Aldehyde Termination: A novel copper-catalyzed transformation from methyl ketones into aldehydes has been accomplished. This method is applicable to a wide range of aromatic and aliphatic methyl ketones and chemoselectively produces aldehydes, accompanied by the release of hydrogen (H2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) as by-products.

A new silver-catalyzed heteroaromatization of propargylic alcohols with p-toluenesulfonylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) has been developed that provides an efficient and modular approach to sulfonyl benzoheteroles. For the first time, TosMIC plays a dual role in one reaction: sulfonyl source and ligand. An unprecedented deoxysulfonylation/hydration/condensation reaction pathway is disclosed.

A silver‐catalyzed intermolecular aminosulfonylation of terminal alkynes with sodium sulfinates and TMSN3 is reported. This three‐component reaction proceeds through sequential hydroazidation of the terminal alkyne and addition of a sulfonyl radical to the resultant vinyl azide. The method enables the stereoselective synthesis of a wide range of β‐sulfonyl enamines without electron‐withdrawing groups on the nitrogen atom. These enamines are found to be suitable for a variety of further transformations.

A general hydroazidation of unactivated alkynes using silver catalysis is reported. The reactions of diverse terminal alkynes with trimethylsilyl azide (TMS-N(3)) in the presence of H(2)O afforded the corresponding vinyl azides in good to excellent yields. This reaction has a broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, simple operation, and high reaction efficiency, thus providing an easy access to various functionalized vinyl azides.

A copper(I)-catalyzed, regioselective C-H α-trifluoromethylation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using Togni's reagent was developed. Diverse substrates, including enones as well as α,β-unsaturated esters, thioesters, and amides, stereospecifically afforded the corresponding (E)-α-trifluoromethylated products in moderate to high yields. Further, this method was applied to the C-H trifluoromethylation of drugs.

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Isocyanides are versatile building blocks, and have been extensively exploited in C-H functionalization reactions. However, transition-metal-catalyzed direct C-H functionalization reactions with isocyanides suffer from over-insertion of isocyanides. Reported herein is a radical coupling/isomerization strategy for the cross-coupling of isocyanides with active methylene compounds through silver-catalysis. The method solves the over-insertion issue and affords a variety of otherwise difficult to synthesize β-aminoenones and tricarbonylmethanes under base- and ligand-free conditions. This report presents a new fundamental C-C bond-forming reaction of two basic chemicals.

Divergent syntheses of indolizines and 2,4-disubstituted pyrroles by the silver-catalyzed cyclization of 2-pyridyl alkynyl carbinols with isocyanides are reported.