Organo-catalyzed tandem reaction between β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters and α-arylidene pyrazolinones was developed, and it provided chiral bi-spirocyclic pyrazolone and oxindole derivatives in high yields with good to excellent stereoselectivity.

An asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinyl ethylenecarbonates (VECs) and (E)-3-arylvinyl substituted benzo­[d] isothiazole 1,1-dioxides has been developed using the Pd complex of a bidentate phosphoramidite (Me-BIPAM) as the catalyst, providing a wide variety of chiral multistereogenic vinyltetrahydrofurans in good yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >20:1 dr, 99% ee).

The combination of chiral binaphthyl box-copper­(II) with triflimide (Tf2NH) was identified as an efficient catalytic system for the asymmetric Michael/ketalization of (E)-2-hydroxyaryl-2-oxobut-3-enoates or (E)-ethyl 4-(2-aminoaryl)-2-oxobut-3-enoates with pyrazolone derivatives. The corresponding asymmetric tandem reactions provided a series of enantioenriched aryl and heteroaryl fused 2,8-O,O- or O,N-bicyclo­[3.3.1]­nonanes in high yields with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities.