Dr Imtiaz Khan

Imtiaz Khan received his PhD degree from The University of Nottingham in 2015, under the direction of Professor Hon Wai Lam where he developed new synthetic methodologies involving C‒H functionalization of inert bonds for the synthesis of carbo- and heterocycles. Later, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the same group for one year. He then spent two years (2016-2018) as a Leverhulme Trust research fellow at Cardiff University, while investigating Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs)-catalyzed hydrogenation/transfer hydrogenation processes. Imtiaz joined the Micklefield group as a Research Fellow in Integrated Catalysis in 2018 where he is focusing on integration of enzymes with metal catalysis. His research interests include the development of novel synthetic methodologies for the efficient synthesis of biologically active heterocycles, frustrated Lewis pairs (FLP) chemistry and integrated chemo- and biocatalysis.

Selected Publications:

  • Programmable late stage one carbon C–H bond functionalisation enabled by integration of enzymes with chemocatalysis. J. Craven, J. Latham, S. A. Shepherd, I. Khan, A. Diaz-Rodriguez, M. F. Greaney and J. Micklefield, Nat. Catal. 2021, 4, 385–394.
  • FLP-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation of Silyl Enol Ethers. Khan, B. Reed-Berendt, R. L. Melen and L. C. Morrill, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 12356‒12359; Angew. Chem. 2018, 130, 12536‒12539.
  • Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP)-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts and Sequential Organo-FLP Catalysis. Khan, M. Manzotti, G. J. Tizzard, S. J. Coles, R. L. Melen and L.C. Morrill, ACS Catal. 2017, 7, 7748‒7752.
  • Enantioselective Synthesis of Spiroindenes by Enol-Directed Rh(III)-Catalyzed C–H Functionalization and Spiroannulation. R. Chidipudi, D. J. Burn, I. Khan and H. W. Lam, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 13975–13979; Angew. Chem. 2015, 127, 14181‒14185. [ChemInform abstract: 2016, 47 (12)] (Highlighted in Synfacts, 2016, 12, 161).
  • Synthesis of Spiroindanes by Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulations of Non- or Weakly Activated 1,3-Dienes Involving C–H Functionalization. Khan, S. R. Chidipudi and H. W. Lam, Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 2613–2616.
  • Synthesis of Benzopyrans by Pd(II) Or Ru(II)–Catalyzed Enolate–Directed C–H Alkenylation. R. Chidipudi, M. D. Wieczysty, I. Khan and H. W. Lam, Org. Lett. 2013, 15(3), 570–573. [ChemInform abstract: 2013, 44 (26)].
  • Functionalization of Csp3–H and Csp2–H Bonds: Synthesis of Spiroindenes by Enolate-Directed Ruthenium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation of Alkynes with 2-Aryl-1,3-dicarbonyl Compounds. R. Chidipudi, I. Khan and H. W. Lam, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 12115–12119; Angew. Chem. 2012, 124, 12281–12285. [ChemInform abstract: 2013, 44 (19)].