A copper-catalyzed B-H bond insertion reaction with amine- and phosphine-borane adducts was realized with high yield and enantioselectivity under mild reaction conditions. The B-H bond insertion reaction provides a new C-B bond-forming methodology and an efficient approach to chiral organoboron compounds.

The chiral diphosphinite ligand derived from (R)-1,1'-spirobiindane-7,7'-diol has been found to be highly effective in the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of quinolines with high substrate/catalyst ratio (up to 5000) and high enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee).

An iron-catalyzed carbenoid insertion into C–H bonds of alkanes was developed with high activity (turnover numbers up to 690 in a gram-scale experiment) and chemoselectivity. This non-heme iron-catalyzed C(sp3)–H insertion reaction provides an efficient strategy for C–H functionalization.