A selective gem-dichlorination of isonitriles has been successfully achieved by using (dichloroiodo)benzene as a chlorinating reagent. The reaction gives N-arylcarbonimidic dichlorides in high yields under mild and metal-free conditions. The application of N-arylcarbonimidic dichlorides as synthetic intermediates in the synthesis of 2,2,3,3-tetrachloroaziridine 4, propyl formimidate 5, benzophenone imine 6, and 6-chlorophenanthridine (3a) was also investigated.

A route to β-substituted cyclohex-2-enones, 4-arylcoumarins, and biaryls has been developed. This approach involves a one-pot Cu⁰/Selectfluor-catalyzed dehydration–oxidation of tertiary cycloalcohols. Thus, by using 2 equiv. of Selectfluor at 25 °C, the dehydration–oxidation of tertiary cyclohexanols and oxabenzocyclohexanols gave β-substituted cyclohex-2-enones and 4-arylcoumarins, respectively; whereas the dehydration–oxidation of tertiary cyclohexanols gave biaryls as the final products by using 2.5 equiv. of Selectfluor at 80 °C.

A regiospecific synthesis of substituted 2-nitrobenzaldehydes from substituted benzaldehydes has been developed that involves a three-step process with palladium-catalyzed chelation-assisted C–H nitration as the key step. In the process, O-methyl aldoxime serves as a removable directing group for the palladium-catalyzed ortho-nitration of substituted benzaldoximes and it can be removed in subsequent conversion of the resulting 2-nitrobenzaldoximes into 2-nitrobenzaldehydes.

Activation of dioxygen in air by a combined phenol/Selectfluor system has been revealed. This technique has been exploited to develop an approach to 2-ene-1,4-diones via an oxidation-dimerization of alkynes under metal-free conditions.