Theme Issue in Memory to Prof. Jiro Tsuji (1927–2022)

Dear Colleagues, 

This Special Issue of Catalysts is dedicated to Professor Jiro Tsuji, who passed away on April 1st, 2022. He pioneered the discovery of many transition metal-catalyzed reactions and showed general idea of developing and applying these reactions in organic synthesis. Well-known reactions among them are several types of Pd-catalyzed reactions such as substitution of allylic substrates based on the stoichiometric reaction of π-allyl palladium with carbon nucleophiles discovered in 1965; reactions of allyl β-keto esters, resulting in allylation, olefin formation, and reduction; reactions of propargylic substrates; formation of methyl ketones from 1-olefins based on the Wacker process of ethylene. It is noteworthy that the olefin formation is used as the key step in the industrial synthesis of Jasmonate. Other reactions catalyzed by Pd, Ru, and Cu are carbonylation of olefins, dienes, acetylenes, and allyl compounds; decarbonylation of acid chloride and aldehydes; oxidative decomposition of catechol to muconic acid, etc. Tsuji focused on carbon-carbon bond forming reaction from the very beginning of his research. According to Tsuji, importance of the formation in organic synthesis was taught by Professor Gilbert Stork when he was in the doctoral program at Columbia University.

The significance of the reactions found by Tsuji has been proven by their widespread adoption in academic and industrial laboratories. Consequently, it is not surprising that Tsuji has been honored with the Chemical Society of Japan Award in 1981, the Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 1994, the Japan Academy Prize in 2004, and the Tetrahedron Prize in 2014. He received Honorary Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology.   

Jiro Tsuji was born on May 11, 1927 in Shiga, Japan. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Kyoto University, Japan, in 1951, a Master’s degree from Baylor University, USA, in 1957, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, USA, in 1960 under the supervision of Gilbert Stork. Tsuji returned to Japan in 1962 to work as a Research Associate at Toray Industries, where he began his career of transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. In 1974, he moved to Tokyo Institute of Technology, and served as Professor until retirement age of 60 in 1988. Thereafter, he was Professor at Okayama University of Science, Japan, from 1988 to 1996, and at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts from 1996 to 1999.

We plan to organize a Special Issue honoring Jiro Tsuji's distinguished scientific career over the past 70 years. This Special Issue will consist of communications, original research articles, review articles, mini-reviews, perspectives, and viewpoints. Transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, application of such reactions in organic synthesis, natural product synthesis, or anecdotes on Jiro Tsuji are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ewa Kowalska
Prof. Dr. Yuichi Kobayashi
Guest Editors

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