About

Guangbin Dong is a professor at the University of Chicago leading the Dong Research Group. His research focuses on Pd-NBE catalysis, β-functionalization of carbonyl compounds, exo-directing C-H activation, and the 'cut-and-sew' of strained rings. His work also involves the development of anti-cancer and immunosuppressive natural products, as well as material synthesis and development, and C-C activation of unstrained substrates. His group is engaged in advancing the understanding and application of these chemical processes to contribute to the fields of organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Polymer chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Inorganic chemistry
• Stereochemistry
• Composite material
• Materials science

Selected publications

• Catalytic C-Demethylation of Phenols and Anilines Enabled by a Removable Mono-Directing Group

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026-04-06

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The activation of unstrained nonpolar C-C bonds, such as C(aryl)-C(alkyl) bonds, remains challenging to achieve. Existing catalytic strategies predominantly rely on bidentate chelating directing groups (DGs) or special substrates. Herein, we report a Ru-catalyzed activation of C(aryl)-C(methyl) bonds enabled by a removable mono-DG. By employing a bulky phosphinite or aminophosphine-DG that can be easily installed and removed later, a methyl group at the ortho position of phenols and anilines can be smoothly deleted under the hydrogenolysis condition. This reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies suggest that a Ru-hydride species generated in situ is responsible for the C(aryl)-C(methyl) bond activation, with methane identified as a byproduct.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Transition Metal-Free Formal 2,3-Hetaryne Insertion into C–C Bonds of Benzocyclobutenones

  ChemRxiv · 2026-03-30

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The formal insertion of 2,3-hetarynes into the C–C bonds of strained cyclic ketones has been achieved. This process proceeds under mild conditions and does not require the use of a transition metal catalyst. A variety of annulated indoles, 7-azaindoles, and other annulated heteroaromatics relevant to bioactive scaffolds were efficiently accessed through this methodology. Mechanistic studies reveal a unique role of base in facilitating C–C bond cleavage to generate a reactive intermediate that is proposed to ultimately engage in a dearomative cycloaddition process with indoles enabled by halogen substitution.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Formaldehyde-mediated Upcycling Approach for Converting All Fatty Acids from Waste Cooking Oil into Degradable Polymers

  ChemRxiv · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are abundant resources from both nature and waste streams (i.e., waste cooking oil (WCO)). However, it remains a significant challenge for transformation into difunctional derivatives as useful monomers. Here we report a formaldehyde-mediated strategy to upcycle saturated fatty methyl esters (sat-FAMEs) into 1,n-diester monomers. This two-step process involves (i) formaldehyde-enabled α-methylenation via aldol condensation and (ii) Pd-catalyzed distal alkoxycarbonylation via a chain-walking mechanism. Demonstrated on C16, C18 esters and WCO-derived mixtures, the strategy yields highly pure α-methyl diester monomers, which can be polymerized into high-molecular-weight polyesters that largely mimic low-density polyethylene in mechanical properties. The materials exhibit exceptional extensibility (340-930%) and yield stress (7-10 MPa). This approach enables valorization of fatty acids into fully recyclable high-performance materials.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Length-Controlled Synthesis of Graphene Nanoribbons

  Chemistry of Materials · 2026-02-03

  articleCorresponding

  Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have emerged as promising materials for next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and quantum devices due to their tunable bandgaps and edge-dependent properties. A critical challenge in their integration lies in the ability to precisely control their length and ensure structural uniformity. This review highlights three major synthetic strategies developed to address this challenge: living polymerization, conventional iterative synthesis, and protecting group-aided iterative synthesis (PAIS). Living polymerization approaches enable scalable access to GNRs with narrow length distributions, although they rely on specialized monomers and catalyst design to maintain a living character. The conventional iterative synthesis strategy provides a pathway for the preparation of specific GNRs with precise length, but it is still not possible to synthesize general GNRs with a desired length or a well-defined heterogeneous monomer sequence. The PAIS strategy stands out, allowing atomic-level control over GNR length, width, edge structure, and heterojunction placement. Iterative methods offer unparalleled atomic precision and architectural flexibility but are labor-intensive and limited by solubility constraints. Each method presents complementary advantages and trade-offs. Future advancements are expected to stem from hybrid synthetic platforms, catalyst innovations, and programmable template design, ultimately enabling deterministic control over GNR structures and properties for device applications.

  PublisherDOI

• Downsizing lactams via Rh-catalyzed C–C activation

  Chem · 2025-06-10 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• High Molecular Weight Biobased Long-Chain Aliphatic Polyesters with Degradability: Insights into Mimicking Polyethylene

  Macromolecules · 2025-04-07 · 17 citations

  article

  Synthesis of high molecular weight long-chain aliphatic polyesters with mechanical properties similar to polyethylene is challenging. This study presents high molecular weight biobased polyesters synthesized via a three-step process involving transesterification, polycondensation, and postcondensation, using biobased 1,18-dimethyl octadecanedioate (C18-diester) and natural diols ranging from C3 to C12. All polyesters achieved weight-average molecular weights over 110 000 g/mol. The crystalline structures and thermomechanical properties of polyesters were largely influenced by the chain length of diols, with an odd–even effect observed. These polyesters exhibit tensile properties mimicking HDPE and LDPE, which allowed successful processing into filaments and 3D-printed objects. Although these polyesters exhibit semicrystalline structures similar to polyethylene, their melting temperatures are significantly lower, especially compared to HDPE. Chemical recycling of a representative polyester demonstrated its ability to undergo depolymerization and repolymerization, with the recovered polyesters displaying comparable mechanical properties to the virgin one. Coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations of these polyesters demonstrated crystallization of the materials upon cooling from melts and reproduced the decrease in crystallization temperature with an increase in the ester-to-methylene ratio observed in the experiments. The proposed modeling approach allowed us to track the growth of crystalline domains upon cooling from the melt by characterizing the local nematic order parameter to quantify the effect of ester groups on the crystallization process. This study addresses common challenges that complicate synthesis and polymer processing, providing useful guidance for achieving reproducible polyester preparation.

  PublisherDOI

• Carbonyl-to-sulfur swap enabled by sequential double carbon-carbon bond activation

  Science · 2025-06-12 · 19 citations

  articleSenior author

  In drug development, replacement of a skeletal carbon with a sulfur atom can result in analogs of bioactive compounds with improved properties. Currently, the sulfur analogs are almost exclusively prepared by de novo synthesis; the existing approach to swap carbon with sulfur is inefficient and involves stoichiometric mercury reagents. In this study, we report a two-step carbonyl-to-sulfur (CO-to-S) atom swap approach, enabled by a rationally designed N ′-alkyl-hydrazonamide (NAHA) reagent that promotes forming pre-aromatic intermediates twice sequentially by different mechanisms, thereby achieving homolytic cleavage of both α-C−C bonds of the ketone substrates. A Ts−S−Ts (Ts, p -toluenesulfonyl) reagent mediates this process through successive intermolecular and intramolecular alkyl radical trapping by the central sulfur. This method shows a broad substrate scope and excellent chemoselectivity, providing a streamlined route to sulfur-containing scaffolds from readily available ketones.

  PublisherDOI

• Site-selective Ru-catalysed saturation of unactivated arenes via directed 6π activation

  Nature Catalysis · 2025-08-28 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Concise Total Syntheses of Leuconoxine‐Type Alkaloids Enabled by Palladium/Norbornene‐Catalyzed Pyrrole Difunctionalization

  Angewandte Chemie · 2025-03-31

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Concise total syntheses of five leuconoxine‐type alkaloids, i.e., chloromelodinine, leuconodine A, leuconodine F, melodinine E, and leuconoxine, are achieved through a pyrrole‐centered strategy. The approach features a newly developed palladium/norbornene‐catalyzed pyrrole double C─H functionalization reaction to generate the core skeleton and a divergent oxidative dearomatization to complete the end game. In addition, no protecting group was employed, and the strategic use of a chloro substituent offers a number of advantages in these syntheses, which could have implications beyond this work. The discovery of an unusual chloro 1,2‐migration reaction enabled the first total synthesis of chloromelodinine E. This work represents the shortest syntheses of these natural products to date with 10–11 total steps.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Core diversification using 1,2-oxaborines as a versatile molecular platform

  Nature Chemistry · 2025-10-09 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Ketone Alkylation Using Simple Olefins: A Sustainable Chemistry Approach

  NSF · $485k · 2019–2022

• New Strategy for Synthesis of Atomically-Precise Graphene Nanoribbons

  NSF · $420k · 2020–2023

• Catalytic C−C Activation/Functionalization of Ketones and Amides

  NIH · $286k · 2013–2018

• SusChEM: CAREER: Ketone Alkylation Using Simple Olefins: A Sustainable Chemistry Approach

  NSF · $632k · 2016–2018

• New Directions in Palladium/Norbornene Cooperative-Renewal

  NIH · $2.6M · 2018–2026

Frequent coauthors

• Fanyang Mo

  Peking University

  53 shared

• Jiun‐Tai Chen

  National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

  49 shared

• Jeremiah A. Johnson

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  49 shared

• Pamela Peralta‐Yahya

  Georgia Institute of Technology

  49 shared

• Hee Nam Lim

  Yeungnam University

  39 shared

• Haye Min Ko

  Kookmin University

  27 shared

• Ying Xia

  27 shared

• Peng Liu

  University of Pittsburgh

  25 shared

Labs

• Dong Research GroupPI

Education

• Ph.D., chemistry

  Stanford University

Awards & honors

• Mukaiyama Award Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japa…
• Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Awards 2024
• Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science 2…
• Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution i…
• Zen-Ichi Yoshida Lectureship International Organic Chemistry…