Prof. Luo recieved his undergraduate degree in chemistry at  Zhengzhou University in 1999, he obtained a Master Degree at Nankai University in 2002 and started his doctoral studies in Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) under the direction of Prof. Jin-Pei Cheng, He has been stayed in Prof. G. P. Wang group in Ohio-state university as a visiting scholar during 2004-2005, After he got his Ph. D. degree in 2005. He strated his independent career in ICCAS and was promoted to full proffessor in 2011. He has been stayed in Prof. B. M. Trost group in Stanford University as a visiting scholar in 2009. He moved to Tsinghua University in the year of 2017 and now he is the director of Centre of Basic Molecular Sciences (CBMS). He is interested in bio-inspired caalysis and synthesis, physical organic chemistry and supramolecular chemistry.

The Luo group’s primary research goal is to invent and develop novel enantioselective catalysts that enable transformations with fundamental synthetic interests and broad utility. They’re particularly interested in the development of viable small molecular catalysts that operate through novel activation modes using bio-inspired principles and strategies. The potentials of these catalysts will be explored in the synthesis of functional molecules beyond small molecular levels to also include supramolecular and material synthesis. Parallel to these efforts, Luo group also engages to disclose the underlying catalytic mechanism and principles with a long-term goal to achieve rational design of catalysts, by synergistic combinations of experimental and theoretical approaches including DFT and AI technologies. The current developed catalysts by the group include chiral primary amine catalysts (or Luo catalyst as named by the field), asymmetric binary acid catalysis (ABC catalysis), chiral carbocation catalysis and bio-inspired ortho-quinone catalyst.

Selected Publications

1. Huang, M.;^# Zhang, L.; ^# Pan, T.; Luo, S.^* Deracemization through photochemical E/Z isomerization of enamines, Science, 2022, 375, 869-874.

2. Jia, Z.; Zhang, L.; Luo, S.^* Asymmetric C–H Dehydrogenative Allylic Alkylation by Ternary Photoredox-Cobalt-Chiral Primary Amine Catalysis under Visible Light, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 10705–10710.

3. Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Jian, R.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.-T.; Xia, Y.; Luo, S.^* Bio-inspired lanthanum-ortho-quinone catalysis for aerobic alcohol oxidation: semi-quinone anionic radical as redox ligand, Nature Commun. 2022, 13, 428-438.

4. Cai, M.; Xu, K.; Li, Y.; Nie, Z.; Zhang, L.;^* Luo, S.^*Chiral Primary Amine/Ketone Cooperative Catalysis for Asymmetric α-Hydroxylation with Hydrogen Peroxide, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 1078-1087.

5. Zhang, Q.; Li, Y.; Zhang, L.; Luo, S.^* Catalytic Asymmetric Disulfuration by a Chiral Bulky Three‐Component Lewis Acid‐Base, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 10971-10976.