This article describes a variety of 3,3-disubstituted 2-oxindoles that bear carbonyl groups, which are efficiently obtained from a radical reaction between N-arylacrylamides and aliphatic aldehydes. The reaction is initiated by the photolysis of hypervalent iodine(iii) reagents and proceeds smoothly under mild, metal-free conditions.

This article describes a Lewis-acid-promoted semipinacol rearrangement of chiral epoxy alcohols to provide chiral β-hydroxy aldehydes with a quaternary center at the α-position that are otherwise difficult to access in modern organic synthesis. The aldehydes thus obtained are highly useful synthetic intermediates, which is demonstrated by the synthesis of a serotonin antagonist.[a] N.