主持国家自然科学基金面上项目和青年项目，并承担国家重大新药创制重大专项、中国医学科学院医学与健康科技创新工程等。

完成了复杂活性天然产物Pinnaic acid、Pinnarine、Halichlorine、Kendomycin等的全合成，成功开发了改良克莱门森还原反应、臭氧化-克莱门森还原串联一釜反应和IBX氧化减碳反应，还参与了抗菌药万古霉素的改良研究及用于脑显像的新电子顺磁共振探针开发研究。

代表性论文：

1. Towardthe total synthesis of grayanane diterpene mollanol A by a Prins [3 + 2]strategy

    J.Miao, Y.-X. Zheng, L. Wang, S.-C. Lu, S.-P. Zhang, Y.-L. Gong, S. Xu*

    Org. Biomol. Chem.2020, 18, 1877–1880

2. Synthesisof the tricyclic caged core of palhinine alkaloids based on anon-Diels−Alder-type strategy

    S.-C.Lu, Y.-Y. Liang, L. Li, X.-L. Wang, S.-P. Zhang, Y.-L. Gong, S. Xu*

    Org. Lett.2019, 21, 5567–5569

3. Combinationof PhI(OAc)2 and 2‑nitropropaneas the source of methyl radical in room-temperature metal-free oxidativedecarboxylation/cyclization: Construction of 6‑methylphenanthridines and 1‑methyl isoquinolines

    S.-C.Lu, H.-S. Li*, Y.-L. Gong, S.-P. Zhang, J.-G. Zhang, S. Xu*

    J. Org. Chem.2018, 83, 15415–15425

4. Totalsynthesis of the antibiotic kendomycin: A macrocyclization using theTsuji–Trost etherification

    T.Sengoku#, S. Xu# (#equalcontribution), K. Ogura, Y. Emori, K. Kitada, D. Uemura, H. Arimoto*

    Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. 2014,53, 5614–5626

5. Unexpecteddehomologation of primary alcohols to one-carbon shorter carboxylic acids usingo-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX)

    S. Xu#,K. Itto#(#equal contribution), M. Satoh, H.Arimoto*

   Chem. Commun.2014, 50, 2758–2761

6. Enantioselectivetotal synthesis of pinnaic acid and halichlorine

    S.Xu, D. Unabara, D. Uemura, H. Arimoto*

    Chem.Asian J. 2014,9, 367–375

7. Pinnarine,another member of the halichlorine family. Isolation and preparation from pinnaicacid

    S.Xu, H. Yoshimura, N. Maru, O. Ohno, H. Arimoto*, D.Uemura

    J.Nat. Prod. 2011,74, 1323–1326

8. One-potreductive cleavage of exo-olefin tomethylene with a mild ozonolysis-Clemmensen reduction sequence

    S.Xu, T. Toyama, J. Nakamura, H. Arimoto* 

    TetrahedronLett. 2010, 51, 4534–4537

9. Asymmetrictotal synthesis of pinnaic acid

    S.Xu, H. Arimoto*, D. Uemura

    Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,46, 5746–5749