Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael-Acetalization-Henry Reaction Cascade of 2-Hydroxynitrostyrene and 5-Oxohexanal for the Entry to the Hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenones with Four Consecutive Stereogenic Centers and an Approach to Aflatoxin Analogues.

A domino reaction with the organocatalytic enantioselective Michael-acetalization-Henry reaction of 2-hydroxynitrostyrene and 5-oxohexanal was developed for the synthesis of hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenones with four consecutive stereogenic centers and high enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). The transformation of a NaBH4-reduced adduct to the aflatoxin system via the Nef-cyclization process was achieved by the assistant of ZnBr2.

Organocatalyzed Michael-Henry reactions: enantioselective synthesis of cyclopentanecarbaldehydes via the dienamine organocatalysis of a succinaldehyde surrogate.

Asymmetric formal [3+2] cycloadditions of 4-hydroxybut-2-enal, a succinaldehyde surrogate, and nitroalkenes with an organocatalyst provided cyclopentanecarbaldehydes containing four consecutive stereogenic centers with excellent enantioselectivities.

Asymmetric synthesis of 3,4-dihydrocoumarin motif with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter via a Michael-acetalization sequence with bifunctional amine-thiourea organocatalysts.

Asymmetric domino Michael-acetalization reactions of 2-hydroxynitrostyrene and 2-oxocyclohexanecarbaldehyde with a bifunctional thiourea-tertiary-amine organocatalyst, e.g., the Takemoto catalyst, followed by oxidation providing the 1',3-spiro-2'-oxocyclohexan-3,4-dihydrocoumarin having one all-carbon quaternary stereocenter with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee), are described. The structures and absolute configurations of the products were confirmed by X-ray analysis.

Enantioselective organocatalytic domino Michael-acetalization-Henry reactions of 2-hydroxynitrostyrene and aldehyde for the synthesis of tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenones.

Asymmetric domino Michael-acetalization reactions of 2-hydroxynitrostyrene and aldehydes "on water" followed by oxidation providing the cis-3,4-disubstituted dihydrocoumarins with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). The variant with glutaraldehyde underwent a highly stereoselective domino Michael-acetalization-Henry reaction to afford the tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones after the subsequent oxidation.

Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-conicol via cascade three-component organocatalysis.

The first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-conicol has been achieved via a key step reaction involving the organocatalytic domino oxa-Michael-Michael-Michael-aldol condensation of 2-((E)-2-nitrovinyl)benzene-1,4-diol and alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. Structures of the three-component domino reaction adducts, 20 and 21, including their absolute configurations, were confirmed unambiguously by X-ray analysis. Through this work, the absolute configuration of (+)-conicol was thereby elucidated.