Liu-Zhu Gong

TL;DR: A new strategy in the design of new organic catalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions and related transformations is suggested as the calculations reveal that the amide N-H and the terminal hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds with the benzaldehyde substrate that cause high enantioselectivity.

TL;DR: L-Proline-based small peptides have been developed as efficient catalysts for the asymmetric direct aldol reactions of hydroxyacetone with aldehydes and chiral 1,4-diols 7 were obtained in high yields and enantioselectivities in aqueous media.

TL;DR: Alkyl azides and acyl azides were reduced to the corresponding amines and amides with zinc and ammonium chloride as reducing agent under mild conditions in good yield as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: A family of optically pure 7,7'-disubsituted-2,2'-dihydroxy-1,1'-dinaphthyls have been conveniently prepared from easily accessible 7-alloxyl-2-naphthol by reaction sequences beginning with the asymmetric oxidative coupling and followed by key synthetic steps including deprotection, alkylation, and Suzuki coupling.

TL;DR: Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with the dimethyl malonate-BSA-LiOAc system has been successfully carried out in the presence of easily prepared new chiral amino-phosphinite ligands such as 3b and 3c to result in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities of up to 95% e.g.