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The developement of novel organocatalytic transformations is described. The elaborate mainly focuses on two catheories of organic reactions, namely azinium cations functionalizations (dearomatizations and aromatic subsititutions) and higher order cycloadditions. Particular attention has been devoted at the study and optimization of the reaction conditions and catalyst structure, in order to maximize yield and enantiopurity of the products as well as minimizing the catalyst loading and using the mildest conditions. The substrate scope of asymmetric reactions has always been thoroughly investigated to demonstrate the broad applicability of the proposed transformations, as well as the performance of synthetic elaborations illustrating the usefulness of the developed methods

The tandem catalytic functionalization/carboxylation of double as well as triple carbon-carbon bonds with CO2 represent an emerging research area in synthetic organic methodology. In particular, the combination of mild reaction conditions, stoichiometric acceptor/donorless conditions (visible light photoredox catalysis) and chiral catalysts contributed to a rapid development of this intriguing research area capable of creating chemical diversity/ complexity from readily available unsaturated hydrocarbons and CO2 as a C1-buinding block. The most recent developments in the field have been collected in the present review article and organized, based on the different sets of π-systems/intermediates/reactive partners employed (i.e., nickelalactones, organo-halides) as well as synthetic strategies (i.e., visible-light photo redox catalysis).

Despite the broad interest in ferrocene containing compounds, ferrocenyl substrates have been employed in catalytic asymmetric settings only sporadically. Herein, catalytic asymmetric Povarov reactions with ferrocenecarbaldehyde-derived N-aryl imines are presented. This study demonstrates that the stereoelectronic properties of ferrocenyl imines do not preclude their engagement in enantioselective phosphoric acid catalysis: cycloadducts derived from benzyl N-vinylcarbamate were obtained in good yields and nearly enantiopure form using 0.1mol% of a standard Bronsted acid catalyst. Furthermore, it is shown that specific optimisation with some substrates allowed to lower the catalyst loading up to 10-20 parts-per-million, an unprecedented value for phosphoric acid catalysts. Such low loading protocol could be applied to a preparative scale reaction, and to imines derived from arylaldehydes.

The catalytic enantioselective dearomatization of pyridines with nucleophiles represents a direct and convenient access to highly valuable dihydropyridines. Available methods, mostly based on N-acylpyridinium salts, give addition to the C-2/C-6 of the pyridine nucleus, rendering 1,2-/1,6-dihydropyridines. Herein, we present an alternative approach to this type of dearomatization reaction, employing activated N-benzylpyridinium salts in combination with a bifunctional organic catalyst. Optically active 1,4-dihydropyridines resulting from the addition of the nucleophile (indole) to the C-4 of the pyridine nucleus are obtained as major products, rendering this method for nucleophilic dearomatization of pyridines complementary to previous approaches.