Employing (2-pyridyl)acetone as a new supporting ligand, the copper-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl chlorides, aryl bromides, and aryl iodides with various phenols successfully proceeded in good yields under mild conditions. This reaction displays great functional groups compatibility and excellent reactive selectivity.

A Cu(I)-catalyzed cyanation reaction of aryl iodides with α-cyanoacetates is reported herein, which uses α-cyanoacetates as the nontoxic and easy-handling CN source through copper-mediated C-CN bond cleavage. This reaction enables access to aryl nitriles with an array of functional groups on the aromatic ring in good to excellent yields.

The visible-light-driven, phase-transfer-catalyzed, enantioselective perfluoroalkylation and trifluoromethylation of cyclic β-ketoesters is described. The photo-organocatalytic process, which occurs at ambient temperature and under visible light illumination, is triggered by the photochemical activity of in situ-generated electron donor-acceptor complexes, arising from the association of chiral...

The enantioselective synthesis of heavily decorated spirolactams has been accomplished via an arylative or vinylative allene carbocyclisation cascade. Mediated by silver phosphate, a range of allene-linked pro-nucleophiles and aryl or vinyl iodides were reacted in the presence of catalytic Pd(OAc)2 and chiral bis(oxazoline) ligands to afford the spirolactam products in good yields and high enan...

The (2-pyridyl)sulfonyl group was found to be a multifunctional group in the preparation of structurally diverse fluorinated products. It not only facilitates the copper-mediated (or catalyzed) cross-coupling reaction between α-fluoro sulfone 4a and aryl iodides, but also enables further transformations of the coupling products 2.

The first palladium-catalyzed ring opening of norbornene to prepare methylenecyclopentane derivatives has been established. The process, which uses readily available aryl iodides, tosylhydrazones and norbornene as starting materials, likely takes place via tandem Heck-type coupling, palladium carbene migratory insertion, C-C bond cleavage and the β-hydride elimination pathway in a single synthe...

We herein describe the development of an efficient enantioselective catalytic system that promotes the arylation of secondary silanes. Our method involves treatment of secondary silanes and aryl iodides with a Pd(2)(dba)(3)-asymmetric phosphoramidite ligand system to afford optically active tertiary silanes with good enantioselectivities.

The taxonomy of perennial Sesuvium species in Africa has been poorly investigated until now. Previously five perennial species of Sesuvium were recognised in Africa (S. congense, S. crithmoides, S. mesembryanthemoides, S. portulacastrum, and S. sesuvioides). Based on the differing number of stamens, S. ayresii is accepted here as being distinct from S. portulacastrum. Field observations in Ango...