A chemiluminescent probe, luminol, was successfully applied to monitoring superoxide ions (O2 •-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced on photocatalytic reaction in aqueous TiO2 suspension. Two chemiluminescent reactions were distinguished from the decay profile after the end of the irradiation, and the reaction mechanism was analyzed. The fast decay component gives information about O2 •- and the slow one provides the amount of H2O2. The rate constant for the reaction of O2 •- with luminol was found to be 1 × 104 M-1 s-1. The amount of O2 •- during the irradiation on TiO2 in alkaline solution could be estimated to be on the order of 10-13 M. Detection of H2O2 in concentrations as small as 10-9 M was demonstrated in the photocatalytic water oxidation.

Asymmetric direct vinylogous aldol reactions of furan-2(5H)-one with aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of novel squaramide-sulfonamide organocatalyst resulted in the corresponding addition products with high to excellent enantioselectivities. This is the first successful report illustrating an example of highly stereoselective reactions using a squaramide-sulfonamide organocatalyst.

An organocatalyzed method for synthesizing chiral γ,γ-disubstituted γ-butenolides via direct vinylogous aldol reactions of γ-substituted β,γ-butenolides with aldehydes is reported. This reaction is catalyzed by a squaramide–sulfonamide organocatalyst to afford a range of anti-aldol adducts possessing vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters with high to excellent enantioselectivities (reaching 95% ee). This is the first report of a successful stereoselective direct vinylogous aldol reaction of aldehydes with γ-substituted β,γ-butenolides.

No abstract