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Molecular Functional Chemistry Lab
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The lab designs and synthesizes new molecules that no one has ever made, and brings out their functions.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating new molecules and maximizing their functions
The Molecular Functional Chemistry Lab studies how to design and synthesize molecules with new functions and bring out those functions.
Targeting everything from small molecules to polymers and biomolecules, the lab makes substrates, catalysts, molecular probes, and organic materials for reactions.
The lab is located at RIKEN in Wako, Saitama, and students conduct research here while enrolled in the master's or doctoral program at the Graduate School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University.
The lab is run under a cross-appointment arrangement with the Institute for Advanced Academic Research (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Chiba University.
Key terms
- Substrate
- In a chemical reaction, the molecule that is converted into another substance by the action of a catalyst or reagent
- Asymmetric catalyst
- A catalyst that selectively produces only one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule
- Dynamic covalent bond
- A chemical bond that is strong, yet can repeatedly form and break depending on conditions
NewsLab news
A student received the Chemistry Letters Young Researcher Award at the 29th Symposium of the Japan Society of Iodine Science
Research results published in Precision Chemistry
Research results published in Chemical Science
Project Professor Hashimoto received the ACP Lectureship Award
Research results published in a special issue of Tetrahedron
ResearchResearch themes
The lab pursues its research in three steps: designing and synthesizing molecules with new functions, understanding their properties, and maximizing their functions. Starting from the creation of new molecules that no one has ever made, the lab aims to contribute to advances in materials science and life science.
*Illustrative imageDesigning substrates that give rise to new reactions
The lab believes that having original substrates that are easy to synthesize is a shortcut to new reactions. It has reported reactions that use N-(fluorosulfonyl)carbamate esters as new reagents for introducing nitrogen.
*Illustrative imageDesigning asymmetric catalysts
The lab modifies molecules that have catalytic activity but have not been widely used as asymmetric catalysts, in order to maximize their function as asymmetric catalysts. Currently, it is developing new asymmetric reactions using iodine catalysts and selenium catalysts with an indanol skeleton.
*Illustrative imageDesigning functional molecules
This research brings out new functions from the dynamic behavior of molecules discovered in the course of the lab's work. The lab creates new dynamic covalent bonds, and is establishing concepts for organic structures built with these bonds and for fluorescent probes that respond to them.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Molecular Functional Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, researchers, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- Project ProfessorTakuya Hashimoto
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Molecular Modeling” derivative work: Dhatfield (talk) MM_PEF.svg: Edboas / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Designing substrates that give rise to new reactions: “Round bottom flask 1” Stephanie cheks / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Designing asymmetric catalysts: “Reserpine with hydrogen stereochemistry highlighted” Earth23 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Designing functional molecules: “Fluorescence of Anthracene under UV light” TimJW12 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (薬化学): “Student in University of Washington chemistry laboratory , ca 1925 (MOHAI 6219)” Webster & Stevens / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (天然物創薬化学): “Picture from an organic chemistry laboratory” Sil.d / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (薬品合成化学): “Molecular model of the pre-pore form of a MACPF protein based upon the structure of pneunolysin” Jcwhizz at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (理論創薬): “CSIRO ScienceImage 1788 Molecular model of a protein” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
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