AbstractAn enantioselective tandem Michael addition/cyclization reaction between trisubstituted 2-nitro-1,3-enynes and cyclic 1,3-diketones catalyzed by a chiral organosquaramide catalyst in the presence of Ag2CO3 was developed. The chiral functionalized chromene products could be obtained in good yield and in 80–99% enantiomeric excess. The structures and absolute configurations of some of the products were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.

A Lewis acid promoted tandem reaction of epoxide rearrangement and intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of cyclopropanes with carbonyls formed by epoxide rearrangement in situ, which were obtained with difficulty by a general method, is reported. A wide variety of fused- and spiro-oxa-[n.2.1] skeletons could be efficiently constructed.

Photovoltaic cells are considered to be one of the most promising renewable energy sources of the 21st century. In particular, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) are potentially the most economical and environmentally friendly ones. Squaraine (SQ) has intense absorption at 600–850 nm, exactly where sun flux is the most abundant. Furthermore, various substituents on SQ cores provide great possibilities for different molecular-design strategies. These characters make SQs ideal candidates for new DSSCs and OPVs. In response to the rapid development of SQ-based solar cells, a panorama of these ongoing studies is presented here, including the general synthetic routes of SQs and the various SQs used in DSSCs and OPVs. Our discussions are focused on the diverse molecular designs of SQs used in DSSCs and OPVs. The design strategies to acquire better light-harvesting abilities are also provided here, as well as the principles behind these strategies.

A series of 1,4-bis[2,2-bis(4-alkoxyphenyl)vinyl]benzene molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) activity were synthesized. The conformations and packing arrangements of these molecules in the solid state can be adjusted by changing the side chains, which subsequently modulates their solid-state emission. The fluorescence quantum yield of 1e with the n-C6H13 side chain in the solid state could reach up to 60.3% in the solid state.

A Lewis acid promoted tandem reaction of epoxide rearrangement and intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of cyclopropanes with carbonyls formed by epoxide rearrangement in situ, which were obtained with difficulty by a general method, is reported. A wide variety of fused- and spiro-oxa-[n.2.1] skeletons could be efficiently constructed.