First one and then the other: A rhodium‐catalyzed addition of aryl and alkenyl boronic acids to phthalaldehyde and subsequent intramolecular esterification is described (see scheme; cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene, dppb=1,4‐bis(diphenylphosphino)butane). The method is facile and practical for accessing 3‐aryl and 3‐alkenyl phthalides in moderate to good yields. Several functional groups are tolerated under the reaction conditions.

The modular assembly of boronic acids with Schiff‐base ligands enabled the construction of innovative fluorescent dyes [boronic acid salicylidenehydrazone (BASHY)] with suitable structural and photophysical properties for live cell bioimaging applications. This reaction enabled the straightforward synthesis (yields up to 99 %) of structurally diverse and photostable dyes that exhibit a polarity‐sensitive green‐to‐yellow emission with high quantum yields of up to 0.6 in nonpolar environments. These dyes displayed a high brightness (up to 54 000 m −1 cm−1). The promising structural and fluorescence properties of BASHY dyes fostered the preparation of non‐cytotoxic, stable, and highly fluorescent poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) nanoparticles that were effectively internalized by dendritic cells. The dyes were also shown to selectively stain lipid droplets in HeLa cells, without inducing any appreciable cytotoxicity or competing plasma membrane labeling; this confirmed their potential as fluorescent stains.

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An NHC/iron cooperative catalytic system mediates the aerobic oxidative esterification of aldehydes with phenols. The use of equimolar amounts of reactants led to good to excellent isolated yields of esters.

NHC-iron complexes prepared in situ very efficiently afforded benzoates via the aerobic oxidative aromatic esterification of aldehydes with boronic acids. This method uses equimolar amounts of both the aldehyde and the boronic acid allowing the preparation of benzoates in yields up to 97%.