Congratulations to Yu-Xiu for the publication of his work in Nature Synthesis.

Our latest work on Pd-olefin cooperative catalysis entitled “Complementary site-selectivity in ortho-alkylative vicinal difunctionalization reactions of iodoarenes enabled by palladium-olefin catalysis” has been published in Nature Synthesis. This work was pearheaded by graduate student Yu-Xiu Li, with exceptional contributions from Cheng-Hao Zong and Yu Meng.

By strategically introducing a methyl group into our thiocycloolefin ligand, we achieved precise control over the competition between β-carbon elimination and C–H activation pathways. This steric tuning enables unprecedented selectivity (>9:1 mono-/dialkylation) for synthesizing 1,2,4-trisubstituted arenes.

Together with our prior research endeavour in the field of Pd-olefin cooperative catalysis (see also Nat. Synth. 2022, 1, 180; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 4871; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 7140), this curiosity-driven exploration of olefin ligands has evolved into a tunable molecular platform with versatile synthetic value.

Heartfelt congratulations to the entire team for their dedication and insightful collaboration!