Reduction of phosphine oxides into the corresponding phosphines using PhSiH3 as a reducing agent and Ph3C+[B(C6F5)4]− as an initiator is described. The process is highly efficient, reducing a broad range of secondary and tertiary alkyl and arylphosphines, bearing various functional groups in generally good yields. The reaction is believed to proceed through the generation of a silyl cation, which reaction with the phosphine oxide provides a phosphonium salt, further reduced by the silane to afford the desired phosphine along with siloxanes.

Urethanes synthesis via oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids under mild electrochemical conditions is reported. This simple phosgene-free route to urethanes involves an in-situ generation of isocyanates by anodic oxidation of...

The photosensitized p-anisaldehyde-mediated addition of sulfonylcyanides onto the π-system of cyclobutenes is shown to afford highly functionalized cyclobutanes in high yields and diastereocontrol. The homochiral cyclobutene precursors are accessible on multigram scale in two steps through an asymmetric [2 + 2] cycloaddition/vinyl thioether reduction sequence. The enantiopure cyclobutylnitriles can be elaborated further through SmI2-mediated ring opening or converted into new enantiopure cyclobutenes through base-mediated sulfone elimination.