Faculty Profile of Jik Chin

Jik Chin

Academic Title: Professor

Phone: 416-946-7335 / fax 416-978-7113

Office: DB 462

Email:

Research

Understanding molecular recognition is central to many chemical processes such as in the development of drugs, receptors, sensors, catalysts and supramolecular materials. Over the years we have been particularly interested in designing molecular receptors for the purpose of separating, sensing, synthesizing or hydrolyzing biologically important compounds. Some of our current interests include (a) cation and anion recognition, (b) chiral receptors and catalysts for stereoselective separation and synthesis of biological compounds like amino acids and other chemical intermediates, (c) stereoselective synthesis of 1,2-diamines, (d) DNA base recognition with metal complexes and (e) mono and multinuclear metal complexes for catalyzing the hydrolysis and synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. While some of our projects may at first appear unrelated, understanding one is useful for understanding others. For example, understanding anion recognition is not only useful for sensing fluoride but also for DNA base recognition and nucleic acid cleavage. Developing efficient methodologies for chiral diamine synthesis (diaminopharm.com) is useful for making computationally designed novel catalysts. The first step of our projects typically involves the use of computational methods for designing organic and inorganic receptors (or sensors or catalysts). The second step involves the synthesis of the receptors and the final step involves testing of the receptors using physical organic and physical inorganic methods. Some of our studies have recently appeared on the covers of Chem Comm, Aldrichimica Acta and Angewandte Chemie.

Imprinting chiral memory
Chem Comm (2007) p120

Diamines as drugs & catalysts
Aldrichimica Acta (2008) p77

Creating Helices with amino acids
Angew Chem Int Ed (2008) p8657

Selected Publications

Kim, H.; So, S. M.; Yen, C. P. –H.; Vinhato, E.; Lough, A. J.; Hong, J. I.; Kim, H. –J.; Chin, J. (2008)
"Highly Stereospecific Generation of Helical Chirality by Imprinting with Amino Acids: A Universal Sensor for Amino Acid Enantiopurity"
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 8657-8660 (cover)

Kim, H.; Yen, N.; Lough, A. J.; Chin, J. (2008)
"Steric Strain Driven Diaza-Cope Rearrangement Reaction"
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 8678-8681.

Tang, L.; Park, J.; Kim, H.-J.; Kim, Y.; Kim, S. J.; Chin, J.; Kim, K. M. (2008)
"Tight Binding and Fluorescent Sensing of Oxalate in Water"
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 12606-12607.

Oh, S. H.; Rho, H. S.; Lee, J. W.; Lee, J. E.; Youk, S. H.; Chin, J.; Song, C. E. (2008)
"A Highly Reactive and Enantioselective Bifunctional Organocatalyst for Methanolytic Desymmetrization of Cyclic Anhydrides: Preventing Catalyst Aggregation"
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 7872-7875.

Kim, H.; Nguyen,Y.; Yen,C. P.-H.; Chagal, L.; Lough, A. J.; Kim, B. M.; Chin, J. (2008)
"Stereospecific Synthesis of C2 Symmetric Diamines from the Mother Diamine by RAHB Directed DCR"
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 12184-12191.

Kim, H.; So, S. M.; Kim, B. M.; Chin, J. (2008)
"Designer Chiral Diamines from the Mother Diamine by DCR"
Aldrichimica Acta, 3, 77-88. (cover)

Nieto, S.; Lynch, V. M.; Anslyn, E.; Kim, H.; Chin, J. (2008)
"High Throughput Screening of Identity, Enantiomeric Excess, and Concentration Using MLCT Transitions in CD Spectroscopy"
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 9232-9233.

Rho, H. S.; Oh, S. H.; Lee, J. W.; Lee, J. Y.; Chin, J.; Song, C. E. (2008)
"Bifunctional organocatalyst for methanolytic desymmetrization of cyclic anhydrides: increasing enantioselectivity by catalyst dilution"
Chem. Commun. 1208-1210.

Kim, H.; Choi, D. S.; Yen, C. P.-H.; Lough, A. J.; Song, C. E.; Chin, J. (2008)
"Diastereoselective diaza-Cope rearrangement reaction"
Chem. Commun. 1335-1337.

Chin, J.; Chong, Y.S.; Bobb, R.; Studnicki, L.; Hong, J.-I. (2007)
"Imprinting and Locking Chiral Memory for Stereoselective Catalysis"
Chem. Comm. 120-122. (cover)

Park, H.J.; Lee, A.; Ham, S.; Nam, W.; Kim, K.M.; Chin, J. (2007)
"Bioinspired Chemical Inversion of L-Amino Acids to D-Amino Acids by a Unified Approach"
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129, 1518-1519. (Science highlight)

Jik Chin, Soo Suk Lee, Kyung Joo Lee, Seongsoon Park, and Dong Han Kim (1999)
"A Metal Complex that Binds ?-H-Amino Acids with High and Predictable Stereospecificity"
Nature, 401, 254-257.

Nick Williams, Mark Wall, Bryan Takasaki and Jik Chin (1999)
"Structure and Nuclease Activity of Simple Dinuclear Metal Complexes: Quantitative Dissection of the Role of Metal Ions"
Acc. Chem. Res. 32, 485-493.

Jik Chin (1991)
"A Unified Approach to Developing Artificial Hydrolytic Metalloenzymes"
Acc. Chem. Res. 24, 145-152.

People Menu:

Jik Chin

Research

Selected Publications