Kálmán J Szabó

Kálmán J Szabó is a Professor and Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry at Stockholm University. His research focuses on transition metal catalysis and organocatalysis for creating fluorine- and boron-containing organic molecules with applications in pharmaceuticals and advanced electronics.

Key research areas include:

• Asymmetric synthesis of chiral organofluorine and organoboron compounds
• Fluorine-18 labeling for PET diagnostics in cancer and inflammation
• DFT computational studies of reaction mechanisms
• Organocatalytic fluorocyclization for tertiary fluoride centers
• Homologation and borotropic migration techniques

His group has developed novel catalytic methods for trifluoromethylthiolation, enantioselective fluorination, and asymmetric synthesis of boronic acids. Recent breakthroughs include three-component chiral trifluoromethyl allenol synthesis and improved 18F-labeling of anticancer drugs.

Scientific achievements:

• Recipient of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation grant (2024) for organoboron chemistry
• Developed first asymmetric organocatalytic homologation for diverse trifluoromethyl species
• Established mechanistic framework for benziodoxole-based CF3/SCF3 transfer reagents

Research team includes doctoral students Tautvydas Kireilis, Linus Johansson Holm, Marie Deliaval, and Kevin Bajerke. Current projects target fluorinated anticancer peptides and sustainable synthesis methods for life sciences applications.