The enantioselective conjugated addition of tritylthiol to in situ generated ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) is catalyzed by an acid–base bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst. The transformation proceeds with high yield (up to 99 %) and stereoselectivity (up to 97:3 e.r.) using water as solvent under mild conditions. The catalyst system provides a new strategy for the synthesis of optically active benzyl mercaptans. Control experiments suggested that o-QMs are generated by the tertiary amine moiety of the squaramide organocatalyst and that the water–oil biphase is crucial for achieving high reactivity and stereoselectivity.

The enantioselective conjugated addition of tritylthiol to in situ generated ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) is catalyzed by an acid–base bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst. The transformation proceeds with high yield (up to 99 %) and stereoselectivity (up to 97:3 e.r.) using water as solvent under mild conditions. The catalyst system provides a new strategy for the synthesis of optically active benzyl mercaptans. Control experiments suggested that o-QMs are generated by the tertiary amine moiety of the squaramide organocatalyst and that the water–oil biphase is crucial for achieving high reactivity and stereoselectivity.

A series of of amphiphilic imidazole based secondary and primary amine catalysts were synthesized and shown to be very effective with an acid cocatalyst for the asymmetric reaction of cyclohexanone to β,γ-unsaturated α-keto ester. Interestingly, primary and secondary amine catalysts show different regio-selectivities in this reaction. Under the catalysis of secondary amine 1, excellent enantioselectivities were observed for the products from direct 3+3 reactions of cyclohexanone with β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters using water as the solvent. Moreover, the same reactants catalyzed by the primary amines 2 lead to the aldol reactions, affording the corresponding products with high diastereoselectivities and up to 97% ee. Theoretical studies on the transition states by using a model in gas phase revealed that steric effect plays an important role on different chemo-selective induction between the secondary amine 1 and primary amine 2.

Unprecedented organocatalyzed asymmetric cascade reactions have been developed for the facile synthesis of chiral spirooxindole-based isotetronic acids and 5-1H-pyrrol-2-ones.The asymmetric 1,2-addition reactions of α-ketoesters to isatins and imines by using an acid–base bifunctional 6′-OH cinchona alkaloid catalyst, followed by cyclization and enolization of the resulting adducts, gave chiral spiroisotetronic acids and 5-1H-pyrrol-2-ones, respectively, in excellent optical purities (up to 98 % ee). FT-IR analysis supported the existence of hydrogen-bonding interaction between the 6′-OH group of the cinchona catalyst and an isatin carbonyl group, an interaction that might be crucial for catalyst activity and stereocontrol.

Two polythiophene derivatives using fluorine atoms and hexyl or hexyloxy group as electron-withdrawing and donating substituents have been synthesized. The introduction of fluorine atoms to the polythiophene backbones simultaneously lowers the HOMO and narrows the bandgap, and the stronger electron-donating ability of hexyloxy side chain further reduces the bandgap. As a result, poly[3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl-alt-3,4-difluorothiophene] (PHTDFT) shows HOMO and bandgap of −5.31/1.83 eV and poly[3,4-dihexyloxythiophene-2,5-diyl-alt-3,4-difluorothiophene] (PDHOTDFT) shows HOMO and bandgap of −5.14/1.68 eV, both are lower than −4.76/2.02 eV of P3HT. Benefiting from the lower HOMO, PHTDFT:PC₆₁BM (1:1) polymer solar cells obtain a power conversion efficiency of 1.11% and an impressed open-circuit voltage of 0.79 V under solar illumination AM1.5 (100 mW/cm²).