The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) flagship journal, Chemical Science, published a research paper by Professor SHIBATA et al. of Nagoya Institute of Technology with a "Front Cover" (Fig. 1). The paper is titled "Cross-coupling of organic fluorides with allenes: a silyl-radical-relay pathway for the construction of α-alkynyl-substituted all-carbon quaternary centres." Its authors are Distinctive Assistant Professor* ZHOU Jun, ZHAO Zhengyu (third-year of the Department of Nanopharamaceutical Sciences*), MORI Soichiro (second-year of the Department of Engineering, Life Science and Applied Chemistry Program*), Associate Professor YAMAMOTO Katsuhiro (Department of Engineering (Life Science and Applied Chemistry)), and Professor SHIBATA Norio (Department of Nanopharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Engineering (Life Science and Applied Chemistry)). The statuses and affiliations marked with* are as of the time of the research.

Fig. 1 "Kôkû Tamatebako Engi Kumade no Zu (Beckoning cat surrounded by airplanes and good-luck article out of a treasure box)," the 31st work of "Front Cover"

The journal's "Front Cover" features "Kôkû Tamatebako Engi Kumade no Zu (Beckoning cat surrounded by airplanes and good-luck article out of a treasure box), a painting by a Japanese artist, to celebrate the success of a complex chemical process involving the cleavage of carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds and the subsequent construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters. The painting represents symbols of happiness and success embraced by the Japanese people in a complex arrangement, forming a harmonious collage that captures the essence of scientific discovery and innovation. The chemical process achieved in the study presented in the paper is a significant step to finding solutions to the PFAS issue, whose impact on the environment is of much concern. Great expectation rides on future developments based on this process.

Professor SHIBATA, a visionary who sees deep connections between the creative arts and scientific innovation, states, "Science is fundamentally about creation, and the integration of engineering and art is essential to our approach." This philosophy has led to a series of collaborations with Japanese-style painters, making "ALCHEMY" the 31st collaborative artwork since 2013.

The research paper discusses a method for synthesizing non-fluorinated all-carbon quaternary stereocenter alkyne compounds by removing fluorine from fluorides and cross-coupling with allenes, thus isomerizing the allene moiety. This process involves electron transfer reactions that cleave the strongest C-F bonds in carbon chemistry, constructing the alkyne moiety. This revolutionary method is applicable to the development of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and electronic materials. Moreover, the fluorine removed during the reaction can be recovered as inorganic fluorides, contributing to the formation of circular fluorine utilization in line with the SDGs. By presenting research achievements along with artwork expressing the importance of environmentally responsible chemical research, Professor SHIBATA and his team hope to attract attention also from outside the research community. The research project is presented in greater detail in NITech's press release (posted on March 5, 2024).

Shibata Laboratory Website

Chemical Science

Cross-coupling of organic fluorides with allenes: a silyl-radical-relay pathway for the construction of α-alkynyl-substituted all-carbon quaternary centres

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