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We disclose herein a catalytic borrowing hydrogen method that enables an unprecedented, economical one‐pot access to enantiopure tetrahydropyridines with minimal reagent use or waste formation. This method couples a few classes of readily available substrates with commercially available 1,3‐amino alcohols, and delivers the valuable tetrahydropyridines of different substitution patterns free of N‐protection. Such transformations are highly challenging to achieve, as multiple redox steps need to be realized in a cascade and numerous side reactions including a facile aromatization have to be overcome. Highly diastereoselective functionalizations of tetrahydropyridines also result in a general access to enantiopure di‐ and tri‐substituted piperidines, which ranks the topmost frequent N‐heterocycle in commercial drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Described is an unprecedented NHC-catalyzed (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene), stereoselective ring opening of epoxy and cyclopropyl enals to deliver valuable compounds bearing multiple stereocenters. A straightforward three-step procedure involving two catalytic enantioselective transformations has been developed and leads to a regio- and stereodivergent synthesis of either 1,2-amino alcohols/diamines or 1,4-fluoro alcohols with excellent diastereo- and enantiopurity., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We present herein an unprecedented, efficient and enantioselective synthesis of triarylmethanes and 1,1-diarylalkanes through N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed acylative desymmetrization of bisphenols. This method utilizes readily available substrates, reagents and a simple procedure to deliver the valuable products in excellent enantiopurity. DFT calculations reveal that the selectivity is governed by the C-C bond cleavage step of the tetrahedral intermediate leading to the ester product. A transition state model featuring a combination of intramolecular hydrogen bond and steric effect is developed to explain the enantioselectivity., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)