An efficient and convenient copper-catalyzed method has been developed to achieve direct ortho-C-H/N-H annulation to synthesize phenanthridinones with arynes. This method highlights an emerging strategy to transform inert C-H bonds into versatile functional groups in organic synthesis and provides a new way to synthesize phenanthridinone alkaloids efficiently.

An efficient and convenient copper-mediated method has been developed to achieve direct cascade C–H/N–H annulation to synthesize 2-quinolinones from electron-deficient acrylamides and arynes.

An efficient and convenient palladium-catalyzed direct intermolecular silylation of C(sp)-H bonds by using disilanes as the silicon source with the assistance of a readily removable bidentate directing group is reported. This strategy provided a regio- and stereoselective protocol for exclusive synthesis of Z-vinylsilanes with reasonable to excellent yields and good functional group compatibility. Silylation of the isolated palladacycle intermediate revealed the Z-stereoselective pathway. Moreover, the practicality and effectiveness of this method were illustrated by a gram-scale experiment and further functionalization of the silylation product.

An efficient and convenient method has been developed to achieve direct silylation of unactivated remote primary or secondary C(sp)-H bonds to form C-Si bonds with hexamethyldisilane (HMDS). This method highlights the emerging strategy to transform unactivated methyl or methylene into versatile functional groups in organic synthesis and provides a new method to construct functionalized C-Si bonds for synthetic chemistry.