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Kawasaki Lab
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This organic synthetic chemistry lab explores the origin of amino acid chirality.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the origin of amino acid asymmetry through organic synthesis.
The Kawasaki Lab studies asymmetric synthesis and chiral chemistry, building on organic synthetic chemistry.
The lab focuses on the Strecker reaction, thought to be the mechanism by which amino acids formed on the primitive Earth, and investigates the origin of chirality (the difference between the left- and right-handed forms of a molecule).
In their graduation research, students can acquire analytical skills such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, in addition to organic synthesis techniques.
Lab visits are accepted at any time.
Key terms
- Chirality
- The property of existing as enantiomers: the L form and its mirror image, the D form
- Strecker reaction
- A reaction in which hydrogen cyanide adds to an imine formed from an aldehyde and an amine, and hydrolysis then gives an amino acid
- Asymmetric amplification
- Greatly increasing a small initial asymmetric bias
NewsLab news
Undergraduate and master's students won an Outstanding Poster Award at MC2026
Selected for the front cover of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
A student won the Grand Prize at the Element Senryu (Japanese humorous poem) Contest at the 104th Spring Annual Meeting of the Chemical Society of Japan
An undergraduate student won an Excellence Award at the Outstanding Student Recognition (Chemistry)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to realize reactions in which amino acids themselves replicate and multiply. Focusing on the Strecker reaction, a prebiotic mechanism for forming amino acids, it studies the origin of chirality.
*Illustrative imageGeneration and amplification of asymmetry in aminonitriles
The lab found that when three achiral compounds are mixed and undergo the Strecker reaction, the intermediate aminonitrile is spontaneously obtained biased toward one of the two enantiomers. It has also demonstrated asymmetric amplification, which greatly increases this bias.
*Illustrative imageAsymmetric self-replication of amino acids
The lab revealed a phenomenon in which, in the Strecker reaction, a chiral amino acid induces asymmetry in aminonitrile, its own synthetic intermediate. Combined with asymmetric amplification and proliferation, this has achieved self-replication of amino acids.
*Illustrative imageAsymmetric synthesis using the molecular orientation of imines
The lab revealed a highly enantioselective Strecker reaction in which the molecular arrangement of the achiral intermediate imine acts as the origin of asymmetry. The addition of hydrogen cyanide proceeds by exploiting the ordered arrangement of molecules in the crystal.
*Illustrative imageHighly stereoselective synthesis through a small modification
Using an amine made by adding one methyl group to one of the two phenyl groups of benzhydrylamine, the lab achieved a highly stereoselective Strecker synthesis, building on the asymmetric amplification shown by the solid aminonitrile.
MembersFaculty
The Kawasaki Lab's members page lists a Professor and an Assistant Professor.As of 2026
- ProfessorTsuneomi Kawasaki
- Assistant ProfessorKenji Nemoto
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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: “Discoveries from Asteroid Bennu- Media Briefing Graphics (SVS14772 - NASA Chiral Molecules V2)” NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - NASA/Nicola Fox, Smithsonian Institution/Timothy McCoy, Natural History Museum, London/Sara Russell, NASA/GSFC/Daniel Glavin, NASA/GSFC/Jason Dworkin, NASA/GSFC/Rani Gran, eMITS/Dan Gallagher, Jacobs-JETS/Scott Eckley, Barrios Technology Ltd/Rachel Barry, ADNET Systems, Inc./Lonnie Shekhtman / Public domain (cropped)
- Generation and amplification of asymmetry in aminonitriles: “Recrystallized Amino acid birefringence artwork” Aw1792300 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Asymmetric self-replication of amino acids: “Rotary evaporator 2” Adimora chidinma / CC0 (cropped)
- Asymmetric synthesis using the molecular orientation of imines: “Soviet portable polarimeter in its case” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Highly stereoselective synthesis through a small modification: “Stereochemistry-example-3D-balls” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (福井研究室): “ZeaSeedling” Douglas Goldman / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (松田研究室): “Palladium catalyst solutions with varying concentration” / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (石川研究室): “Scanning electron microscope view of iron crystal (S72-55208)” NASA Johnson Space Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (貞清研究室): “Potassium trisoxalatoiron(III) trihydrate in vial” EryZ / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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