Dr. Akash Kaithal

Dr. Akash Kaithal
© Dr. Akash Kaithal
Dr. Akash Kaithal
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Room 404, OC/BC I
Corrensstraße 36
48149 Münster
T: +49 251 8335310
F: +49 251 8339772
akaithal@uni-muenster.de
External Profiles:
  • Curriculum Vitae

    since 06/2021 Postdoctoral research in the group of Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
    05/2020 - 05/2021 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Molecular Catalysis Division, Germany;  Advisor: Prof. Dr. Walter Leitner and Dr. Christophe Werlé
    10/2016 - 04/2020 Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Walter Leitner, Title of PhD thesis: Ruthenium(II) and Manganese(I) Catalyzed Organic Transformations via Hydrogen Transfer Reactions
    11/2018 - 05/2019 Claude  Bernard  University  Lyon 1,  France;  six-month exchange
    06/2014 - 06/2016 Master thesis, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India;  Advisor: Prof. Dr. Chidambaram Gunanathan, Title of Master thesis: "Ruthenium Catalyzed Hydroboration Reactions"
    06/2011 - 06/2016 Integrated M.Sc. (First Class), National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India
    05/2014 - 07/2014 Research Project, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India;  Advisor: Dr. G. V. Madhava Sharma, Synthesis of structural analog of Rolipram
    05/2013 - 07/2013 Research Project, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India; Advisor: Prof. Jitendra Kumar Bera, Synthesis and characterization of Napthyridine-based tetra-dentate Ligands
    05/2012 - 07/2012 Research Project, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India; Advisor: Dr. Sanjib Kar, Synthesis and characterization of Silver Corrole Complexes
  • Awards and Scholarships

    2020 "Ernst-Haage Prize" Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Award 2020
    2020 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Honors: "Summa cum Laude"
    10/2016 - 10/2019 Erasmus+ (the European Doctoral Programme on Sustainable Industrial Chemistry (SINCHEM)) Scholarship for Doctoral Studies
    06/2011 - 06/2016 Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scholarship for Integrated Master of Science
    06/2011 - 06/2016 Gas Authority of India Limited  Scholarship  (GAIL)  for  Integrated  Master  of  Science
    04/2010 - 04/2011 Student of Super-30 Kanpur, India
  • Publications

    A. Kaithal, T. Wagener, P. Bellotti, C. G. Daniliuc, L. Schlichter, F. Glorius,
    Access to Unexplored 3D Chemical Space: cis-Selective AreneHydrogenation for the Synthesis of Saturated Cyclic Boronic Acids,
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, Early View.  DOI

    A. Kaithal, B. Chatterjee, C. Werle, W. Leitner,*
    Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Methanol to Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen using Molecular Catalysts,
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 26500-26505.
    Selected as a Hot Paper

    A. Kaithal, C. Werlé, W. Leitner,
    Alcohol-assisted Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide to Methanol Using Molecular Manganese Catalysts,
    JACS Au 2021, 1, 130-136.
    "Selected as a cover feature in Issue 2, Volume 1, and Number 2".

    A. Kaithal, M. Hölscher, W. Leitner, 
    Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen (Syngas) as C1-Building Block for Selective Catalytic Methylation,
    Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 976-982.

    A. Kaithal, D. Kalsi, V. Krishnakumar, S. Pattanaik, A. Bordet, W. Leitner, C. Gunanathan,
    Ruthenium-Catalyzed Selective Hydroboronolysis of Ethers,
    ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 14390-14397.

    B. Chatterjee, D. Kalsi, A. Kaithal, A. Bordet, W. Leitner, C.  Gunanathan,
    One-Pot Dual Catalysis for the Hydrogenation of Heteroarenes and Arenes,
    Catal. Sci. Technol. 2020, 10, 5163-5170.

    A. Kaithal, P. van Bonn, M. Hölscher, W. Leitner,
    Manganese (I)-Catalyzed β‐Methylation of Alcohols using Methanol as C1 source,
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 215-220.

    A. Kaithal, M. Schmitz, M. Hölscher, W. Leitner,
    On the mechanism of the Ruthenium-catalyzed β‐Methylation of Alcohols with Methanol,
    ChemCatChem. 2020, 12, 781-787.
    Published in a special issue: Pincer Chemistry and Catalysis.

    A. Kaithal, L. L. Gracia, C. Camp, E. A. Quadrelli, W. Leitner,
    Direct Synthesis of Cycloalkanes from Diols and Secondary Alcohols or Ketones Using a Homogeneous Manganese Catalyst,
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 17487-1749.
    Selected as a front cover feature in Issue 44, Volume 141, and Number 44.

    A. Kaithal, M. Schmitz, M. Hölscher, W. Leitner,
    Ruthenium(II)‐Catalyzed β‐Methylation of Alcohols using Methanol as C1 Source,
    ChemCatChem. 2019, 11, 5287-5291.
    Published in a special issue: New Concepts in Homogeneous catalysis.

    A. Kaithal,S. Sen,C. Erken, T.Weyhermüller, M. Hölscher, C. Werlé, W. Leitner,
    Manganese-catalyzed hydroboration of carbon dioxide and other challenging carbonyl groups,
    Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 4521.  (Equal contribution)

    A. Kaithal, M. Hölscher, W. Leitner,
    Catalytic Hydrogenation of Cyclic Carbonates using Manganese Complexes,
    Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 13449-13453.

    A. Kaithal, B. Chatterjee, C. Gunanathan,
    Ruthenium-Catalyzed Selective Hydroboration of Nitriles and Imines,
    Org. Chem. 2016, 81, 11153-11161. (Equal contribution)
    Highlights: Synfacts 2017, 13, 0078.

    A. Kaithal, B. Chatterjee,C. Gunanathan,
    Ruthenium- Catalyzed Regioselective 1,4-Hydroboration of Pyridines,
    Org. Lett. 2016, 18, 3402-3405. (Equal Contribution)
    Highlights: Synfacts 2016, 12, 0956.

    A. Kaithal, B.Chatterjee, C. Gunanathan,
    Ruthenium Catalyzed Selective Hydroboration of Carbonyl Compounds,
    Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 4790-4793.  (Equal contribution)

  • Conferences and Schools Attended

    •    Kopernikus P2X Project meeting via online platform, Germany. 02 – 03 Feb 2021 (Talk).

    •    Europacat conference at RWTH Aachen University. 18 – 22 Aug 2019 (Poster presentation).

    •    Gordon research Organometallic conference at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, USA. 7 – 12 Jul 2019 (Poster presentation).

    •    SINCHEM autumn School at University of Nottingham. 28 – 30 Nov 2018, "Catalytic Hydrogenation of Cyclic Carbonates using Manganese Complexes:" (Talk)

    •    Gordon research seminar and Gordon research conference at Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel in Castelldefels, Spain. 28 Jul – 3 Aug 2018 (Poster presentation).

    •    51. Jahrestreffen Deutscher Katalytiker, Weimar. 14 – 16 Mar 2018 (Poster presentation).

    •    SINCHEM & PHOTOTRAIN Winter School, Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale, Feb, 12 – 16, 2018.

    •    Autumn School of Erasmus Mundus Joint  Doctorate, SINCHEM,  Politecnico  di Torino,  22 – 24 Nov 2017; "Utilization of CO2 and MeOH as a C1 Source: Hydrocarboxylation and β-Methylation of Alcohols" (Talk).

    •    SINCHEM Winter school, RWTH Aachen University, 1 – 2 Feb 2017; "CO2 as a C1 Building Block in the Catalytic Synthesis of Carboxylic Acids" (Talk).

    •    11th J-NOST  Conference  at  School  of  Chemical  Sciences,  NISER,  Bhubaneswar,  India, 14 – 17 Dec 2015, (Poster Presentation).

  • Teaching and Supervision Experience

    Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen-52074, Germany:

    •    Teaching Assistant (2016 - 2020), Course: Biocatalysis Lab

    •    Supervision: two master's and two research students.

  • Other Skills

    Laboratory and Instrumentation Skills NMR, Mass Spectrometry, IR, UV-Vis, Standard Schlenk  Techniques,  Preparative  TLC,  HPLC, GC Column  Chromatography,  Glovebox,  High-pressure  Parr  Reactor,  Single  Crystal  XRD,  Cyclic Voltammetry.
    Computer Skills •    Software Tools – Gaussian, ChemBioDraw, Origin, Mercury, Olex, Shelxl, Graph, Scifinder, MestreNova, Endnote, MS Office and Mac tools
    •    Operating Systems – Windows, Mac
    Language Skills English (Fluent), Hindi (Mother Tongue), German (Intermediate)
    Personal Interests Cricket, Drawing, Bowling, Music