Dr Na Wu (other name Anna Wu), as a singaporean Cantonese, was growing up in North Sea of China, and has embarked on an international journey to pursue her research career. She received her university training in organic synthesis first at the Shann’xi Normal University (02-06, BS in Chemistry) with Prof. Baolin Li and then at highly-ranked Peking University (PKU) (06-10, MS & PhD in Synthesis & Catalysis, emph. the use of Pauson-Khand reaction (PKR) in the total synthesis of (±)-Pentalenolactone-a Methyl Ester, (formally graduating in June 12) with Prof. Zhen Yang. NW has also held a visiting research stay at Durham University (10-11, Host: Prof. Todd Marder, co-supervised by Prof. Andy Whiting) where she studied palladium-thiourea catalysed enyne domino reactions. This was followed by a PDRA with Prof. Simon Woodward at Nottingham University in 2013, where she studied the trichloromethide addition mechanism. She also had a short research stay in the Prof. Zhixiang Yu group (PKU) studying DFT in Aug 2015. She was appointed as a teaching fellow by Guangxi Normal University (GXNU) in 2014 and holds a lecturership since 2015, supervising postgraduates in the research project and self-managing the lab. This allows her to start an independent research career. She was succesively promoted to associate professor in 2016. A year after, she took up Newton International fellowship in Oxford University and Durham University (Principal Investigator), awarded by Her Majesity's Royal Society in United Kingdom. She is also Early-Career Fellow in Durham Energy Institute.

Anna is the recipient of numerous awards and research grants, including Chinese Education Ministry Scholarship (06-11), Chinese Scholarship Council’s UK-China Joint Doctoral Scholarship (10-11); Research grants are awarded by the following organisations: State Key Lab (14-17), GXNU (14-17), Provincial Science Foundation to Young Investigator (15-16), PKU Shenzhen Graduate School (16-17) and National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (15-18), Newton International Fellowship (Royal Society) (2018-2020), Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellence (2018), Durham Energy Institute Interdisciplinary Grant Scheme (2018-2019).

Out of the lab, Anna is an active player on the accordion, piano and electric board. Music is a crucial element to inspire her to be creative. 

For Anna's Royal Society's webpage https://royalsociety.org/people/na-wu-13736/

For Anna's academic staff webpage in Durham University https://www.dur.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/profile/?id=17174

For Anna's Fellow webpage in Durham Energy Institute https://www.dur.ac.uk/dei/aboutus/dei.fellows/ 

Research Interests:

Polycyclic alkaloids have proven importance in human medicine; two examples are the frontline anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. However, it can be very challenging to develop new drugs directly from natural products, particularly if the natural supply is limited. One solution is chemical synthesis which, due to economic and environmental demands, requires efficient and flexible chemicalstrategies; a consequent benefit is access to non-natural analogues that expand skeletal diversity. In this context, 'domino' reactions, which form multiple bonds in a single step, are a powerful tactic for the rapid assembly of a wide variety of complex ring systems from simple starting materials.

Palladium catalysts offer exceptional control in building C–C bonds with high precision under mild conditions, with wide tolerance of functional groups. Our research aims to extend the state-of-the-art in Pd-catalysed domino multicomponent cyclisations to assemble polycyclic alkaloid-like frameworks, using enynamides as reaction substrates. Such transformations are highly challenging, due to the need to precisely control the sequence of bond formations in the various reaction steps. We exploit nucleopalladation reactions of ynamides as the key domino initiator, combining both established and new reactivity principles, aiming to extend these principles to sequenced multicomponent reactions, which form multiple bonds and rings in one transformation.

We are aiming to build up international research link and provide network for postgraduates to deepen their research capacity.

   My current research is focused on transition metal-catalysed domino reactions of alkenes and        alkynes, and related mechanistic studies. These reactions involve the formation of multiple covalent bonds in a single step to construct elaborate polycyclic structures similar to those found in biologically active molecules. I am currently working on several aspects of transition metal catalysis, including:

  •Pd-catalysed enantioselective enyne cyclisations to form quaternary stereocenters via asymmetric counterion directed catalysis;

  •Pauson-Khand reactions (PKR) to form substituted cyclopentenones as found in complex natural products (e.g. (±)-pentalenolactone A methyl ester);

  •Mechanistic studies in Pd-catalysed PKRs initiated by alkynoate chloropalladation rather than the conventional cyclometallation pathway;

  •Control of PKR regioselectivity using lithium halide salts;

  •Enyne cycloisomerisation / Diels-Alder reaction / lactonisation sequences as atom economic routes to fused carbocyclic lactones;

  •Heck cyclisations of haloenamides to indoles;

  •Wagner-Meerwein-type rearrangements to access polycyclic pyrones;

  •Azide-based rearrangements in cascade cycloadditions;

  •Developing new chiral dienes from extracts of Chinese plants for use in rhodium catalysis.

Representative Publications：

For my publications, see my website:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Na_Wu23/publications

(1) Lei Zhao, Hongyi Yang and Na Wu*. Sonogashira Coupling Reactions to Access Moist-sensitive ynamides in Water, Green Chem. 2019, in manuscript.  

(2) Yangyang Hou, Jing Ma, Hongyi Yang, Andy Whiting, Edward. A. Anderson and Na Wu*. Palladium-Catalysed Reductive Cycloisomerisation of 1,6-Enynamides, Chem. Commun.2019, 55, 3733.

(3) Xiaotong Li, Zhibin Zhang, Gaopeng Wang, Na Wu, Qianqian Yang, Shuangping Huang* and Xiaoji Wang*, A Concise and Straightforward Approach to Total Synthesis of (+)-Strictifolioneand Formal Synthesis of Cryptofolione via a Unified Strategy, Synth. Commun. 2019, DOI:10.1080/00397911.2019.1580373

(4) Jungang Deng, Ping Yu, Zhenlei Zhang, Jun Wang, Jinhua Cai, Na Wu, Honbin Sun, Hong Liang and FengYang, Designing Anticancer Copper(II) Complexes by Optimizing 2-Pyridine-thiosemicarbazone Ligands, Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2018,158, 442.

(5) Siyu Ye and Na Wu*, The Chemistry of Ynamide and Its Application in Organic Synthesis, eds:A. Rahma, Chapter, Advances in Organic Synthesis, the Netherlands, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-60805-115-1, in press.

(6) Na Wu*, Ruikun Li, Feihu Cui and Yingming Pan. Application of Dehydroabietic Acid in Palladium-catalysed Enyne Cycloisomerisation, Adv. Synth. Catal.2017, 359(14), 2442-2447.

(7) Ruikun Li,Zhongqing Wenand Na Wu*. Nordehydroabietyl Amide-Containing Chiral Diene for Rhodium-Catalysed Asymmetric Arylation to Nitroolefins.Org. Biol. Chem.2016,14, 11080.

(8) Qing-hu Teng, Shi-kun Mo, Jian-kun Pan, Na Wu,* Heng-shan Wang and Ying-ming Pan*. TfOH-Catalyzed Reaction of Bispropargyl Alcohols with 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds. Synthesis, 2016, 3, 455.

Highlighted in ChemInform.2016, 47 (25), DOI: 10.1002/chin.201625089

(9) Xian-chun Tan, Hai-yuan Zhao, Ying-ming Pan,* Na Wu, Heng-shan Wangand Zhen-feng Chen*. Atom-economical Chemoselective Synthesis of Furocoumarins via Cascade Palladium Catalyzed Oxidative Alkoxylation of 4-Oxohydrocoumarins and Alkenes. RSC Adv.2015, 5, 4972.

Highlighted in ChemInform.2015, 46 (24), DOI: 10.1002/chin.201524163

(10) Zhi-ming Yan, Na Wu*, Dong Liang, Heng-shan Wang and Ying-ming Pan*. One-Pot Stepwise Approach to β-Enaminoketoesters through “Masked” 1,3-Aza-Dipoles. Org. Lett.2014, 16, 4048.

Highlighted in ChemInform.2015, 46 (4), DOI: 10.1002/chin.201504054

(11) Na Wu, Benoit Wahl, Simon Woodward* and William Lewis. 1,4-Addition of TMSCCl₃ to Nitroalkenes: Efficient Reaction Conditions and Mechanistic Understanding. Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 7718.

Highlighted in ChemInform.2014, 45 (51), DOI: 10.1002/chin.201451026

(12) Na Wu, Lujiang Deng, Lianzhu Liu, Qi Liu, Chuangchuang Li and Zhen Yang*. Reverse Regioselectivity in the Pd(II)-Thiourea Catalyzed Intermolecular Pauson-Khand Reaction. Chem. Asian. J. 2013, 8(1), 65-68.

(13) Na Wu, Antonios Messinis, Andrei S. Batsanov, Zhen Yang, Andrew Whiting and Todd. B. Marder*. Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Tandem Cyclisation of Electron-Deficient Aromatic Enynes. Chem. Commun.2012, 48 (80), 9986-9988.

Highlighted in ChemInform. 2013, 44, DOI: 10.1002/chin.201303035

Highlighted by Victor Snieckus, Matthew O. Kitching. Synfacts 2012, 8(12), 1295.

(14) Qi Liu, Guozong Yue, Na Wu, Guang Lin, Yuanzhen Li, Chuangchuang Li, Junmin Quan, Guoxin Wang and Zhen Yang*. Highly Stereoselective Construction of the Framework of Pentalenolactone: First Total Synthesis of (±)-Pentalenolactone A Methyl Ester. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2012, 51, 12072-12076.

Top 10 Most Accessed Article in 10/2012.

Highlighted in Chin. J. Org. Chem., January, 2013.

Highlighted in Chemistry World, November, 2012.

(15) Andrei S. Batsanov*, Judith A. K. Howard, Na Wu, Zhen Yang and Todd B. Marder. An Irreversible Phase Transition in 1-n-butylindeno[2,1-c]pyran-3,9-dione. Acta Cryst.2012, C68, o413-o416.

(16) Lianzhu Liu, Yingxiang Gao, Chao Che, Na Wu, David ZhigangWang, ChuangChuang Li and Zhen Yang*. A Model Study for the Concise Construction of the Oxapentacyclic Core of Cortistatins through Intramolecular Diels-Alder and Oxidative Dearomatization-Cyclization Reactions.Chem. Commun. 2009, 6, 662.

Highlighted in ChemInform, 2009, 40, DOI: 10.1002/chin.200925181.

(17) Yi Cui, Hao Jiang, Zhengtao Li, Na Wu, Zhen Yang* and Junmin Quan. Unexpected Regioselectivity in the Synthesis of Pyranonaphthoquinone via the Diels-Alder Reaction. Org. Lett. 2009, 11, 4628.

(18) Zhengtao Li, Yingxiang Gao, Zhaodong Jiao, Na Wu, David Zhigang Wang and Zhen Yang*. Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Fused Pyran γ-Lactones via an Efficient Pd-Thiourea-Catalyzed Alkoxycarbonylative Annulation. Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 5163.

Highlighted by Mark Lautens, David A. Candito. Synfacts2009, 2, 0188.   

Anna Wu is the recipient of numerous awards and research grants:

·  Postgraduate national scholarship, Ministry of Education, 2006-2007.

·  Ph.D. national scholarship, Ministry of Education, 2008-2011

·  UK-China joint training doctoral students scholarship awarded by CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council), 2010-2011.

·  “The synthetic study of natural bioactive product Cortistatin A” obtained research honorable mention, funded by Dean grant, awarded by Shenzhen graduate school, Peking University, China, May, 2010.

·   “Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Tandem Cyclisation of Electron-Deficient Aromatic Enynes” got the third prize in new energy and low-carbon economy PhD forum, London University, awarded by Chinese embassy, June, 2011.

·   “Functionalization of bioactive coumarin derivatives", awarded by Guangxi Province Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resource, Sep. 2014 - Sep. 2017.

·   “Palladium catalysed aromatic 1,m-enyne cyclisations, awarded by NSFC (National Nature Science Foundation of China), for Jan. 2015 - Dec. 2018.

·   Doctorate research grant, awarded by Guangxi Normal University, Sep. 2014 - Sep. 2017.

·   “Dienyl palladium species as reactive intermediates in the construction of cyclised molecules”, funded by Young investigator research grant, Guangxi Provincial Nature Science Foundation, Apri. 2015 - Aug. 2016.

·   Associate member of the royal society of chemistry, 2015.

·   "Functionalization of dehydroabietic acid", 1-year-Grant of for training undergraduate’s lab technique in GXNU, Jan. - Dec.2015.

         ·   "Functionalization of dehydroabietic acid (DAA) and application of DAA in transition-metal catalysed enyne asymmetric cyclisation", visiting research grant to Peking University Shenzhen graduate school, China, Jan. - Dec. 2016.

·   Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017.

·   Newton International Research Fellowship, awarded by Her Majesty's Royal Society, United Kingdom, 2018 - 2020.

·   Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellence, awarded by European Commission, 2018. 

·   Durham Energy Institute Interdisciplinary Grant Scheme (2018-2019).

·   “Reducing Electricity, Solvent and Gas Consumption with an Energy-Efficient Microwave Reactor - Anton Paar Monowave 200”, awarded by Ring-Fenced Carbon Management Budget, Greenspace, Durham University, 2019, £10.9K

 Anna's foundation：

 Oriental Catalysis Scholarship: