
Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University
Molecular Chemistry and Engineering Course / Chemical Reaction Development Laboratory
Mita Group
We are working on developing a novel method for synthesizing high-value compounds by activating small molecules.
To this end, we effectively utilize visible light, electrochemical techniques, or transition metal catalysts,
while incorporating computational chemistry into reaction development.

Welcome to the Mita Group!
Our group is studying new synthetic methods for generating value-added compounds from inexpensive, abundant molecules, focusing particularly on the development of radical or carbene reactions using visible light, electrochemical techniques, or transition metal catalysts. To accelerate the development of these new chemical reactions, our study leverages computational tools, specifically quantum chemical calculations with automated reaction path search algorithms, in collaboration with the Satoshi Maeda group at Hokkaido University.
Publications
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Computationally Guided Development of an Alkene Aminocarboxylation with CO2: Synthesis of a β-Amino Acid Derivative
Kanna, W.; Harabuchi, Y.; Tanaka, K., III; Hayashi, H.; Takano, H.; Kozuka, T.; Sakurai, H.; Mase, N.; Maeda, S.*; Mita, T.* ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 12180 - 12191.
DOI : 10.1021/acscatal.5c03580
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Direct Generation of Carboxyl Radicals from Carboxylic Acids Catalyzed by Photoactivated Ketones
Yamashita, K.*; Sano, H.; Goto, Y.; Hayashi, H.*; Hamashima, Y.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147.
DOI : 10.1021/jacs.5c04571
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β-Amino Acid Synthesis Using the CO2 Radical Anion under Electrochemical and Photochemical Conditions
Singh, T.; Ueno, Y.; Tanaka, K., III; Kanna, W.; Harabuchi, Y.; Maeda, S.*; Mita, T.* ChemistryEurope 2025, 3.
DOI : 10.1002/ceur.202500184