An unprecedented asymmetric desymmetrization of meso-epoxides, derived from cyclopentene-1,3-diones, with 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles has been realized. It was efficiently catalyzed by a chiral Dy^III/N,N′-dioxide complex through a thiolysis/elimination sequence. This remote stereocontrol strategy provides facile access to synthetically versatile cyclopentene derivatives bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center in high yield and excellent enantioselectivity. Intriguingly, optically active thiophene could be readily generated from the obtained product through an efficient one-pot protocol.

An unprecedented asymmetric desymmetrization of meso-epoxides, derived from cyclopentene-1,3-diones, with 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles has been realized. It was efficiently catalyzed by a chiral Dy^III/N,N′-dioxide complex through a thiolysis/elimination sequence. This remote stereocontrol strategy provides facile access to synthetically versatile cyclopentene derivatives bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center in high yield and excellent enantioselectivity. Intriguingly, optically active thiophene could be readily generated from the obtained product through an efficient one-pot protocol.

An unprecedented catalytic asymmetric inverse-electron-demand aza-Diels–Alder reaction of indoles with in situ formed azoalkenes is reported. A diverse set of [2,3]-fused indoline heterocycles were achieved in generally good yields (up to 97 %) with high regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity (>20:1 d.r.), and with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee).

An unprecedented catalytic asymmetric inverse-electron-demand aza-Diels–Alder reaction of indoles with in situ formed azoalkenes is reported. A diverse set of [2,3]-fused indoline heterocycles were achieved in generally good yields (up to 97 %) with high regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity (>20:1 d.r.), and with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee).

The first organocatalytic asymmetric addition of thiols to trifluoromethylaldimine for the construction of chiral trifluoromethylated N,S-acetals has been achieved in high yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) with 1 mol% of a bifunctional organocatalyst.

A new protocol for the efficient construction of chiral trifluoromethylated building blocks was developed via organocatalyzed sulfa-Michael addition of thiols to the cost-efficient trans-trifluorocrotonamide. Introducing the pyrazole moiety is crucial to providing H-bond acceptor sites for better activation and hence affording comparable asymmetric induction with that obtained when employing the expensive cis-4,4,4-trifluorocrotonate as the Michael acceptor.

Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of methyl α-fluoroacrylate with azomethine ylides for the construction of optically active fluorinated pyrrolidines bearing one unique fluorinated quaternary and two tertiary stereogenic centers has been achieved with Cu(CH₃CN)₄BF₄/TF-BiphamPhos complexes for the first time. This catalytic system performs well over a broad scope of substrates, providing the synthetically useful adducts in good yields and excellent diastereoselectivities and good to high enantioselectivities.

The first catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with various sterically hindered α,α,β-trisubstituted 2-alkylidene-cycloketones has been developed successfully with silver acetate/TF-BiphamPhos complex for the construction of spiro heterocyclic compounds containing pyrrolidine motifs and a spiro quaternary stereogenic carbon center. The highly efficient catalytic system exhibited high reactivity, excellent diastereoselectivity, good enantioselectivity and broad substrate scope under mild conditions. Subsequent transformations led to the expedient preparation of synthetically useful spiro[pyrrolidine-tetrahydropyranone] and spiro[pyrrolidine-isochroman-1-one] without loss of the diastereo- and enantiomeric excesses.

The direct asymmetric Mannich reaction of glycine Schiff bases with N-tosylimines has been developed with the tetrakis(acetonitrile)copper(I) tetrafluoroborate [Cu(CH₃CN)₄BF₄]/TF-BiphamPhos complex. This catalytic system performs well over a broad range of substrates, furnishing anti-adducts of various α,β-diamino acid esters in good yields with up to 94:6 diastereoselectivity and 97% enantioselectivity.

The first catalytic endo-selective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and vinyl phenyl sulfone has been developed successfully. The highly efficient silver acetate (AgOAc)/TF-BiphamPhos catalytic system exhibited high reactivity, excellent diastereoselectivity (>98:2), good enantioselectivity (67–92% ee) and broad substrate scope under mild conditions.