In the first part of this review, secondary carbon-carbon bond formation by using allylic coupling reactions with aryl and alkenyl borates is presented. Early investigations have revealed suitability a nickel catalyst [RTB(OMe)3]Li (RT: transferable group). Due to their low reactivity, were converted more reactive congeners possessing an alkanediol ligand, such as 2,3-butanediol 2,2-dimethyl-1,...

Chiral allenamides are prepared with high levels of enantiomeric purity by [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of propargylic sulfimides. The required branched propargylic sulfides are prepared by an enantioselective organocatalytic aldehyde alpha-sulfenylation followed by Corey-Fuchs alkynylation.

Propargylic sulfides and dithioacetals are found to undergo similar transformations as propargylic carboxylates when catalyzed by AuCl or AuCl3, affording indene derivatives through pentannulation of aromatic rings. The reaction presumably involves Au carbene as the reactive intermediate.

Internal bis-substituted propargylic diols were subjected to enzymatic kinetic resolution promoted by CAL-B. Employing a two round sequence EKR, mono- and bis-acetoxy propargylic products were obtained in a high enantiomeric ratio (E > 200). The efficiently resolved chiral 8b was applied in a concise synthesis of (S)-1b, an optically active natural product produced by fungi Clitocybe catinus.