Research Area

Synthetic Organic Chemistry | Catalysis | Molecular Editing

• Asymmetric Catalysis: Development of innovative catalytic strategies for the efficient synthesis of enantiomerically enriched molecules. Our research focuses on the design of new catalytic systems and mechanistic investigations to achieve stereoselective transformations and access complex chiral architectures.
• Site-Selective Functionalization of N-Heteroarenes (Peripheral Editing): Development of selective C–H functionalization and peripheral editing strategies for the precise modification of N-heteroarenes, including pyridines and quinolines. These approaches aim to enable the rapid diversification of heteroaromatic scaffolds, which are key structural motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional molecules.
• Molecular Editing (Skeletal Editing): Development of molecular editing strategies for the direct and selective transformation of complex molecular frameworks. Our research explores skeletal editing, ring modifications, and late-stage diversification approaches to rapidly generate structurally diverse chemical space from readily available molecular scaffolds.
• Synthesis and Functionalization of Bioactive Molecules: Application of newly developed synthetic methodologies toward the efficient synthesis and late-stage functionalization of biologically relevant molecules, including pharmaceutical scaffolds, natural products, and bioactive compounds. These studies aim to contribute to medicinal chemistry and drug discovery by providing rapid access to structurally diverse molecular entities.

Research Interests

My research interests lie at the interface of synthetic organic chemistry, catalysis, and molecular editing, with the goal of developing innovative and sustainable synthetic methodologies for the construction and diversification of complex organic molecules. Current research focuses on organocatalytic approaches to asymmetric catalysis, including hydrogen-bonding, Brønsted acid, Lewis base, and counter anion catalysis, to achieve highly selective stereoselective transformations. Another major area of interest is the site-selective functionalization of N-heteroarenes through innovative peripheral editing strategies for the efficient diversification of pharmaceutically relevant heterocyclic scaffolds. In parallel, efforts are directed toward developing molecular editing methodologies, including skeletal editing and late-stage molecular diversification, to access unexplored chemical space. These advances will be applied to the synthesis and functionalization of bioactive molecules, with potential applications in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Representative Publications

• Balanna, K.; Studer, A. "meta-Nitration of Pyridines and Quinolines through Oxazino Azines", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 7485-7495. Highlighted in Synfacts 2025, 21(08), 773.
• Balanna, K.^#; Haring, M.^#; Cheng, Q.; Lammert, J.; Studer, A. "Formal meta-C–H-Fluorination of Pyridines and Isoquinolines through Dearomatized Oxazino Pyridine Intermediates", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 30758-30763. Highlighted in Synfacts 2025, 21(02), 121. # Co-first authors: Malte Haring and Kuruva Balanna contributed equally to this work.
• Balanna, K.; Barik, S.; Barik, S.; Shee, S.; Manoj, N.; Gonnade, R.G.; Biju, A. T. "N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Atroposelective Synthesis of N-N Axially Chiral 3-Amino Quinazolinones", ACS Catal., 2023, 13, 8752.
• Balanna, K.; Barik, S.; Shee, S.; Gonnade, R.G.; Biju, A. T. "Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of γ,γ-Disubstituted Indole 2-carboxaldehydes via NHC-Lewis acid Cooperative Catalysis for the Synthesis of Tetracyclic ε-lactones", Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 11513.
• Balanna, K.; Madica, K.; Mukherjee, S.; Ghosh, A.; Poisson, T.; Besset, T.; Jindal, G.; Biju, A. T. "N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Formal [6+2] Annulation Reaction via Cross-Conjugated Aza-Trienolate Intermediates", Chem. Eur. J., 2020, 26, 818.

Publications (Last 5 Years)

• Balanna, K.; Studer, A. "meta-Nitration of Pyridines and Quinolines through Oxazino Azines", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 7485-7495.
• Maity, A.; Balanna, K.; Daniliuc, C.G.; Studer, A. "Diastereoselective 1,3-Nitrooxygenation of Bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes", Chem. Sci., 2025, 16, 7264.

• Balanna, K.^#; Haring, M.^#; Cheng, Q.; Lammert, J.; Studer, A. "Formal meta-C–H-Fluorination of Pyridines and Isoquinolines through Dearomatized Oxazino Pyridine Intermediates", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 30758-30763. Highlighted in Synfacts 2025, 21(02), 121. # Co-first authors: Malte Haring and Kuruva Balanna contributed equally to this work.

• Balanna, K.; Barik, S.; Barik, S.; Shee, S.; Manoj, N.; Gonnade, R.G.; Biju, A. T. "N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Atroposelective Synthesis of N-N Axially Chiral 3-Amino Quinazolinones", ACS Catal., 2023, 13, 8752.

• Balanna, K.; Barik, S.; Shee, S.; Gonnade, R.G.; Biju, A. T. "Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of γ,γ-Disubstituted Indole 2-carboxaldehydes via NHC-Lewis acid Cooperative Catalysis for the Synthesis of Tetracyclic ε-lactones", Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 11513.
• Barik, S.; Das, R. C.; Balanna, K.; Biju, A. T. "Kinetic Resolution Approach to the Synthesis of C-N Axially Chiral N-Aryl Aminomaleimides via NHC-Catalyzed [3 + 3] Annulation", Org. Lett., 2022, 24, 5456.