An active Pd/ZrCuOx catalyst was prepared for the reductive amination of CO2. The N-methylation of amines and nitro compounds with CO2/H2 can be realized with up to 97% yield under relatively mild reaction conditions. N-Formylation becomes the main reaction if the reaction was performed under milder conditions or using Pd/ZnZrOx as the catalyst.

The reaction of acetylides with sulfonyl azides was found to selectively form 1,5-substituted sulfonyl triazoles. This reaction thus provides access to the regioisomeric product as compared to the popular copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The reaction is efficient and selective with a variety of alkyne sources and sulfonyl azides and can incorporate an additional electrophile to yiel...

gem-Difluoro-1,7-enyne amides are suitable building blocks for the synthesis of difluorodihydropyridinones via a ring-closing metathesis reaction, and of 4,4-difluoro-3-oxoisoquinolines through a ring-closing metathesis-enyne metathesis tandem reaction. These products, in turn, undergo a Diels-Alder reaction to yield heterotricyclic systems in moderate to good yields.

An unprecedented reaction between indolin-2-ones and α-substituted ketones has been developed. Using this protocol, a wide range of biologically important 3-hydroxy-3-phenacyloxindole derivatives could be obtained in good yield (up to 93%) under mild reaction conditions. A possible mechanism of this reaction was tentatively proposed based on some control experiments and MS spectrometry analysis.

The reaction of primary aromatic amines with aryl aldehydes is found to be catalyzed by lemon juice as natural acid under solvent-free conditions to give the corresponding Schiff bases in good yields. This eco-friendly reaction has many advantages like economical, environmental, mild reaction conditions and simple work-up with high product yield.

We investigated a topology of the reaction network for polymerization of amino acids as the emergence and the continuous growth of autocatalytic sets. Reaction networks including transpeptidation reaction can yield newer and longer peptides with time having higher concentrations. Conditions necessary for the occurrence of transpeptidation can be met in actual amino acid/peptide systems.

An organocatalytic asymmetric chlorinative dearomatization of naphthols was realized for the first time, providing chiral naphthalenones with a Cl-containing all-substituted stereocenter in excellent yields and enantioselectivity (up to 97% yield and 96% ee). The reaction features mild reaction conditions, good tolerance of diverse functional groups and simple reaction operation.

A novel method for the synthesis of 2,6-dihydroxy substituted chalcones via Claisen-Schmidt is introduced using recyclable PEG-400 as an alternative reaction solvent. The reaction is clean with excellent yield, shorter reaction time and reduces the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis.

An efficient and greener synthesis of bis(indoly)methanes was investigated via electrophilic substitution reaction of indole with carbonyl compounds in the presence of lemon juice as natural acid catalyst. The demonstrated environmentally benign protocol provided bis(indoly)methanes under mild reaction conditions, shorter reaction time and in excellent yield with simple work up procedure.