European Journal of Organic Chemistry

An efficient procedure for the preparation of a variety of unsymmetrical 1,2-diaroylbenzenes was achieved at room temperature through a m-CPBA-mediated oxidative cleavage of benzo[c]furan analogs. The oxidative ring-opening reaction with benzo[c]thiophene and benzo[c]selenophene analogs was also successful.

New hybrid silica materials derived from NHC-palladium complexes have been prepared by a sol-gel process and efficiently applied as recyclable catalysts in C–C coupling reactions.

The Michael addition of cyclic diketones to β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters catalyzed by bifunctional squaramide-derived chiral catalysts to afford adducts in high yields (up to 95 %) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee) under mild conditions is reported. The reaction affords chiral Michael adducts, which are important moieties in the skeletons of biological and pharmaceutical molecules.