Allenes are molecules based on three carbons connected by two cumulated carbon-carbon double bonds. Given their axially chiral nature and unique reactivity, substituted allenes have a variety of applications in organic chemistry as key synthetic intermediates and directly as part of biologically active compounds. Although the demands for these motivated many endeavours to make axially chiral, substituted allenes by exercising asymmetric catalysis, the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of fully substituted ones (tetrasubstituted allenes) remained largely an unsolved issue. The fundamental obstacle to solving this conundrum is the lack of a simple synthetic transformation that provides tetrasubstituted allenes in the action of catalysis. We report herein a strategy to overcome this issue by the use of a phase-transfer-catalysed asymmetric functionalization of 1-alkylallene-1,3-dicarboxylates with N-arylsulfonyl imines and benzylic and allylic bromides.

A rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of silicon-stereogenic dibenzooxasilines has been developed. High enantioselectivities have been achieved by employing (S,S)-Me-Duphos as the ligand through "enantioselective transmetalation".

Arylzinc reagents, prepared from aryl halides/zinc powder or aryl Grignard reagents/zinc chloride, were found to undergo coupling with aryl and alkenyl halides without the aid of transition-metal catalysis to give biaryls and styrene derivatives, respectively. In this context, we have already reported the corresponding reaction using aryl Grignard reagents instead of arylzinc reagents. Compared with the Grignard cross-coupling, the present reaction features high functional-group tolerance, whereby electrophilic groups such as alkoxycarbonyl and cyano groups are compatible as substituents on both the arylzinc reagents and the aryl halides. Aryl halides receive a single electron and thereby become activated as the corresponding anion radicals, which react with arylzinc reagents, thus leading to the cross-coupling products.

Alkynylzinc reagents were found to undergo coupling with aryl and alkenyl iodides to give arylalkynes and alkenylalkynes without the aid of transition metals. The coupling reaction proceeds through a single electron transfer mechanism, where a substoichiometric amount of a phosphine works as an indispensable activator.

An electron was found to catalyze the coupling of magnesium diarylamides with aryl iodides giving triarylamines through a radical-anion intermediate. The transformation requires no transition metal catalysts or additives, and a wide array of products are formed in good-to-excellent yields.