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The development of an asymmetric route for the synthesis of α,β-butenolide building blocks, starting from commercially available D -mannitol, is described. The devised route was applied to a synthesis of the (S)-(-)-enantiomer of the antiviral natural product umbelactone, together with the construction of other synthetically useful lactone structures.

Solar-intercalation batteries, which are able to both harvest and store solar energy within the electrodes, are a promising technology for the more efficient utilization of intermittent solar radiation. However, there is a lack of understanding on how the light-induced intercalation reaction occurs within the electrode host lattice. Here, an in operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction methodology is introduced, which allows for real-time visualization of the structural evolution process within a solar-intercalation battery host electrode lattice. Coupled with ex situ material characterization, direct correlations between the structural evolution of MoO3 and the photo-electrochemical responses of the solar-intercalation batteries are established for the first time. MoO3 is found to transform, via a two-phase reaction mechanism, initially into a sodium bronze phase, Na0.33MoO3, followed by the formation of solid solutions, NaxMoO3 (0.33 < x < 1.1), on further photointercalation. Time-resolved correlations with the measured voltages indicate that the two-phase evolution reaction follows zeroth-order kinetics. The insights achieved from this study can aid the development of more advanced photointercalation electrodes and solar batteries with greater performances.