Research Interests

• Asymmetric Catalysis

• Total Synthesis of Natural Product

• Drug Molecule Synthesis

Prize and Awards

• The National Science Fund for Outstanding Young Scholars in 2022

• Thieme Chemistry Journal Award in 2020

• The Excellent Achievement Awards of Shanghai Graduate Students (Thesis) in 2014

• CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) The Best Thesis in 2013

• CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) Special Prize of President Schlorship in 2012

• CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) Excellent Graduate Prize in 2012

Biography

• 2022.12 to present     Chemistry Department, Fudan University, Professor

• 2017.6 to 2022.11     Chemistry Department, Fudan University, Associate Professor

• 2016.4 to 2017.6      Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Postdoctoral research under the direction of Prof. Nathanael Gray

• 2013.8 to 2016.3     Rice University, Houston, TX, Postdoctoral research under the direction of Prof. K. C. Nicolaou

• 2012.9 to 2013.7     The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA Postdoctoral research under the direction of Prof. K. C. Nicolaou

• 2007.9 to 2012.7     Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

                 Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry under the direction of Prof. Shu-Li You

• 2003.9 to 2007.7     East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai, P. R. China B.S. in Pharmaceutical Engineering

Teaching

• Organic Synthesis-II

Key Publications

1. Meng-Meng Xu,† Pei-Pei Xie,† Jun-Xiong He, Yu-Zhen Zhang, Chao Zheng*, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Cross-[4+2]-Cycloaddition/Decarboxylation of 2Pyrones by Cooperative Catalysis of the Pd(0)/NHC Complex and Chiral Phosphoric Acid. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 6936−6946.

2. Xu-Ge Si, Shi-Xiong Feng, Zhuo-Yan Wang, Xiaoyu Chen, Meng-Meng Xu, Yu-Zhen Zhang, Jun-Xiong He, Limin Yang*, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Synthesis of cis-Decalins by Merging the Birch Reduction and Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels–Alder Reaction. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2023, e202303876.

3. Yu-Zhen Zhang, Meng-Meng Xu, Xu-Ge Si, Jun-Li Hou, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Synthesis of Inherently Chiral Calix[4]arenes via Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Intramolecular C-H Arylations. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 22858−22864.

4. Yang Lu, Meng-Meng Xu, Zhi-Mao Zhang, Jun-Liang Zhang, Quan Cai*. Catalytic Asymmetric Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels–Alder Reactions of 2-Pyrones with Indenes: Total Syntheses of Cephanolides A and B. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 26610–26615.

5. Meng-Meng Xu,† Limin Yang,† Kui Tan, Xiangyang Chen, Qi-Tao, Lu, K. N. Houk*, Quan Cai*. An enantioselective ambimodal cross-Diels–Alder reaction and applications in synthesis. Nat. Catal.2021, 4, 892–900.

6. Meng-Meng Xu, Xin-Yu You, Yu-Zheng Zhang, Yang Lu, Kui Tan, Limin Yang*, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Biaryls by Diels−Alder/Retro-Diels−Alder Reaction of 2-Pyrones with Alkynes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 8993–9001.

7. Xu-Ge Si,† Zhi-Mao Zhang,† Cheng-Gong Zheng, Zhan-Ting Li, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Synthesis of cis-Decalin Derivatives by the Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels–Alder Reaction of 2-Pyrones. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2020, 59, 18412–18417.

8. Xiao-Wei Liang,† Yunlong Zhao,† Xuge Si, Meng-Meng Xu, Jia-Hao Tan, Zhi-Mao Zhang, Cheng-Gong Zheng, Chao Zheng, Quan Cai*. Enantioselective Synthesis of Arene cis-Dihydrodiols from 2-Pyrones. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 14562–14567.

9. K. C. Nicolaou*, Pengxi Chen,† Shugao Zhu,† Quan Cai,† Rohan D. Erande, Ruofan Li, Hongbao Sun, Kiran Kumar Pulukuri, Stephen Rigol, Monette Aujay, Joseph Sandoval, Julia Gavrilyuk. Streamlined Total Synthesis of Trioxacarcins and Its Application to the Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Analogues Thereof. Discovery of Simpler Designed and Potent Trioxacarcin Analogues. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 15467.

10. K. C. Nicolaou*, Quan Cai, Hongbao Sun, Bo Qin, Shugao Zhu. Total Synthesis of Trioxacarcins DC-45-A1, A, D, C and C7ˊˊ-epi-C and Full Structural Assignment of Trioxacarcin C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 3118.

11. K. C. Nicolaou*, Quan Cai, Bo Qin, Mette T. Peterson, Remi J. T. Mikkelsen, Philipp Heretsch. Total Synthesis of Trioxacarcin DC-45-A2.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2015, 54, 3074.

12. Quan Cai, Chao Zheng, Jun-Wei Zhang, Shu-Li You*. Enantioselective Michael/Mannich Polycyclization Cascade of Indolyl Enones Catalyzed by Quinine-Derived Primary Amines. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2011, 50, 8665.

13. Quan Cai, Chao Zheng, Shu-Li You*. Enantioselective Intramolecular Aza-Michael Addition of Indoles Catalyzed by Chiral Phosphoric Acid. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2010, 49, 8666.

14. Quan Cai, Zhuo-An Zhao, Shu-Li You*. Asymmetric Construction of Polycyclic Indoles through Olefin Cross-Metathesis/ Intramolecular Friedel-Crafts Alkylation under Sequential Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2009, 48, 7428.