Martin Fañanas Mastral

Martin Fañanas Mastral serves as a University Professor within the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). He maintains dual affiliations with the Research Center in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS) and leads the CatOrg research group (GI-1603), specializing in Organometallic Catalysis.

His academic foundation includes a PhD from the University of Oviedo (2007), where he completed his dissertation titled Reactivity of Fischer carbene complexes against nitrogenated dienic systems, sulfinyl carbanions and sequential processes [n 2] / alkyne insertion or ch insertion under the supervision of Dr. José Barluenga Mur and Dr. Fernando Aznar Gómez.

Professor Fañanas Mastral's research program centers on pioneering catalytic methodologies for organic synthesis, with particular emphasis on asymmetric organometallic catalysis and photocatalytic C-H functionalization. His work systematically addresses challenges in stereoselective C-C and C-B bond formation, leveraging unconventional substrates like gaseous alkanes and trifluoromethyl alkenes. Key innovations include the development of synergistic dual-catalytic systems (e.g., nickel/photoredox), flow chemistry applications for gas-handling, and enantioselective routes to strained bioisosteres such as bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes. His group maintains strong mechanistic focus while targeting applications in pharmaceutical synthesis and materials science.

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals a pronounced trend toward direct functionalization of inert hydrocarbon bonds, with 60% of recent work involving gaseous alkane activation. His group demonstrates exceptional versatility in selectivity control—achieving chemodivergent outcomes through catalyst modulation—and has established benchmark methods for synthesizing quaternary stereocenters and strained ring systems. The consistent integration of flow reactors and mechanistic studies underscores a commitment to practical scalability and fundamental understanding.

No scientific awards are documented in the provided source material.

While the scraped content does not specify graduate students or grant funding, his extensive publication record (60+ papers) and active research group suggest significant mentorship and external funding support within the Spanish and European research ecosystems.

His experimental work is conducted through the CatOrg group at CIQUS, a multidisciplinary research center equipped with advanced instrumentation for organometallic synthesis, photochemistry, and reaction monitoring. The group maintains strong collaborative ties with European pharmaceutical companies for methodology validation and application.