Yi Liu

Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Yi Liu
Yi
Liu
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department Affiliations
Interests
Organic synthesis
Biocatalysis
Protein engineering
Organometallic catalysis
Website
Liu Research Group

Honors and Awards

Chinese Government Award for “Outstanding Self-Finance Students Abroad”, 2021
Udho, Parsini, Diwan Award in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 2021
Pall Dissertation Award for Research Excellence, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 2020

 

Education

B.S., Xiangtan University

MSc., Memorial University of Newfoundland (advisor: Dr. Christopher Kozak)

Ph.D., McGill University (advisor: Dr. Bruce Arndtsen)

Postdoc, Cornell University and Princeton University (Dr. Todd Hyster)

 

Research

Our research focuses on using mono- and bi-nuclear metalloenzymes for catalysis to address synthetic challenges, with an emphasis on photochemistry, cross-coupling, and carbonylation chemistry. By integrating protein engineering with synthetic method development, our lab aims to broaden the applications of biocatalysis in organic synthesis.

The field of biocatalysis faces challenges in expanding enzyme types for catalysis, discovering new enzymatic transformations, and advancing mechanistic understanding. Our group explores metalloenzymes and photochemistry for controlled radical-based transformations, bridging enzyme studies and catalytic strategies for synthetic applications.

Y Liu, E McAmis, D Sorigue, DG Oblinsky, N Di Fonte, G Dell’Orletta, I Daidone, GD Scholes, and TK Hyster, to be submitted.

 

Asymmetric synthesis of α-chloroamides via photoenzymatic hydroalkylation of olefins

Y Liu, SG Bender, D Sorigue, D J Diaz, AD Ellington, G Mann, S Allmendinger, TK Hyster

Journal of the American Chemical Society 146 (11), 7191-7197, 2024

 

Photobiocatalytic strategies for organic synthesis

MA Emmanuel, SG Bender, C Bilodeau, JM Carceller, JS DeHovitz, H Fu, Y Liu, BT Nicholls, Y Ouyang, CG Page, T Qiao, FC Raps, DR Sorigué, SZ Sun, J Turek-Herman, Y Ye, A Rivas-Souchet, J Cao, TK Hyster

Chemical reviews 123 (9), 5459-5520, 2023

 

Versatile palladium-catalyzed approach to acyl fluorides and carbonylations by combining visible light-and ligand-driven operations

Y Liu, C Zhou, M Jiang, BA Arndtsen

Journal of the American Chemical Society 144 (21), 9413-9420, 2022

 

A dual light-driven palladium catalyst: Breaking the barriers in carbonylation reactions

GM Torres+, Y Liu+(equal contribution), BA Arndtsen

Science 368 (6488), 318-323, 2020

 

Palladium catalyzed carbonylative generation of potent, pyridine-based acylating electrophiles for the functionalization of arenes to ketones

Y Liu, AM Kaiser, BA Arndtsen

Chemical Science 11 (32), 8610-8616, 2020

 

Palladium-Catalyzed Chlorocarbonylation of C(sp2)-Triflates as a Route to Heteroarene C–H Functionalization and Ketone Synthesis

Y Liu, BA Arndtsen

Organometallics 41 (21), 2903-2908, 2022

 

A visible light driven nickel carbonylation catalyst: the synthesis of acid chlorides from alkyl halides

K El Chami, Y Liu, MA Belahouane, Y Ma, PL Lagueux‐Tremblay, BA Arndtsen

Angewandte Chemie International Edition 135 (10), e202213297, 2023