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Molecular weight distribution of polymers, termed dispersity (Đ), is a fundamental parameter for determining polymer material properties. This paper reports a novel approach for controlling Đ by exploiting a temperature‐selective radical generation in organocatalyzed living radical polymerization. The polymers with tailored Đ were synthesized in a batch system without the assistance of an external pump. A unique aspect of this approach is that Đ was tuneable from 1.11 to 1.50 in any segment in diblock, triblock, and multiblock copolymers and in any form of star and brush polymer without segmental or topological restriction. This approach is amenable to various monomers and free from metals and thus attractive for applications. The approach also generated polymer brushes on surfaces with tailored Đ. An interesting finding was that the polymer brushes exhibited unique interaction with external molecules, depending on the Đ value. Brush up: A novel approach for modulating polymer dispersity was developed. It is based on temperature‐selective organocatalyzed living radical polymerization and enabled dispersity modulation in any segment in linear and branched block copolymers as well as polymer brushes. A dispersity‐dependent size‐exclusion effect to external molecules was observed for the polymer brushes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of carbon-carbon bonds through the functionalization of aromatic carbon-nitrogen bonds is a highly attractive synthetic strategy in the synthesis of aromatic molecules. In this paper, we report a novel aromatic carbon-nitrogen bond functionalization reaction by using a simple dearomatization strategy. Through this process para-substituted anilines serve as a potential aryl source in the construction of a range of functionalized aromatic molecules, such as quaternary carbon centers, α-keto esters, and aldehydes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indolines are important moieties present in various biologically significant molecules and have attracted considerable attention in synthetic chemistry. This paper describes a Heck reaction/CH activation/amination sequence for forming indolines using di-tert-butyldiaziridinone. The reaction process likely proceeds via a pallada(II)cycle, which is converted into an indoline by oxidative addition to the diaziridinone and two subsequent CN bond formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of biomimetic chemistry based on the NAD(P)H with hydrogen gas as terminal reductant is a long‐standing challenge. Through rational design of the chiral and regenerable NAD(P)H analogues based on planar‐chiral ferrocene, a biomimetic asymmetric reduction has been realized using bench‐stable Lewis acids as transfer catalysts. A broad set of alkenes and imines could be reduced with up to 98 % yield and 98 % ee, likely enabled by enzyme‐like cooperative bifunctional activation. This reaction represents the first general biomimetic asymmetric reduction (BMAR) process enabled by chiral and regenerable NAD(P)H analogues. This concept demonstrates catalytic utility of a chiral coenzyme NAD(P)H in asymmetric catalysis. Through rational design of chiral and regenerable NAD(P)H analogues based on planar‐chiral ferrocene, a biomimetic asymmetric reduction has been realized using bench‐stable Lewis acids as transfer catalysts. A broad set of tetrasubstituted alkenes and imines could be reduced with up to 98 % yield and 98 % ee. This protocol represents the first general biomimetic asymmetric reduction process enabled by NAD(P)H analogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we reported a transition metal‐free deborylative cyclization strategy, based on which two routes have been developed, generating racemic and enantioenriched cyclopropylboronates. The cyclization of geminal‐bis(boronates) bearing a leaving group was highly diastereoselective, tolerating a few functional groups and applicable to heterocycles. When optically active epoxides were used as the starting materials, enantioenriched cyclopropylboronates could be efficiently prepared with >99 % stereospecificity. Mechanistic studies showed that the leaving group at the γ‐position played a crucial role and significantly promoted the activation of the gem‐diboron moiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic nitrates are broadly applied as pharmaceuticals (acting as efficient nitric oxide donor), energetic materials, building blocks in organic synthesis, etc. However, practical and direct methods to access organic nitrates efficiently are still rare, mainly due to the lack of powerful nitrooxylating reagents. Herein, we report bench‐stable and highly reactive noncyclic hypervalent iodine nitrooxylating reagents, oxybis(aryl‐λ3‐iodanediyl) dinitrates (OAIDNs, 2), which are prepared just by using aryliodine diacetate and HNO3. The reagents are used to achieve a mild and operationally simple protocol to access diverse organic nitrates. By employing of 2, zinc‐catalyzed regioselective nitrooxylation of cyclopropyl silyl ethers is realized efficiently to access the corresponding β‐nitrooxy ketones with high functional‐group tolerance. Moreover, a series of direct and catalyst‐free nitrooxylations of enolizable C−H bonds are carried out smoothly to afford the desired organic nitrates within minutes by just mixing the substrates with 2 in dichloromethane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxycyanation of alkenes would allow the direct construction of useful β‐hydroxy nitrile scaffolds. However, only limited examples of such reactions have been reported, and some problems including limited substrate scope and the lack of diastereocontrol in the case of the oxycyanation of internal alkenes have arisen. We herein report on the intermolecular oxycyanation of alkenes using p‐toluenesulfonyl cyanide (TsCN) in the presence of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)3) as a catalyst, affording products that contain a sulfinyloxy group and a cyano group at the vicinal position. The reaction features a stereospecific syn‐addition. The reaction also shows a broad substrate scope with good functional group tolerance. Mechanistic investigations by experimental studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the reaction proceeds via an unprecedented stereospecific mechanism through the electrophilic cyanation of alkenes, in which B(C6F5)3 efficiently activates TsCN through the coordination of the cyano group to the boron center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Reported is the first organocatalytic asymmetric 1,3‐alkyl shift in alkyl aryl ethers for the synthesis of chiral 3,3′‐diaryloxindoles using a chiral Brønsted acid catalyst. Preliminary results showed that each enantiomer of the 3,3′‐diaryloxindole, and a racemic mixture, showed different antiproliferative activities against HeLa cell lines by using an MTT assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of four membered heterocycles usually requires multi‐step procedures and prefunctionalized reactants. A straightforward alternative is the photochemical [2+2]‐heterocycloaddition between an alkene and a carbonyl derivative, conventionally based on the photoexcitation of this latter. However, this approach is limited by the absorption profile of the carbonyl, requiring in most of the cases the use of high‐energy UV‐light, that often results in undesired side reactions and/or the degradation of the reaction components. The development of new and milder visible light‐driven [2+2]‐heterocycloadditions is, therefore, highly desirable. In this Review, we highlight the most relevant achievements in the development of [2+2]‐heterocycloadditions promoted by visible light, with a particular emphasis on the involved reaction mechanisms. The open challenges will also be discussed, suggesting new possible evolutions, and stimulating new methodological developments in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atropisomers bearing multiple stereogenic axes are of increasing importance to the field of material science, pharmaceuticals, and catalysis. However, the atroposelective construction of multi‐axis atropisomers remains rare and challenging, due to the intrinsical difficulties in the stereo‐control of the multiple stereogenic axes. Herein, we demonstrate a single‐step construction of a new class of 1,2‐diaxially chiral triaryl α‐pyranones by an N‐heterocyclic carbene organocatalytic asymmetric [3+3] annulation of well‐designed alkynyl acylazolium precursors and enolizable sterically hindered 2‐aryl ketones. The protocol features broad substrate scope (>50 examples), excellent stereo‐control (most cases >20 : 1 dr, up to 99.5 : 0.5 er), and potentially useful synthetic applications. The success of this reaction relies on the rational design of structurally matched reaction partners and the careful selection of the asymmetric catalytic system. DFT calculations have also been performed to discover and rationalize the origin of the high stereoselectivity of this reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]