Front. 2016, 3, 1691–1698.

11. Feng, S.; Mo, F.; Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Rhodium(I)-catalyzed C–C bond activation of siloxyvinylcyclopropanes with diazoesters,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15401–15405.

10. Xia, Y.; Ge, R.; Chen, L.; Liu, Z.; Xiao, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Palladium-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling of conjugated enynones with organoboronic acids,” J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 7856–7864.

9. Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Ge, R.; Xiao, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of terminal alkynes with ene-yne-ketones: access to conjugated enynes via metal carbene migratory insertion,” Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 11233–11235.

8. Liu, Z.; Xia, Y.; Feng, S.; Wang, S.; Qiu, D.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Rh(I)-catalyzed Stille-type coupling of diazoesters with aryl trimethylstannanes,” Aust. J. Chem. 2015, 68, 1379–1384.

7. Xia, Y.; Feng, S.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Rh(I)-catalyzed sequential C(sp)–C(sp³) and C(sp³)–C(sp³) bond formation through carbene migratory insertion,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 7891–7894.

6. Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Feng, S.; Ye, F.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Rh(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling of α-diazoesters with arylsiloxanes,” Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 956–959.

5. Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Feng, S.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Ir(III)-catalyzed aromatic C–H bond functionalization via metal carbene migratory insertion,” J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 223–236.

4. Xia, Y.; Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of diazo compounds and vinyl boronic acids: an approach to 1,3-diene compounds,” J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 7711–7717.

3. Xia, Y.; Xia, Y.; Ge, R.; Liu, Z.; Xiao, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Oxidative cross-coupling of allenyl ketones and organoboronic acids: expeditious synthesis of highly substituted furans,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 3917–3921.

2. Xia, Y.; Liu, Z.; Liu, Z.; Ge, R.; Ye, F.; Hossain, M.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Formal carbene insertion into C–C bond: Rh(I)-catalyzed reaction of benzocyclobutenols with diazoesters,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 3013–3015.

1. Xia, Y.; Qu, S.; Xiao, Q.; Wang, Z.-X.; Qu, P.; Chen, L.; Liu, Z.; Tian, L.; Huang, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. “Palladium-catalyzed carbene migratory insertion using conjugated ene-yne-ketones as carbene precursors” J. Am. Chem. Soc.2013, 135, 13502–13511.