An efficient reductive Claisen rearrangement, catalyzed by in situ generated copper hydride and stoichiometric in diethoxymethylsilane, has been developed. Yields of up to 95 % with good to excellent diastereoselectivities were observed in this reaction. Mechanistic studies showed that the stereospecific rearrangement proceeded via a chair transition state of (E)-silyl ketene acetals as intermediates and not via the copper enolates.

The first asymmetric total synthesis of the tricyclic diterpenoid natural product (−)-dolastatrienol has been accomplished using a rhodium(II)-catalyzed carbene cyclization cycloaddition cascade reaction as the key step to construct the [5.4.0]carbobicyclic core. An intramolecular Heck reaction furnished the tricyclic skeleton and a challenging methylenation completed the synthesis of the target.

An efficient formal total synthesis of (+) cortistatins A and J has been accomplished, by exploiting a highly diastereoselective intramolecular [4+3] cycloaddition of epoxy enolsilanes as the key reaction to construct rings B and C of the cortistatins in one step.

A two-step, protecting group-free route for the synthesis of 3,3′-disubstituted and 6,6′-disubstituted chiral BINOL–phosphoric acids has been realized starting from commercially available brominated BINOLs. This synthesis relies on the direct Suzuki coupling of brominated BINOL phosphoric acids. This synthetic strategy is more efficient compared to previous circuitous strategies involving protections and deprotections, and the process is higher yielding relative to the alternative two-step synthesis involving Suzuki coupling of the BINOL.

Vinylsulfonates have proved to be excellent dipolarophiles for carbonyl ylides derived from diazoketones in rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular cycloadditions. Polyfunctional substrates, such as 8 and (+)-15, were readily available from hydroxy esters, e.g. 1 and the cyclopenta-1,3-dione 10, respectively, and the resulting polycyclic sultones were formed under mild reaction conditions in high yields with very good diastereoselectivities. A ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation was found to desymmetrize the meso-cyclopenta-1,3-dione 12 efficiently.