Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong

Biography

Dr Ng obtained his BSc degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London in 2011 (funded by Macau Government Special Scholarship), and his PhD degree from The University of Hong Kong in 2017. After graduation, he first pursued a postdoc in organic synthesis in Prof Pauline Chiu’s group (HKU and SUSTech), during which he was involved in developing new organometallic reactions. After almost ten years of research in organic synthesis, he brought his expertise to a different field of research, pursuing computational chemistry Prof Hajime Hirao’s group (CUHK-SZ), during which he studied organic reactions in details by computational methods. He returned to HK and joined the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy in 2023. Currently he is an assistant lecturer in the department.

Honours and Awards

Medallion for Excellence, in IT/Software Applications (39^th WorldSkills International Competition, Shizuoka, Japan, 2007)

The “Olympic Game” of vocational skills, between 85 countries/regions

Research Interests

Development of New Synthetic Methodology for Drug Synthesis
Understanding of Chemical Reactions by Quantum Mechanical Methods (recent interests include the study of drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions by QM/MM methods and MD simulations)

Publications

Publication Highlights

(co-first author) Jin, Y.; Fan, L-F; Ng, E. W. H.; Yu, Lu; Hirao, H.*; Gong, L.Z.*, Atom Transfer Radical Coupling Enables Highly Enantioselective Carbo-Oxygenation of Alkenes with Hydrocarbons, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145 (40), 22031–22040.
Teng, S.; Ng, E. W. H.; Zhang, Z.; Soon, C.N.; Xu, H.; Li, R.; Hirao, H.*; Loh, T-P*, Alkynone β-trifluoroborates: a new class of amine-specific biocompatible click reagents. Sci. Adv., 2023, 9 (17), eadg4924.
Nilouyal, S.; Karahan, H. E.; Ng, E. W. H.; Yamaguchi, D.; Ito, M. M. M.; Qin, D.; Hirao, H.; Sivaniah, E.*; Ghalei, B.*, Nanobiomineralization of Carbon Dioxide by Molecularly Engineered Metal-Histidine Complex Nanozymes. Chem. Mater. 2023, 35 (4), 1610–1623.
(co-first author) Xi, J.; Ng, E. W. H.; Ho, C.-Y.*, Unsymmetric N-Aryl Substituent Effects on Chiral NHC-Cu: Enantioselectivity and Reactivity Enhancement by Ortho-H and Syn-Configuration. ACS Catal. 2023, 13 (1), 407–421.
(co-first author) Jin, Y., Ng, E.W.H., Fan, T., Hirao, H.*, Gong, L.Z., Photochemical Allylation of Alkanes Enabled by Nickel Catalysis, ACS Catal. 2022, 12 (16), 10039–10046.
Yong, X., Ng, E.W.H., Zhen, Z., Lin, X., Gao, W., Ho, C.*, NHC‐Ni(0) catalyzed diastereodivergent hydroacylative enyne cyclization: synthesis of heterocycles bearing γ‐enone. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2020, 362 (19), 4164–4172.
Ng, E. W. H.; Low, K-H+, Chiu, P.*, Synthesis and Applications of Unquaternized C-Bound Boron Enolates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140(10), 3537-3541 (Highlighted in Organic Process Research & Development)
(co-first author) Wong, K. C.; Ng, E.; Wong, W.-T.+; Chiu, P.*, Copper Hydride Catalyzed Reductive Claisen Rearrangements. Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22 (11), 3709-3712
Pisaneschi, F.; Sejberg, J. J. P.; Blain, C.; Ng, W. H.; Aboagye, E. O.; Spivey, A. C.*, 2-Substituted-2,3-dihydro-1H-quinolin-4-ones via Acid-Catalyzed Tandem Rupe Rearrangement-Donnelly-Farrell Ring Closure of 2-(3′-Hydroxy-propynyl)anilines. Synlett 2011, 2011 (02), 241-244

Selected Publications

Ng, E. W. H.; Low, K-H+, Chiu, P.*, Synthesis and Applications of Unquaternized C-Bound Boron Enolates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140(10), 3537-3541 (Highlighted in Organic Process Research & Development)
(co-first author) Jin, Y.; Fan, L-F; Ng, E. W. H.; Yu, Lu; Hirao, H.*; Gong, L.Z.*, Atom Transfer Radical Coupling Enables Highly Enantioselective Carbo-Oxygenation of Alkenes with Hydrocarbons, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145 (40), 22031–22040.
(co-first author) Xi, J.; Ng, E. W. H.; Ho, C.-Y.*, Unsymmetric N-Aryl Substituent Effects on Chiral NHC-Cu: Enantioselectivity and Reactivity Enhancement by Ortho-H and Syn-Configuration. ACS Catal. 2023, 13 (1), 407–421.
(co-first author) Jin, Y., Ng, E.W.H., Fan, T., Hirao, H.*, Gong, L.Z., Photochemical Allylation of Alkanes Enabled by Nickel Catalysis, ACS Catal. 2022, 12 (16), 10039–10046.
(co-first author) Wong, K. C.; Ng, E.; Wong, W.-T.+; Chiu, P.*, Copper Hydride Catalyzed Reductive Claisen Rearrangements. Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22 (11), 3709-3712