Department of Chemistry

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Peng Liu

Professor

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225 Eberly Hall
Chevron Science Center, 219 Parkman Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-383-5065

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Research Overview

The Peng Liu Research Group is currently accepting new graduate students.

Computational Organic Chemistry

The Liu group use computational tools to study organic and organometallic reactions. We study how reactions occur, factors controlling rates and selectivity, and provide theoretical insights to help our experimental collaborators to develop improved catalysts and reagents.

Reactivity and Selectivity Rules in Organic and Organometallic Reactions

We are developing computational models to quantitatively describe the origins of reactivity and selectivity in organocatalytic and transition metal-catalyzed reactions. We perform quantum mechanical calculations to explore the reaction mechanism, followed by thorough analysis on various stereoelectronic effects to predict how changes of the catalyst structure, substituents, and solvent affect rate and selectivity. We use quantitative energy decomposition methods to dissect the key interactions in the transition state and provide chemically meaningful interpretation to the computed reactivity and selectivity.

We apply these computational studies to a broad range of organic and organometallic reactions, such as C–H and C–C bond activations, coupling reactions, olefin metathesis, and polymerization reactions.

Catalyst Screening and Prediction

Successful computational predictions of new catalyst for organic and organometallic reactions are still rare. To transform computations from a tool of explaining after-facts to an efficient approach to predict and guide new discoveries, it is eminent to develop rapid screening technology to facilitate the discovery of new catalysts. We are developing a multi-scale computational screening protocol which could efficiently rank the catalysts based on ligand-substrate interaction energies in the transition state.

Applications of Computational Chemistry in Understanding Organic Chemistry

We are collaborating with experimental groups at Pitt and many other institutions to solve problems in organic chemistry using computational methods and programs. Students in our group are actively involved in efficient communication and close collaboration with experimental groups in various areas of chemistry. Our goal is to establish the most effective strategy to use modern computational methods and hardware to help address the grand challenges in synthetic chemistry.

Awards

  • Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research (2012)
  • MBI Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence (2012)
  • Saul and Sylvia Winstein Award (2010)
  • Majeti-Alapati Fellowship for Research in Organic Chemistry (2009)

Publications

“A catalytic process enables efficient and programmable access to precisely altered indole alkaloid scaffolds,” Huang, Y.; Li, X.; Mai, B. K.; Tonogai, E. J.; Smith, A. J.; Hergenrother, P. J.; Liu, P.; Hoveyda, A. H. Nat. Chem. 2024
“Chemo- and enantioselective intramolecular silver-catalyzed aziridinations of carbamimidates,” Trinh, T. A.; Fu, Y.; Hu, D. B.; Zappia, S. A.; Guzei, I. A.; Liu, P.; Schomaker, J. M.* Chem. Commun. 2024, 60, 224-227
“Modular synthesis of 1,2-azaborines via ring-opening BN-isostere benzannulation,” Lyu, H.; Tugwell, T. H.; Chen, Z.; Kukier, G. A.; Turlik, A.; Wu, Y.; Liu, P.; Dong, G. Nat. Chem. 2024, 16, 269-276
“Intramolecular Carboxyamidation of Alkyne-Tethered O-Acylhydroxamates through Formation of Fe(III)-Nitrenoids,” Su, S.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, P.; Wink, D. J.; Lee, D. Chem. Eur. J. 2023, 30, e202303428
“Ortho-C–H methoxylation of aryl halides enabled by a polarity-reversed N–O reagent,” Liu, X.; Fu, Y.; Chen, Z.; Liu, P.; Dong, G. Nat. Chem. 2023, 15, 1392-1399
“Stereoselective Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes via Copper Hydride-Catalyzed Alkyne Hydroalkylation,” Kutateladze, D. A.; Mai, B. K.; Dong, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, P.*; Buchwald, S. L.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 17557-17563
“Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by synergistic photoredox-pyridoxal radical biocatalysis,” Cheng, L.; Li, D.; Mai, B. K.; Bo, Z.; Cheng, L.; Liu, P.*; Yang, Y.*  Science 2023, 381 6656, 444-451
“Engineered P450 Atom-Transfer Radical Cyclases are Bifunctional Biocatalysts: Reaction Mechanism and Origin of Enantioselectivity,” Fu, Y.; Chen, H.; Fu, W.; Garcia-Borràs, M.; Yang, Y.; Liu, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144 29, 13344-13355
“Origins of Catalyst-Controlled Selectivity in Ag-Catalyzed Regiodivergent C–H Amination,” Fu, Y.; Zerull, E. E.; Schomaker, J. M.; Liu, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144 6, 2735-2746
“Stereodivergent atom-transfer radical cyclization by engineered cytochromes P450,” Zhou, Q.; Chin, M.; Fu, Y.; Liu, P.; Yang, Y. Science 2021, 374 6575, 1612-1616
“Boron insertion into alkyl ether bonds via zinc/nickel tandem catalysis,” Lyu, H.; Kevlishvili, I.;Yu, X.; Liu, P.; Dong, G.   Science 2021, 372 6538, 175-182
“Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the SN1/SN2 Mechanistic Continuum in Glycosylation Reactions,” Fu, Y.; Bernasconi, L.; Liu, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143 3, 1577-1589
“Compatibility Score for Rational Electrophile Selection in Pd/NBE Cooperative Catalysis,” Chem. 2020, 6 10, 2810-2825
“Mechanistically Guided Predictive Models for Ligand and Initiator Effects in Copper-Catalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (Cu-ATRP),” Fang, C.; Fantin, M.; Pan, X.; de Fiebre, K.; Coote, M. L.; Matyjaszewski. K.; Liu, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141 18, 7486-7497
“Deacylative Transformations of Ketones via Aromatization-Promoted C−C Bond Activation,” Qi, X.; Zheng, P.; Berti, C. C.; Liu, P.; Dong, G. Nature 2019, 373-378
“Predictive Model for Oxidative C–H Functionalization Reactivity with 2,3-Dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone,” Morales-Rivera, C. A.; Floreancig, P. E.; Liu, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 17935-17944
“Ligand-Substrate Dispersion Facilitates the Copper-Catalyzed Hydroamination of Unactivated Olefins,” G. Lu, Y. Yang, R. Y. Liu, C. Fang, D. S. Lambrecht, S. L. Buchwald, and P. Liu J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16548-16555
“Catalytic Carbon-Carbon Bond Activation of Cyclopentanones,” Y. Xia, G. Lu, P. Liu, and G. Dong Nature 2016, 539, 546-550
“Benzazetidine Synthesis via Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular C-H Amination,” G. He, G. Lu, Z. Guo, P. Liu, and G. Chen Nature Chem. 2016, 8, 1131-1136
“Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Addition of Olefin-Derived Nucleophiles to Ketones,” Y. Yang, I. B. Perry, G. Lu, P. Liu, and S. L. Buchwald Science 2016, 353, 144-150
“Catalytic Asymmetric Hydroamination of Unactivated internal Olefins to Aliphatic Amines,” Y. Yang, S.-L. Shi, D.  N iu, P. Liu, and S. L. Buchwald Science 2015, 349, 62-66
“Competition Between Concerted and Stepwise Dynamics in the Triplet Di-π-Methane Rearrangement,” G. Jiménez-Osés, P. Liu, R. A. Matute, and K. N. Houk Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 8664-8667
“Role of N-Acyl Amino Acid Ligands on Pd(II)-Catalyzed Remote C–H Activation of Tethered Arenes,” G.-J. Cheng, Y.-F. Yang, P. Liu, P. Chen, T.-Y. Sun, G. Li, X. Zhang, K. N. Houk, J.-Q. Yu, and Y.-D. Wu J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 894-897
“Palladium-Catalyzed Meta-Selective C–H Bond Activation with a Nitrile-Containing Template: Computational Study on Mechanism and Origins of Selectivity,” Y.-F. Yang, G.-J. Cheng, P. Liu, D. Leow, T.-Y. Sun, P. C., X. Zhang, J.-Q. Yu, Y.-D. Wu, and K. N. Houk J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 344-355