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Cheol Beom Lee

Seoul National University · Chemistry

About the Lab

Professor Cheol Beom Lee's research lab specializes in transition metal-catalyzed organic transformations, with a strong focus on developing novel, selective, and sustainable methods for C–X (X = N, O, C) bond formation. The lab explores innovative catalytic systems—particularly based on palladium, nickel, and iridium—enabling stereoselective and regioselective functionalization of alkenes, alkenes, and heteroarenes under mild conditions. Recent work highlights the use of photoredox and energy-transfer mechanisms to access reactive radical intermediates, expanding the scope of synthetic methodology in complex molecule synthesis. The lab also investigates mechanistically distinct metal-carbene intermediates, such as alkenylidenes and allenylidenes, for new catalytic cyclizations and difunctionalization processes.

C–N bond formationphotoredox catalysisstereoselective synthesistransition metal catalysisradical chemistry

Research Overview

Papers
89
Total Citations
3,494
Papers (5y)
12
Primary Field
Chemistry

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
12total
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Citations per year (5y)
170total
20202021202220232024

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|292 citations·2012
Visible‐Light‐Induced Photocatalytic Reductive Transformations of Organohalides
Hyejin Kim, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Angewandte Chemie International Edition

A photo opportunity: A visible-light-excited iridium catalyst delivers electrons from an amine to an organohalide. The electron transfer then induces reductive scission of the carbon–halogen bond, generating the corresponding alkyl, alkenyl, and aryl radical that can undergo cyclization and hydrodehalogenation reactions. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made ava

Organic ChemistryChemistry
2
Review|250 citations·2019
Transition Metal Vinylidene- and Allenylidene-Mediated Catalysis in Organic Synthesis
Sang Weon Roh, Kyoungmin Choi, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Chemical Reviews

With their mechanistic novelty and various modalities of reactivity, transition metal unsaturated carbene (alkenylidene) complexes have emerged as versatile intermediates for new reaction discovery. In particular, the past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in the chemistry of metal vinylidenes and allenylidenes, leading to the evolution of a diverse array of new catalytic transformations that are mechanistically distinct from those developed in the previous two decades. This review aims t

Organic ChemistryChemistry
3
Article|157 citations·2014
Nitrogen-centered radical-mediated C–H imidation of arenes and heteroarenes via visible light induced photocatalysis
Hyejin Kim, Taehoon Kim, Dong Gil Lee, Sang Weon Roh, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Chemical Communications

The C-H imidation of arenes and heteroarenes has been achieved via visible light induced photocatalysis. In the presence of an iridium(III) photoredox catalyst, the reaction of aromatic substrates with N-chlorophthalimide furnishes the N-aryl products at room temperature through a nitrogen-centered radical mediated aromatic substitution.

Organic ChemistryChemistry
4
Article|81 citations·2012
Visible‐Light‐Induced Photocatalytic Reductive Transformations of Organohalides
Hyejin Kim, Chulbom Lee
Angewandte Chemie

Bei Licht betrachtet: Ein durch sichtbares Licht angeregter Iridiumkatalysator überträgt Elektronen von einem Amin auf ein Organohalogenid. Der Elektronentransfer löst daraufhin die reduktive Spaltung der Kohlenstoff-Halogen-Bindung aus und erzeugt das entsprechende Alkyl-, Alkenyl- oder Arylradikal, das Cyclisierungs- und Hydrodehalogenierungsreaktionen eingehen kann. DIPEA=N,N-Diisopropylethylamin.

Organic ChemistryChemistry
5
Article|75 citations·2021
Mechanism of Cyanine5 to Cyanine3 Photoconversion and Its Application for High-Density Single-Particle Tracking in a Living Cell
Yoonjung Cho, Hyeong Jeon An, Taehoon Kim, Chulbom Lee, Nam Ki Lee
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical SocietyOA

excision from Cy5 occurs mainly through an intermolecular pathway involving a combination of bond cleavage and reconstitution while unambiguously confirming the identity of the fluorescent photoproduct of Cy5 to be Cy3 using various spectroscopic tools. The carbonyl products generated from singlet oxygen-mediated photooxidation of Cy5 undergo a sequence of carbon-carbon bond-breaking and -forming events to bring about the novel dye-to-dye transformation. We also show that the deletion of a two-m

BiophysicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|68 citations·2011
Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Cyclization of Organohalides
Hyejin Kim, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Organic Letters

A mild and convenient nickel-catalyzed method for free-radical cyclization of organohalides is described. The use of a NiCl(2)•DME/Pybox complex as the catalyst and zinc powder in methanol efficiently promotes the reductive cyclization of various unsaturated alkyl halides to give carbo-, oxa-, and azacycles as products in high yields.

Organic ChemistryChemistry
7
Article|67 citations·2013
Direct catalytic C–H arylation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine with aryl bromides using magnetically recyclable Pd–Fe3O4 nanoparticles
Jae Wook Lee, Jooyoung Chung, Sangmoon Byun, Byeong Moon Kim, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q3Tetrahedron
Organic ChemistryChemistry
8
Article|62 citations·2013
Rhodium‐Catalyzed Oxygenative Addition to Terminal Alkynes for the Synthesis of Esters, Amides, and Carboxylic Acids
Insu Kim, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Angewandte Chemie International Edition

A gem of a couple: The title reaction of terminal alkynes with O and N nucleophiles proceeds in the presence of [{Rh(cod)Cl}2], P(4-FC6H4)3, and 4-picoline N-oxide. Alcohols, amines, and water add to the terminal alkynes to give esters, amides, and carboxylic acids, respectively. The reaction involves formation of a rhodium vinylidene, oxidation to a ketene by oxygen transfer, and nucleophilic addition.

Organic ChemistryChemistry
9
Article|61 citations·2014
Rhodium-Catalyzed Oxygenative [2 + 2] Cycloaddition of Terminal Alkynes and Imines for the Synthesis of β-Lactams
Insu Kim, Sang Weon Roh, Dong Gil Lee, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Organic Letters

A rhodium-catalyzed oxygenative [2 + 2] cycloaddition of terminal alkynes and imines has been developed, which gives β-lactams as products with high trans diastereoselectivity. In the presence of a Rh(I) catalyst and 4-picoline N-oxide, a terminal alkyne is converted to a rhodium ketene species via oxidation of a vinylidene complex and subsequently undergoes a [2 + 2] cycloaddition with an imine to give rise to the 2-azetidinone ring system. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds

Organic ChemistryChemistry
10
Article|49 citations·2020
Silyloxymethanesulfinate as a sulfoxylate equivalent for the modular synthesis of sulfones and sulfonyl derivatives
Dae‐Kwon Kim, Hyun‐Suk Um, Hoyoon Park, Seonwoo Kim, Jin Ho Choi, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Chemical ScienceOA

-arylation reactions with alkyl and aryl electrophiles. The sulfone products thus obtained can undergo the second bond formation at the sulfur center with various electrophiles without a separate unmasking step to afford sulfones and sulfonyl derivatives such as sulfonamides and sulfonyl fluorides.

Organic ChemistryChemistry
11
Article|35 citations·2010
Concise Synthesis of the Erythrina Alkaloid 3-Demethoxyerythratidinone via Combined Rhodium Catalysis
Jung Min Joo, Ramoncito A. David, Yu Yuan, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Organic Letters

The total synthesis of the erythrina alkaloid 3-demethoxyerythratidinone has been achieved via a strategy based on combined rhodium catalysis. The catalytic tandem cyclization effected by the interplay of alkynyl and vinylidene rhodium species allows for efficient access to the A and B rings of the tetracyclic erythrinane skeleton in a single step. The synthesis also features rapid preparation of the requisite precursor for the double ring closure and thus has been completed in only 7 total step

Organic ChemistryChemistry
12
Article|28 citations·2014
Tandem Diels–Alder and Retro-Ene Reactions of 1-Sulfenyl- and 1-Sulfonyl-1,3-dienes as a Traceless Route to Cyclohexenes
Jin Ho Choi, Hoyoon Park, Hyun Jung Yoo, Sinae Kim, Erik J. Sorensen, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

A pericyclic approach for the synthesis of six-membered ring structures is described. The method employs 1,3-dienes with a 1-sulfur substituent in a tandem sequence of Diels-Alder and retro-ene reactions. In this pairing of [4 + 2] cycloaddition and 1,5-sigmatropic rearrangement, 1-sulfenyl-1,3-dienes engage in Diels-Alder reactions with electron-deficient dienophiles. Subsequently, the sulfenyl group of the cycloadducts is oxidized and unmasked to form allylic sulfinic acids, which undergo ster

Organic ChemistryChemistry
13
Article|23 citations·2018
Rhodium-Catalyzed Tandem Addition–Cyclization–Rearrangement of Alkynylhydrazones with Organoboronic Acids
Kyoungmin Choi, Hoyoon Park, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

Transition metal-mediated catalysis routinely enables substrates of multiple π-systems to be efficiently coupled with various carbon nucleophiles along with simultaneous ring formation. This transformation, however, remains unexplored in connection with pericyclic processes. Reported here is a protocol for cycloalkene synthesis based on the merger of rhodium catalysis and a retro-ene reaction. The approach allows alkyne-tethered hydrazones and organoboronic acids to undergo a cascade of addition

Organic ChemistryChemistry
14
Article|21 citations·2013
Rhodium‐Catalyzed Oxygenative Addition to Terminal Alkynes for the Synthesis of Esters, Amides, and Carboxylic Acids
Insu Kim, Chulbom Lee
Angewandte Chemie

Und Sauerstoff dazu: In Gegenwart von [{Rh(cod)Cl}2], P(4-FC6H4)3 und 4-Picolin-N-oxid reagieren terminale Alkine mit O- und N-Nukleophilen (Alkoholen, Aminen und Wasser) zu Estern, Amiden und Carbonsäuren. Die Reaktion verläuft über die Bildung eines Rhodiumvinylidenkomplexes, Oxidation zum Keten durch Sauerstofftransfer und nukleophile Addition. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and ma

Organic ChemistryChemistry
15
Article|18 citations·2015
Rhodium-catalyzed tandem addition–cyclization of alkynylimines
Kyoungmin Choi, Jung Min Joo, Chulbom Lee
SJR Q3Tetrahedron
Organic ChemistryChemistry

Research Areas

Organic ChemistryMaterials ChemistryInorganic ChemistryMolecular BiologyBiological PsychiatryPlant Science

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