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Chemistry
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
170
Citations
130305
World Ranking
64
National Ranking
38

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2010 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2010 - Arthur C. Cope Award, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 2009 - Fellow of the American Chemical Society
  • 2002 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1998 - Tolman Award, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 1988 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1975 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

Kendall N. Houk is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on the field of Chemistry, with significant contributions in organic chemistry and related subfields.

Their work encompasses several subfields of study including:

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Chemistry

The main topics of their research are:

  • Catalytic C-H Functionalization Methods
  • Asymmetric Synthesis and Catalysis
  • Cyclopropane Reaction Mechanisms
  • Chemical Synthesis and Analysis
  • Synthesis and Catalytic Reactions
  • Radical Photochemical Reactions
  • Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis

Kendall N. Houk has published extensively in several high-profile scientific journals, including:

  • Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Angewandte Chemie International Edition
  • Angewandte Chemie
  • The Journal of Organic Chemistry
  • Nature Chemistry

Significant recent publications by Kendall N. Houk include:

  • Computational Redesign of a PETase for Plastic Biodegradation under Ambient Condition by the GRAPE Strategy, 2021, ACS Catalysis
  • De novo design of luciferases using deep learning, 2023, Nature
  • Low-temperature mineralization of perfluorocarboxylic acids, 2022, Science
  • Sequential C-F bond functionalizations of trifluoroacetamides and acetates via spin-center shifts, 2021, Science
  • Photochemical intermolecular dearomative cycloaddition of bicyclic azaarenes with alkenes, 2021, Science

Their frequent co-authors include:

  • Xiangyang Chen
  • Cooper S. Jamieson
  • Fang Liu
  • Shuming Chen
  • Meng Duan

Kendall N. Houk has received several awards during their career, including:

  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
  • Arthur C. Cope Award, American Chemical Society (ACS), 2010
  • Fellow of the American Chemical Society, 2009
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2002
  • Tolman Award, American Chemical Society (ACS), 1998
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1988
  • Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 1975

Best Publications

  • Kemp elimination catalysts by computational enzyme design

    Daniela Röthlisberger;Olga Khersonsky;Andrew M. Wollacott;Lin Jiang

  • Analyzing Reaction Rates with the Distortion/Interaction‐Activation Strain Model

    F. Matthias Bickelhaupt;F. Matthias Bickelhaupt;Kendall N. Houk

  • De novo computational design of retro-aldol enzymes.

    Lin Jiang;Eric A. Althoff;Fernando R. Clemente;Lindsey Doyle

  • Benchmarking the Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM) for Aqueous Solvation Free Energies of Neutral and Ionic Organic Molecules.

    Yu Takano;K N Houk

  • Constructive molecular configurations for surface-defect passivation of perovskite photovoltaics

    Rui Wang;Jingjing Xue;Kai-Li Wang;Zhao-Kui Wang;Zhao-Kui Wang

  • Frontier molecular orbital theory of cycloaddition reactions

    Kendall N. Houk

  • Computational design of an enzyme catalyst for a stereoselective bimolecular Diels-Alder reaction

    Justin B. Siegel;Alexandre Zanghellini;Helena M. Lovick;Gert Kiss

  • Origin of reactivity, regioselectivity, and periselectivity in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions

    K. N. Houk;Joyner. Sims;Charles R. Watts;L. J. Luskus

  • Distortion/Interaction Energy Control of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactivity

    Daniel H. Ess;K. N. Houk

  • Theory of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions: Distortion/Interaction and Frontier Molecular Orbital Models

    Daniel H. Ess;K. N. Houk

  • A spin correction procedure for unrestricted Hartree-Fock and Møller-Plesset wavefunctions for singlet diradicals and polyradicals

    K. Yamaguchi;F. Jensen;A. Dorigo;K.N. Houk

  • Frontier molecular orbitals of 1,3 dipoles and dipolarophiles

    K. N. Houk;Joyner. Sims;R. E. Duke;R. W. Strozier

  • Pericyclic Reaction Transition States: Passions and Punctilios, 1935-1995

    Kendall N. Houk;Javier Gonzalez;Yi Li

  • Oligoacenes: Theoretical Prediction of Open-Shell Singlet Diradical Ground States

    Michael Bendikov;Hieu M. Duong;Kyle Starkey;K. N. Houk

  • Transition Structures of Hydrocarbon Pericyclic Reactions

    Kendall N. Houk;Yi Li;Jeffrey D. Evanseck

  • Quantum mechanical predictions of the stereoselectivities of proline-catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions.

    S. Bahmanyar;K. N. Houk;Harry J. Martin;Benjamin List;Benjamin List

  • Force-field model for intramolecular radical additions

    D. C. Spellmeyer;K. N. Houk

  • Binding Affinities of Host–Guest, Protein–Ligand, and Protein–Transition‐State Complexes

    K. N. Houk;Andrew G. Leach;Susanna P. Kim;Xiyun Zhang

  • Conformations of cycloheptadecane. A comparison of methods for conformational searching

    Martin Saunders;K. N. Houk;Yun Dong Wu;W. Clark Still

  • Density Functional Theory Prediction of the Relative Energies and Isotope Effects for the Concerted and Stepwise Mechanisms of the Diels−Alder Reaction of Butadiene and Ethylene

    E. Goldstein;and Brett Beno;K. N. Houk

Frequent Co-Authors

Peng Liu
Peng Liu University of Pittsburgh
Yong Liang
Yong Liang Jianghan University
Xin Hong
Xin Hong Zhejiang University
Yun-Dong Wu
Yun-Dong Wu Peking University
Robert H. Grubbs
Robert H. Grubbs California Institute of Technology
Daniel H. Ess
Daniel H. Ess Brigham Young University
Neil K. Garg
Neil K. Garg University of California, Los Angeles
F. Matthias Bickelhaupt
F. Matthias Bickelhaupt Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dean J. Tantillo
Dean J. Tantillo University of California, Davis

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