Organocatalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Carbo- and Oxacyclic Seven-Membered Bridged Biaryls via Nucleophile-Dependent Switchable Domino Processes

We disclose herein a highly diastereo- and enantioselective divergent synthesis of seven-membered biaryl-bridged carbo- and oxacyclic frameworks by utilizing the catalytic ability of bifunctional hydrogen-bonding squaramide organocatalysts. Starting with the same biaryl substrate bearing two distinct acceptor sites and by choosing soft or hard nucleophiles, we readily accessed the dibenzocycloheptanes or 5,7-dihydrodibenzo[c,e]oxepines bearing multiple elements of chirality via a domino 1,4/1,2-addition or 1,2/oxa-Michael addition sequence, respectively.

A novel chiral DMAP–thiourea bifunctional catalyst catalyzed enantioselective Steglich and Black rearrangement reactions

A novel chiral DMAP–thiourea bifunctional catalyst has been prepared and applied in the highly enantioselective Steglich and Black rearrangement reactions.

Organocatalytic Strategies for the Synthesis of Cyclopenta-Fused Arenes and Heteroarenes

Cyclopentanoids are omnipresent in natural products and pharmaceutically relevant compounds. Among them, cyclopenta-fused arenes and heteroarenes possess impressive biological properties and play significant role in materials science. Consequently, several notable methods have been developed for their synthesis over the years. In this review, we mainly described metal-free and organocatalytic approaches that led to the construction of pentannulated arenes and heteroarenes.

Synthesis of spiro-tetrahydrothiopyran-oxindoles by Michael–aldol cascade reactions: discovery of potential P53-MDM2 inhibitors with good antitumor activity

Novel one-pot Michael–aldol cascade reactions were used to efficiently construct spiro-tetrahydrothiopyran-oxindoles with good in vitro antitumor activity.

Enantioselective Organocatalyzed Transformations of β-Ketoesters

The β-ketoester structural motif continues to intrigue chemists with its electrophilic and nucleophilic sites. Proven to be a valuable tool within organic synthesis, natural product, and medicinal chemistry, reports on chiral β-ketoester molecular skeletons display a steady increase. With the reignition of organocatalysis in the past decade, asymmetric methods available for the synthesis of this structural unit has significantly expanded, making it one of the most exploited substrates for organocatalytic transformations. This review provides comprehensive information on the plethora of organocatalysts used in stereoselective organocatalyzed construction of β-ketoester-containing compounds.

Asymmetric synthesis of tetrahydropyridines via an organocatalytic one-pot multicomponent Michael/aza-Henry/cyclization triple domino reaction

A low loading of a quinine-derived squaramide efficiently catalyzes the triple-domino Michael/aza-Henry/cyclization reaction between 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, β-nitroolefins, and aldimines to provide tetrahydropyridines bearing three contiguous stereogenic centers in good yields, excellent enantiomeric excesses, and up to high diastereomeric ratios.