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Although tremendous effort has been devoted to the development of methods for iron catalysis, few of the catalysts reported to date exhibit clear superiority to other metal catalysts, and the mechanisms of most iron catalysis remain unclear. Herein, we report that iron complexes bearing 2,9-diaryl-1,10-phenanthroline ligands exhibit not only unprecedented catalytic activity but also unusual ligand-controlled divergent regioselectivity in hydrosilylation reactions of various alkynes. The hydrosilylation protocol described herein provides a highly efficient method for preparing useful di- and trisubstituted olefins on a relatively large scale under mild conditions, and its use markedly improved the synthetic efficiency of a number of bioactive compounds. Mechanistic studies based on control experiments and density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the catalytic pathway and the observed regioselectivity.

Enantioenriched α-aminoboronic acids play a unique role in medicinal chemistry and have emerged as privileged pharmacophores in proteasome inhibitors. Additionally, they represent synthetically useful chiral building blocks in organic synthesis. Recently, CuH-catalyzed asymmetric alkene hydrofunctionalization has become a powerful tool to construct stereogenic carbon centers. In contrast, applying CuH cascade catalysis to achieve reductive 1,1difunctionalization of alkynes remains an important, but largely unaddressed, synthetic challenge. Herein, we report an efficient strategy to synthesize α-aminoboronates via CuH-catalyzed hydroboration/hydroamination cascade of readily available alkynes. Notably, this transformation selectively delivers the desired 1,1-heterodifunctionalized product in favor of alternative homodifunctionalized, 1,2-heterodifunctionalized, or reductively monofunctionalized byproducts, thereby offering rapid access to these privileged scaffolds with high chemo-, regio-and enantioselectivity. Alkenes and alkynes are ideal starting materials in organic synthesis due to the fact that they can be readily prepared using a variety of convenient synthetic methods and are widely available from commercial suppliers. Catalytic functionalization of the π-bonds in these substrates leads to a valuable array of building blocks and in the case of alkenes offers a Users may view, print, copy, and download text and data-mine the content in such documents, for the purposes of academic research, subject always to the full Conditions of use:

Geminal bis(silanes) are versatile synthetic building blocks owing to their stability and propensity to undergo a variety of transformations. However, the scarcity of catalytic methods for their synthesis limits their structural diversity and thus their utility for further applications. Herein we report a new method for synthesis of geminal bis(silanes) by means of iron-catalyzed dihydrosilylation of alkynes. Iron catalysts were distinctly superior to the other tested catalysts, which clearly demonstrates that novel reactivity can be found by using iron catalysts. This method features 100% atom economy, regiospecificity, mild reaction conditions, and readily available starting materials. Using this method, we prepared a new type of geminal bis(silane) with secondary silane moieties, the Si−H bonds of which can easily undergo various transformations, facilitating the synthetic applications of these compounds. Preliminary mechanistic studies demonstrated that the reaction proceeds via two iron-catalyzed hydrosilylation reactions, the first generating β-(E)-vinylsilanes and the second producing geminal bis(silanes).

Biocatalysis has revolutionized chemical synthesis, providing sustainable methods for preparing various organic molecules. In enzyme-mediated organic synthesis, most reactions involve molecules operating from their ground states. Over the past 25 years, there has been an increased interest in enzymatic processes that utilize electronically excited states accessed through photoexcitation. These photobiocatalytic processes involve a diverse array of reaction mechanisms that are complementary to one another. This comprehensive review will describe the state-of-the-art strategies in photobiocatalysis for organic synthesis until December 2022. Apart from reviewing the relevant literature, a central goal of this review is to delineate the mechanistic differences between the general strategies employed in the field. We will organize this review based on the relationship between the photochemical step and the enzymatic transformations. The review will include mechanistic studies, substrate scopes, and protein optimization strategies. By clearly defining mechanisticallydistinct strategies in photobiocatalytic chemistry, we hope to illuminate future synthetic opportunities in the area.