CNRS Chemistry welcomes Nitin T. Patil as an Ambassador in Chemical Sciences
On May 26, 2026, Nitin T. Patil, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, will begin a series of lectures at several CNRS laboratories as the Ambassador in Chemical Sciences in France. His research group focuses on gold catalysis to develop new organic transformations and their applications in materials and biological sciences.
What drove you to the field of organic synthesis?
Organic molecules are central to life and the discovery of new chemical reactivities is essential for the development of efficient syntheses of functional molecules that impact humans. When I started my independent research career in 2008, gold catalysis was still in its infancy and gold complexes were widely regarded merely as carbophilic activators. Very little was known about their ability to participate in transition-metal-like reactivities and cross-coupling reactions. By understanding the unique organometallic reactivity patterns of gold, we became interested in developing organic transformations based on redox gold catalysis.
What future outcomes do you expect in the next 5 to 10 years for gold complexes in catalysis and synthetic methodologies?
The development of new (chiral) ligands for gold redox catalysis is expected to be an important frontier in the coming years. Equally exciting is the merger of gold catalysis with electrochemistry and photoredox catalysis, uncovering new reactivities which are not accessible through conventional transition-metal catalysis. The successful outcome in these directions would provide unique reactivities and selectivities to access a previously unattainable chemical space.
As a CNRS Ambassador in Chemical Sciences, what are you most looking forward to during your French conference tour?
I am particularly excited about interacting with researchers across France and discussing emerging areas in chemistry. I look forward to sharing our journey in gold catalysis and learning about the diverse research areas being currently pursued in French laboratories. Beyond the scientific discussions, I am especially enthusiastic about exchanging ideas across disciplines for building new collaborations.
Interview by AVR