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- Updated on July 16, 2026
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Catalysis & Heterocycles
The research topics addressed within the Heterocycles and Catalysis research area focus primarily on the development of methodologies for the synthesis and/or selective functionalization of heterocycles of varying sizes and complexities. The strategies employed rely, on the one hand, on the development of selective catalytic tools and systems in organometallic catalysis, organocatalysis, or in relay, synergistic, or supported catalytic processes. On the other hand, new and original approaches based on the use of electro- or photochemical activation are also being explored. Particular attention is paid to understanding the reaction mechanisms involved in the processes under study. We are also interested in the development of novel synthetic ion receptors, combining hydrogen-bonding donor motifs and pi-anion bonding donor motifs, in order to study their physicochemical complexation properties. Finally, we are exploring the synthesis of organoselenium or fluorinated species by developing HAT-photocatalytic methods involving polyoxometalate complexes or transition metals.
Permanent staff
Xavier Moreau (Axis coordinator, Professor, orcid)
Manuel Barday (Associate professor, orcid)
Patrick Diter (Associate professor, orcid)
Bruno Drouillat (Associate professor)
Anne Gaucher (Associate professor, orcid)
Clément Ghiazza (Researcher, orcid)
Bruce Pégot (Associate professor, orcid)
Damien Prim (Professor, orcid)
Non-permanent staff
Mathilde Pucher (Post-doctoral student)
Nicolas Al Hajj Aassaf (PhD student)
Jun Hu (PhD student)
Alexis Leblais (PhD student)
Senem Sezen (PhD student)
Alexandre Leroy (Postgraduate student)
Diane Mézière (Postgraduate student)
Diego Robles (Postgraduate student)
Cloé Siry (Postgraduate student)
Ring-extension strategy
Coordinator : Clément Ghiazza
The team is studying insertion, elimination, and atom-exchange reactions within nitrogen-containing aromatic rings. By utilizing various activation methods—such as photochemistry, electrochemistry, and catalysis—the goal is to precisely modify the very core of bioactive molecules in order to rapidly synthesize new analogs of interest. For example, the group has developed a method to de-aromatize pyridine derivatives by inserting nitrogen atoms, thereby enabling the photochemical synthesis of 1,2-diazepines, which are uncommon 7-membered heterocycles.
Organocatalysed desymmetrisation strategy
Coordinator : Manuel Barday
Among the stereoselective methods for obtaining enantiomerically enriched molecules, the approach involving the desymmetrisation of pro-chiral substrates has attracted considerable interest. This project aims to develop a unified approach for obtaining structures of interest through desymmetrization via an organocatalytic method. It will thus enable the control, depending on the substrate, of pro-stereogenic centers or distant pro-stereogenic axes, which are more difficult to control.
Recent publication
This project is at a preliminary stage and publications will arise soon.
Catalytic approach towards polycyclic architectures
Coordinators : Xavier Moreau, Bruno Drouillat
Polycyclic architectures represent a wide range of natural products and compounds of biological interest. The structural diversity and complexity of these molecules require the development of increasingly varied and innovative synthetic methods. The development of chemical processes that allow for the formation of multiple bonds in a single step provides a direct approach to building three-dimensional polycyclic skeletons containing multiple stereogenic centers. At the same time, the development of more sustainable chemical transformations has become one of the major challenges facing academic and industrial laboratories. Domino and cascade reactions using non-toxic promoters can address these concerns by reinforcing the concepts of atom, step, and reagent economy, while avoiding the time-consuming isolation and purification of intermediates. In this context, we are focused on developing stereoselective catalytic methods that enable the construction of complex organic molecules from commercial or readily available substrates.
Recent publications
T. Khlifi, C. Jbilou, A. Leblais, J. Marrot, P. Nun, C. Ghiazza, I. Chataigner, V. Coeffard, X. Moreau, Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 6725
J. Alhoussein, J. Marrot, K. Wright*, F. Couty†, X. Moreau, B. Drouillat, Tetrahedron 2024, 158, 134002
C-H functionalisation strategies towards the synthesis of extended architectures
Coordinator : Damien Prim
The functionalisation of C–H bonds in aromatic series has emerged as an essential and reliable strategy for generating molecular diversity. However, adapting methodologies developed on simple models, such as benzene derivatives, to more complex polycyclic homologs remains a major challenge. These substrates exhibit a subtle combination of structural, electronic, and steric effects within a single architecture, making the selection of the reaction site particularly difficult to control. In this context, naphthalene and its homologs stand out as strategic substrates. In this context, the development of reaction sequences involving C–H activation, arylation, and cyclization enables linear and angular extensions of the naphthalene backbone toward extended and heterocyclic architectures. “2,3” strategies, based on selective activation of the 3-position using a directing group at the 2-position, provide access to linear extensions, whereas “1,2” strategies, based on selective activation of the 2-position using a directing group at the 1-position, provide access to angular extensions. An “8,1,2” sequence, combining experimental and theoretical approaches, has been developed to enable access to more diverse molecular architectures.
Molecular recognition - Synthetic receptors
Coordinators : Anne Gaucher, Damien Prim
Anions and cations play central roles in many fields, such as biology, medicine, catalysis, and the environment, which is driving the development of selective molecular receptors. The design of these systems relies on noncovalent interactions (hydrogen bonds, pi-anion interactions, electrostatic or coordination interactions) and on the principle of molecular recognition, based on the complementarity of shape, size, and charge between a host and a guest. We are developing a theoretical and experimental approach to select a receptor design, then to highlight host-guest interaction phenomena and study the cooperative association of weak bonds of different types. Thus, the complexation of cations or anions such as K+ and Cl- has been studied in the context of transmembrane ion transport.
Research on anion receptors combining 
Introduction of Selenium and/or Fluorine containing motifs
Coordinators : Bruce Pégot, Patrick Diter
The introduction of selenium-bearing moieties such as SeRF and SeCN is a challenge that our team is seeking to address. Monofluoromethylselenyl compounds, like the fluorinated selenoester moiety, constitute a significant class of organoselenium species with distinct chemical structures and properties, a class that remains largely unexplored. In this context, we are focused on developing methods that use combined photoredox-HAT catalysts of the polyoxometalate-ionic liquid (POM-IL) or POM@MOF type, with a view to promoting recycling and energy conservation for greater environmental compatibility.
Recent publications
J. Paut, G. Goujon, A. De Zordo-Banliat, G. Dagousset, J. J. Cabrera-Trujillo, K. Miqueu, E. Magnier, B. Pégot, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2026, 29, e202500865
A. De Zordo-Banliat, K. Grollier, N. Vanthuyne, S. Floquet, T. Billard, G. Dagousset, B. Pégot, E. Magnier, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300951