Organization of Chemistry Department
Laboratory

Full/Associate Prof.

Research Field

Molecular Architecture

Prof. Kentaro TANAKA
Assoc. Prof. Yasuyuki YAMADA

Aim of our research is development of molecular architectures with functional
hierarchies and emergent properties in the interdisciplinary field among coordination
chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and bio-inspired chemistry.

Prof. Mizuki TADA
Assoc. Prof. Yasuhiro OHKI

Catalysis and coordination chemistry. Design of homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysts using metal complexes and metal nanoclusters. Fuel cellchemistry. Advanced characterization of structures of solid catalysts and reaction
mechanism.

BioinorganicChemistryProf. Osami SHOJI

Our research activity focuses on reaction mechanisms of metalloenzymes in molecularlevel majorly based on the coordination and organic chemistry. Artificial enzymes
functionalized with non-natural metal ions or metal complexes are another researchinterest.

Organic ChemistryProf. Kenichiro ITAMI
Assoc. Prof. Hideto ITO

Our group has centered on catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry, aiming at solving
challenging problems for realizing super-efficient chemical synthesis and producing
as-yet unexplored molecules of significant interest in various fields.

Functional OrganicMaterials

Prof. Shigehiro YAMAGUCHI
Assoc. Prof. Masahito MURAI
Designated Assoc. Prof. Masayasu TAKI

Main group chemistry, organometallic chemistry, organic electronic materials.
Development of new reactions based on the characteristic features of main groupelements. Design and synthesis of new functional organic materials and theirapplication to organic electronics and bio-imaging.

Inorganic Chemistry

Laboratory

Noyori Laboratory

Bioorganic Chemistry

Photo-PhysicalChemistry

Full/Associate Prof.

Research Field

Prof. Ryoji NOYORI
Prof. Susumu SAITO

We are developing novel organic synthesis and new catalysis along the interface of
homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. In particular, control of hydrogenation,dehydrogenation, hydrogen transfer, hydration, and dehydration involving biomassrelated inert compounds (amide, carboxylic acid and ester), water, H2,NH3, and CO2 are our keen interest. Our catalysts are so diverse in theirstructures, which are consisted of main group elements, transition metals and theircombinations. Chemical substances of pharmaceutical and industrial importance areamong the target materials in our organic synthesis. Using UV and visible light aswell as solar energy for promoting otherwise inaccessible catalysis that does notproduce salt waste byproducts is also our current strong concern, in which artificial
photosynthesis using H2O and CO2 under solar energy is an ongoing project. These
projects have ripple effects on opening a new avenue for sustainable development
goals (SDGs).

Prof. Hiroshi ABE

Prof. Akiyoshi HISHIKAWA
Assoc. Prof. Mizuho FUSHITANIWe are working on medicinal chemistry and oligonucleotide therapeutics. Medicinal
chemistry is the research fields for developing mainly small molecule drugs. As a newtype of drugs, we have designed and developed several covalent inhibitors, one ofefficient drugs. Furthermore, improved inhibitors have been designed through thedetailed biochemical analysis such as enzyme kinetics, X-ray crystallography, andcomputational simulation. Our second research field is oligonucleotide therapeutics,
where the oligonucleotides are used as active molecules for disease treatment.
Oligonucleotides potentially possess various functions depending on their sequences.
For its application to medicines, we have introduced artificial units into nucleic acid ormodified those structure. In addition to those pharmaceutical projects, we are also
engaged in development of new chemical and biological methodologies for imaging,diagnosis and production of biofunctional molecules.

Our laboratory aims (i) to seek and clarify new phenomena in chemistry by state-ofart spectroscopic techniques, and (ii) to control chemical reactions by using strong
laser pulses as the reaction fields.

Laboratory

Advanced Materials

Quantum ChemistryNano-Structured
Materials

Full/Associate Prof.

Research Field

Prof. Kunio AWAGA
Assoc. Prof. Michio M. MATSUSHITA

Our research is directed towards exploring exotic multi-functional phenomena
derived from the interaction between fundamental electronic properties(conductivity, magnetism, optical transitions, etc.) in characteristic chemical species,
such as organic radicals, metal-organic composite clusters and nanoparticles.

Prof. Takeshi YANAI
Designated Assoc. Prof. Kazuhiro FUJIMOTO

Our group focuses on theoretical and computational investigation to describe
chemical nature and reactivities of molecular systems by means of quantum chemistry(QC) calculations. Computing-based theoretical approaches have been growing intoa method that can now provide information compensating experiment-based
understanding with a substantial level of reliability and accuracy. Our interests aredirected to the development of new methods that expand the domain of applications
and to chemical systems to figure out elusive details of their complex phenomena.

Assoc. Prof. Ryo KITAURAThe main research topics of our laboratory have been centered on the fabrication,
characterization and application of the so-called nanocarbons which include
fullerenes, metallofullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene-related materials.
Two-dimensional atomic layered materials such as transition metal di-chalcogenides(TMDC) are also main research themes of the present laboratory. We are interested
in both the fundamental and application aspects of such nanocarbon and atomic
layered nanomaterials.