Benudhar Punji

Benudhar Punji

Organic Chemistry Division

About Me

Our research group is interested in the development of pincer ligand-based organometallic catalysts for small organic molecule activation as well as for various organic transformation through C-H bond activation. Our work involves activation and catalytic functionalizations (alkylations, fluorinations, carboxylations, etc.) of relatively inert C-H bond using inexpensive organometallic complexes of Cobalt, Nickel and Copper salt. Our focus is on the mechanistic-based approach for the development of new catalysts.

Professional Experience

  • 2020 - Current: Senior Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
  • 2015-2020: Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
  • 2011-2015: Senior Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
  • 2010 - 2011 Alexander von Humboldt Post Doctoral Research Fellow (with Prof. Lutz Ackermann, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
  • 2007 - 2010 NSF-CENTC Post Doctoral Research Fellow (with Prof. Alan S. Goldman, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey, USA)
  • 2007 Ph.D. (with Prof. M. S. Balakrishna, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, India)

Selected Publications

  • S. B. Ankade, C. Pradhan, P. P. Samal, R. G. Gonnade, S. Krishnamurty And B. Punji, Iron-Catalyzed C–C and C–N Bond-Forming Tandem Amidation Offering Access to 3-Amino-3-Aminomethyl-2-Oxindole Frameworks, Adv. Synth. Catal., 366, 2801 - 2810 (2024), DOI:10.1002/adsc.202400216.
  • C. Pradhan And B. Punji, Advances in the Iron-Catalyzed Direct Functionalizations of Heterocycles, Synlett., 34, 683 - 697 (2023), DOI:10.1055/a-1890-8503.
  • C. Pradhan, R. A. Jagtap, P. P. Samal, S. Krishnamurty And B. Punji, Iron-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Alkylation of Indoles: An Additive-free Approach in Renewable Solvent, Green Chem., 25, 9733 - 9743 (2023), DOI:10.1039/D3GC03709F.
  • S. Sudhakaran, P. G. Shinde, E. K. Aratikatla, S. H. Kaulage, P. Rana, R. S. Parit, D. S. Kavale, B. Senthilkumar And B. Punji, Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation for the Synthesis of Key Sitagliptin Intermediate, Chem. Asian J., 17, e202101208 (2022), DOI:10.1002/asia.202101208.
  • D. M. Sharma, C. Gouda, R. G. Gonnade And B. Punji, Room Temperature Z-selective Hydrogenation of Alkynes by Hemilabile and Non-innocent (NNN)Co(II) Catalyst, Catal. Sci. Technol., 12, 1843 - 1849 (2022), DOI:10.1039/D2CY00027J.
  • S. K. Verma And B. Punji, Manganese-Catalyzed C(sp2)-H Alkylation of Indolines and Arenes with Unactivated Alkyl Bromides, Chem. Asian J., 17, e202200103 (2022), DOI:10.1002/asia.202200103.
  • R. A. Jagtap, C. Pradhan, R. G. Gonnade And B. Punji, An Efficient Route to 3,3'-Biindolinylidene-diones by Iron-Catalyzed Dimerization of Isatins, Chem. Asian J., 17, e202200414 (2022), DOI:10.1002/asia.202200414.
  • A. B. Shabade, D. M. Sharma, P. Bajpai, R. G. Gonnade, K. Vanka And B. Punji, Room Temperature Chemoselective Hydrogenation of C=C, C=O and C=N Bonds by Using a Well-Defined Mixed Donor Mn(I) Pincer Catalyst, Chem. Sci., 13, 13764 - 13773 (2022), DOI:10.1039/D2SC05274A.
  • S. B. Ankade, A. B. Shabade, V. Soni And B. Punji, Unactivated Alkyl Halides in Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C-H Bond Alkylation, ACS Catal., 11, 3268 - 3292 (2021), DOI:10.1021/acscatal.0c05580.
  • S. B. Ankade, P. P. Samal, V. Soni, R. G. Gonnade, S. Krishnamurty And B. Punji, Ni(II)-Catalyzed Intramolecular C–H/C–H Oxidative Coupling: An Efficient Route to Functionalized Cycloindolones and Indenoindolones, ACS Catal., 11, 12384 - 12393 (2021), DOI:10.1021/acscatal.1c03314.
    Highlighted in "Synfacts, 2021, 17, 1357" by Prof. Mark Lautens
  • R. A. Jagtap, S. K. Verma And B. Punji, MnBr2-Catalyzed Direct and Site-Selective Alkylation of Indoles and Benzo[h]quinoline, Org. Lett., 22, 4643 - 4647 (2020), DOI:10.1021/acs.orglett.0c01398.
  • R. A. Jagtap, P. P. Samal, C. P. Vinod, S. Krishnamurty And B. Punji, Iron-Catalyzed C(sp2)-H Alkylation of Indolines and Benzo[h]quinoline with Unactivated Alkyl Chlorides through Chelation-Assistance, ACS Catal., 10, 7312 - 7321 (2020), DOI:10.1021/acscatal.0c02030.

Research Interest

  • Catalysis AND NEW methods
  • Synthetic Methodologies
  • Organometallic Chemistry
  • Catalysis & New Methods

Contact Details

Dr. Benudhar Punji


Senior Principal Scientist
RN 230, Main Building, Organic Chemistry Division
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory
Dr. Homi Bhabha Road
Pune 411008, India
Phone +91 20 2590 2733
Fax +91 20 2590 2621
E-mail b.punji@ncl.res.in