Supportinginformation and the ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201611824.Figure 1. a) The tetra(4-pyridyl)tetrathiafulvalene (TTF(py) 4 )ligand; b) octahedral coordination environmentaround the Fe II center in 1; c) view of the twofold interpenetratednetwork in 1.

Axially chiral biaryl scaffolds are prevalent in natural products, chiral ligands, and organocatalysts. However, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed de novo construction of an aromatic ring with concomitant axial chirality induction for the synthesis of biaryl atropisomers is far less developed, and the efficient synthesis of axially chiral tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls remains an unsolved problem under NHC catalysis. Reported here is an NHC-catalyzed de novo synthesis of axially chiral benzothiophene/benzofuran-fused biaryls from enals and 2-benzyl-benzothiophene/benzofuran-3-carbaldehydes through a [2+4] annulation, decarboxylation, and oxidative aromatization cascade with central-to-axial chirality conversion. The developed method provides efficient and general access to novel axially chiral benzothiophene/benzofuran-fused biaryls in high enantioselectivities and works well for the synthesis of tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls.

Two series of p-alkoxybenzoates Ia-If and p-alkoxycinnamates IIa-IIf, each species bearing one terminal furanone, have been synthesized and characterized by IR, 13 C NMR, 1 H NMR, MS spectra and elemental analysis. The mesogenic properties of both series of furanones have been studied by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relationship between structures and mesogenic properties was discussed. The results show that the increased alkoxy chain length (C 7 -C 12 ) and the bridging groups between the benzene ring and the furanone ring affected the mesomorphic properties greatly, and the two series of furanones might display monotropic or enantiotropic nematic (N) or semetic C (SmC) mesophases and different mesomorpic phase temperature ranges corresponding to different carbon chain length.Scheme 1 Synthesis of 2-(4-alkoxybenzoyloxy)-5-oxo-2,5-dihydrofurans Scheme 2 Synthesis of 2-(4-alkoxycinnamoyloxy)-5-oxo-2,5dihydrofurans Results and discussion UV-Vis absorption spectraThe UV-Vis absorption data of compounds 1d, Id, 2d and IId are listed and were compared in Table 1, where it could be found that the λ max values of Id and

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Two series of p-alkoxybenzoates Ia-If and p-alkoxycinnamates IIa-IIf, each species bearing one terminal furanone, have been synthesized and characterized by IR, 13 C NMR, 1 H NMR, MS spectra and elemental analysis.The mesogenic properties of both series of furanones have been studied by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relationship between structures and mesogenic properties was discussed. The results show that the increased alkoxy chain length (C 7 -C 12 ) and the bridging groups between the benzene ring and the furanone ring affected the mesomorphic properties greatly, and the two series of furanones might display monotropic or enantiotropic nematic (N) or semetic C (SmC) mesophases and different mesomorpic phase temperature ranges corresponding to different carbon chain length.