We report the discovery of C-symmetric nickel catalysts capable of the regio- and isoselective polymerization of 1-butene to produce isotactic 4,2-poly(1-butene), a new semi-crystalline polyolefin. The catalyst exhibits enantioface selectivities as high as 84% and the resulting polymers display melting temperatures up to 86 °C. This system marks a rare example of preserving stereochemistry through a chain walking polymerization process.

Control of 1,2- and 1,4-addition of substituted phenols to allylic oxides is achieved by intercepting palladium π-allyl complexes. The interconversion of palladium complexes results in the total synthesis of MK7607, cyathiformine B type, streptol, and a new cyclitol.

The molybdopterin (MPT) is a complex molecule, made out of three distinctly different components. A retrosynthetic analysis provides a possible route for its synthesis that utilizes the coupling of a diamine with an osone analog. A regioselective condensation of the diamine with an osone affords the dephospho MPT, which has been characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopies, as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry.

The regiodivergent addition of substituted phenols to allylic-oxides has been demonstrated using C2-symmetric palladium complexes. Complex phenol donors tyrosine, estradiol, and griseofulvin follow the predictive model. The Tsuji-Trost reaction is a powerful method to append both O- and C-donors to η3-allyl systems.1 The η3-allyl progenitor structures include allylic esters, carbonates, halides, and oxides. Internal allylic oxides2 remain one of the few systems that retain a marker of stereochemical induction with the newly liberated carbinol. The origin of the products can be traced to the diastereomeric η3-allyl intermediate and stereoisomer of oxide employed. We have recently identified3 a system capable of the conversion of racemic allylic oxides to distinct enantioenriched regioisomers using achiral phenol donors (Scheme 1). The allylic oxide regio-resolution (AORR) allowed the preparation of enantioenriched carbasugar natural products. We have now expanded this study to include a diverse array of achiral and chiral phenol donors.