Shifa Zhu, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China

Short biography: 

Shifa Zhu received his Bachelor's degree from Hunan University in 2001. He obtained his PhD from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2006 under the supervision of Prof. Shizheng Zhu. After two years’ postdoctoral training with Prof. X. Peter Zhang from 2007–2008 at the University of South Florida, he returned to China and joined the South China University of Technology (SCUT) in 2009 where he started his independent research. He is currently a professor at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University and South China University of Technology. His current research interests mainly focus on alkyne 

Catalytic Transformation of Acetylene

Shifa Zhu^a,b

aSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University

 b Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Engineering of Guangdong Province, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology

e-mail:zhusf@zstu.edu.cn, zhusf@scut.edu.cn

Keywords:Acetylene, Transient Species

Acetylene is the simplest alkyne, which is one of the most important fundamental coal-based chemical feedstocks. However, research on the transformations of acetylene was mainly conducted before the 1960s. Furthermore, most of the research has focused on the low value-added fine chemicals. Due to the inherent unique structure, easily flammable and explosive properties of the acetylene molecule, there are very limited applicable methods for its transformation in literature. Recently, on the basis of achieving the diversity transformation of substituted alkynes, we turned our attention to the transformation of acetylene, with a focus on developing new catalytic systems suitable for acetylene. Following this interest, three different strategies of metal catalysis, photocatalysis and photoredox/metal dual catalysis has been developed to enable the efficient conversion of acetylene into high value-added chemicals under 1 atm through cleavage of carbon-carbon triple bond of acetylene molecule.[1-12]

References

1. Xin Yu, Shifa Zhu*, Recent Progress on Catalytic Transformation of Acetylene, Chem. Soc. Rev.2025, 54, 5586.
2. Kangkui Li, Yue Huang, Xianyang Long, Dong Zhu, Yang Chen and Shifa Zhu*, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2025, 147, 37157.
3. Tairan Cheng, Jiayao Qiu, Zedong Yang, Siju Li, Huanfeng Jiang, Shifa Zhu*, Nat. Commun.2025, 16, 9181.
4. Tairan Cheng, Siju Li, Jiaoyao Qiu, Zedong Yang, Huanfeng Jiang, Shifa Zhu*，Homologation of Alkenes Using Acetylene as a C2 Feedstock, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2025, 64, e202425169. 
5. Lü, S.; Wang, Z.; Gao, X.; Chen, K.; Zhu, S. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300268.
6. Bo Yang, Kangkui Li, Yongdong Wang & Shifa Zhu*, Sci. China Chem.2024, 66, 936-944.
7. Kangkui Li, Jiazhen Deng, Xianyang Long and Shifa Zhu*, Green Chem.2023,25, 7253-7258.
8. Boxiang Liu, Zhicong Lin, Tairan Cheng, Tongxiang Cao, Shifa Zhu*,Org. Lett.2023,25, 3573-3577.
9. Kangkui Li, Xianyang Long, Shifa Zhu*, Photoredox/Nickel Dual Catalysis-Enabled Modular Synthesis of Arylallyl Alcohols with Acetylene as the Two-Carbon Synthon,ACS Catal.2023,13, 2422.
10. Zhicong Lin, Boxiang Liu, Yu Wang, Siju Li and Shifa Zhu*, Chem. Sci.2023,14, 1912.
11. Boxiang Liu, Zhicong Lin, Yu Wang, Tairan Cheng, Tongxiang Cao, Shifa Zhu*,CCS Chem.2023,5, 1077. 
12. Shiwei Lü, Zipeng Wang and Shifa Zhu*, Nat. Commun.2022,13, 5001.
13. Tairan Cheng, Boxiang Liu, Rui Wu and Shifa Zhu*,Chem. Sci.2022,13, 7604.