A unique approach to biaryls was developed on the basis of propargyl vinyl ethers and dienophiles substrates via a gold(I)-initiated cycloisomerization/Diels–Alder/retro-Diels–Alder cascade reaction. The scope and mechanism of the reaction were investigated on the basis of a series of synthetic substrates, control experiments, and DFT calculations.

A cascade [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement/aromatization strategy to the synthesis of 2-(3-methylbenzofuran-2-yl)phenol derivatives was developed and applied to the collective syntheses of seven 2-arylbenzofuran-containing natural products, namely glycybenzofuran, glycyuralin E, lespedezol A1, puerariafuran, 7,2′,4′-trihydroxy-3-benzofurancarboxylic acid, coumestrol, and 4′-O-methylcoumestrol. Among them, the total syntheses of glycybenzofuran, glycyuralin E, puerariafuran, 7,2′,4′-trihydroxy-3-benzofurancarboxylic acid, and 4′-O-methylcoumestrol were reported for the first time. The practicality of this novel strategy in preparation of the key intermediates was demonstrated by performing the reaction on gram scale and by synthesizing a series of natural products with 2-(3-methylbenzofuran-2-yl)phenol scaffolds in a common strategy.

A sustainable catalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) to benzaldehyde (BzH) was developed by mineralizing Ti(SO4)2 on graphene oxide foam (GOF) surface. The Ti(SO4)2/GOF was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state NMR (SSNMR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared (IR) and BET analysis. Recycling experiments proved that Ti(SO4)2/GOF possessed excellent reusability and durability. The industrial perspective of Ti(SO4)2/GOF was demonstrated by the preparation of BzH in a large-scale and solvent-free oxidation process.

A gold(I)-catalyzed substituent-controlled strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of bicyclic furan and pyran derivatives has been developed. The mechanisms of the reactions have been studied thoroughly by deuterium labelling experiments. The applications of the methodologies were demonstrated by evaluating the preliminary anti-fungal activity of the synthetic compounds.

A unique strategy for the regiospecific synthesis of bicyclic furopyran derivatives has been developed via a gold(I)-catalyzed propargyl-Claisen rearrangement/6-endo-trig cyclization of propargyl vinyl ethers. The introduction of angle strain into the substrates significantly altered the reaction’s regioselectivity. Insight into the regioselectivity of the cycloisomerization was obtained with density functional theory calculations.

During investigating water-compatible Lewis acids catalyzed etherifications using alcohols as alkylating reagents directly, we developed Fe(III)-catalyzed trityl benzyl ether formations irradiated by microwave. Then an in situ trityl benzyl ether formation and disproportionation cascade reaction was achieved to yield the benzaldehyde products with good functional group tolerances under neat conditions at relative higher temperatures. The substituent effects of the substrates on the etherification and disproportionation were explored by changing the substitutions on benzyl alcohols and triarylmethanols using chemical kinetic plots methods and the mechanism of the transformation was studied by crossover experiments. The etherification and disproportionation cascade process could be conveniently scaled up in laboratory without losing much efficiency.Fe(III)-catalyzed disproportionation of benzyl alcohols via a trityl ether intermediate was achieved under neat conditions irradiated by microwave. The substituent effects were examined by chemical kinetic plots and the mechanism of the transformation was studied by a crossover experiment.

A novel strategy for the synthesis of multisubstituted naphthalenes was developed via a Au(I)-catalyzed alkyne alkoxylation/dienolether aromaticity-driven cascade cyclization using 1,5-enyne substrates. The functional group toleration was examined by synthesizing a series of substrates and the mechanism was also studied based on intermediates isolated through deuterium labeling experiments.

A gold(I)-catalyzed substituent-controlled strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of bicyclic furan and pyran derivatives has been developed. The mechanisms of the reactions have been studied thoroughly by deuterium labelling experiments. The applications of the methodologies were demonstrated by evaluating the preliminary anti-fungal activity of the synthetic compounds.

A novel strategy for the synthesis of multisubstituted naphthalenes was developed via a Au(I)-catalyzed alkyne alkoxylation/dienolether aromaticity-driven cascade cyclization using 1,5-enyne substrates. The functional group toleration was examined by synthesizing a series of substrates and the mechanism was also studied based on intermediates isolated through deuterium labeling experiments.