Background/Biography

Education:

2002-2006: B. S, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University

2006-2011: Ph. D, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Advisor: Prof. Xiaoming Feng

Academic Career:

2011-2013: Postdoc, Division of Chemistry & Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2013- Associate professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University

Teaching:

Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry experiment

Medicinal chemistry experiment

Research interests:

Developing new electrophilic fluorinations and asymmetric catalysis in the presence of organocatalysts and metal-based catalysts; synthesis of biologically active compounds.

Publications:

1.Guiquan Xia, Yu Li, Zhigang Yang*, and Zhong-Xing Jiang*, “Highly Efficient Synthesis of Monodisperse Poly(ethylene glycols) and Derivatives through Macrocyclization of Oligo(ethylene glycols)”, Org. Process Res. Dev. 2015, 19, 1769−1773.

2. Yu Li, Qi Guo, Xuefei Li, Hua Zhang, Fanghua Yu, Weijiang Yu, Guiquan Xia, Mingyang Fu, Zhigang Yang*, Zhong-Xing Jiang*, “Fluorous synthesis of mono-dispersed poly(ethylene glycols)”, Tetrahedron Lett. 2014,55, 2110-2113.

3. Zhigang Yang and Jianrong (Steve) Zhou*, “Palladium-Catalyzed, Asymmetric Mizoroki-Heck Reaction of Benzylic Electrophiles Using Phosphoramidites as Chiral Ligands” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 11833–11835.

4. Zhigang Yang, Zhen Wang, Sha Bai, Xiaohua Liu, Lili Lin, and Xiaoming Feng*. “Asymmet-ric α-Amination of 4-Substituted Pyrazolones Catalyzed by a Chiral Gd(OTf)3/N,N’-Dioxide Complex: Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of 4-Amino-5-pyrazolone Derivatives”, Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 596–599.

5. Zhigang Yang, Zhen Wang, Sha Bai, Ke Shen, Donghui Chen, Xiaohua Liu, Lili Lin, and Xiaoming Feng*. “Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of 3-Amino-2-oxindole Derivatives: Catalytic Asymmetric α-Amination of 3-Substituted 2-Oxindoles with a Chiral Scandium Complex”, Chem. Eur. J. 2010, 16, 6632–6637.

6. Zhigang Yang, Jie Liu, Xiaohua Liu, Zhen Wang, Xiaoming Feng*, Zhishan Su, and Changwei Hua*, “Highly Efficient Amine Organocatalysts Based on Bispidine for the Asymmetric Michael Addition of Ketones to Nitroolefins”, Adv. Synth. Catal. 2008, 350, 2001–2006.

7. Jie Liu,‡ Zhigang Yang‡ ( co-first author), Xiaohua Liu, Zhen Wang, Yanling Liu, Sha Bai, Lili Lin, Xiaoming Feng*, “Organocatalyzed highly stereoselective Michael addition of ketones to alkylidene malonates and nitroolefins using chiral primary-secondary diamine catalysts based on bispidine”, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2009, 7, 4120–4127.

8. Weijiang Yu, Yuqi Yang, Shaowei Bo,Yu Li, Shizhen Chen, Zhigang Yang, Xing Zheng, Zhong-Xing Jiang*, and Xin Zhou, “Design and Synthesis of Fluorinated Dendrimers for Sensitive 19F MRI”, J. Org. Chem., 2015, 80, 4443–4449.

9. Shaowei Bo, Cong Song, Yu Li, Weijiang Yu, Shizhen Chen, Xin Zhou, Zhigang Yang, Xing Zheng, and Zhong-Xing Jiang*, “Design and Synthesis of Fluorinated Amphiphile as 19F MRI/Fluorescence Dual-Imaging Agent by Tuning the Self-Assembly”, J. Org. Chem., 2015, 80, 6360–6366.

10. Hua Zhang, Xuefei Li, Qiuyan Shi, Yu Li, Guiquan Xia, Long Chen, Zhigang Yang and Zhong-Xing Jiang*, “Highly Efficient Synthesis of Monodisperse Poly(ethylene glycols) and Derivatives through Macrocyclization of Oligo(ethylene glycols)”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 3763 –3767.

11.  Jie Liu, Zhigang Yang, Zhen Wang, Fei Wang, Xiaohong Chen, Xiaohua Liu, Xiaoming Feng*, Zhishan Su, and Changwei Hu*, “Asymmetric Direct Aldol Reaction of Functionalized Ketones Catalyzed by Amine Organocatalysts Based on Bispidine”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5654–5655.

12.  Zhen Wang, Zhigang Yang, Donghui Chen, Xiaohua Liu, Lili Lin, Xiaoming Feng*, “Highly Enantioselective Michael Addition of Pyrazolin-5-ones Catalyzed by Chiral N,N-dioxide- Lanth- anide(III) Complex: Metal Directed Reversal of Enantioselectivity” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2011, 50, 4928–4932.

13. Bo Gao, Yuehong Wen, Zhigang Yang, Xiao Huang, Xiaohua Liu, and Xiaoming Feng*, “Asymmetric Ring Opening of meso-Epoxides with Aromatic Amines Catalyzed by a NewProline-Based N,N’-Dioxide-Indium Tris(triflate) Complex”, Adv. Synth. Catal. 2008, 350, 385–390.

14. Zhen Wang, Donghui Chen, Zhigang Yang, Sha Bai, Xiaohua Liu, Lili Lin, Xiaoming Feng*, “Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Stereogenic Esters through Catalytic Asymmetric Michael Addition of 4-Oxo-4-Arylbutenoates”, Chem. Eur. J. 2010, 16, 10130–10136.

15. Donghui Chen, Zhenling Chen, Xiao Xiao, Zhigang Yang, Lili Lin, Xiaohua Liu, and

Xiaoming Feng*, “Highly Enantioselective Michael Addition of Malonate Derivatives to Enones Catalyzed by an N,N’-Dioxide–Scandium(III) Complex”, Chem. Eur. J. 2009, 15, 6807–6810.

16. Donghui Chen, Zhen Wang, Jiangting Li, Zhigang Yang, Lili Lin, Xiaohua Liu, Xiaoming Feng*, “Catalytic Asymmetric 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Nitrones to Alkylidene Malonates: Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Multisubstituted Isoxazolidines” Chem. Eur. J., 2011, 17, 5226–5229.