Education: B. Sc. & M. Sc., Mahatma Gandhi University (India), Ph. D (2009), University of Stuttgart (Germany)

Homogeneous Transition Metal Catalysis/C-H Activation

Research Interest Transition metals constitute bulk of the homogeneous catalysts available for various organic transformations especially cross-coupling reactions. I am interested in the catalytic potential of late transition metal catalysts towards exploring new reactivity patterns. The focus is to effect classical bond formations with minimal pre-functionalization whereby greener, milder modifications of inert bonds and the synthesis of commercially important molecules are targeted.

Palladium-Catalyzed Direct C-H Arylation of Enamides with Simple Arenes, S. Pankajakshan, Y-H. Xu, J. K. Cheng, M. T. Low, T. P. Loh. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 5701-5705. . Base Free Palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling using Organogold complexes, S. Pankajakshan, T.P. Loh. Chem. Asian. J. 2011, 6, 2291-2295. Gold Catalysis: Non-Spirocyclic Intermediates in the Conversion of Furanynes by the Formal Insertion of an Alkyne into an Aryl–Alkyl C–C Single Bond, A. S. K. Hashmi, T. H?ffner, W. Yang, S. Pankajakshan, S. Sch?fer, L. Schultes, F. Rominger, W. Frey, Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, 10480 – 10486. . Gold Catalysis: Anellated Heterocycles and Dependency of the Reaction Pathway on the Tether Length, A. S. K. Hashmi, S. Pankajakshan, M. Rudolph, E. Enns, T. Bander, F. Rominger, W. Frey. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2009, 351, 2855-2875.

Zirconium-BINOLate-catalyzed, enantioselective, aldol-Tischenko reactions of aromatic ketone aldols, C. Schneider, M. Hansch, S. Pankajakshan, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 2006, 17, 2738-2742.