Vinyl carbocations have been the subject of extensive experimental and theoretical studies over the past five decades. Despite this long history in chemistry, the utility of vinyl cations in chemical synthesis has been limited, with most reactivity studies focusing on solvolysis reactions or intramolecular processes. Here we report synthetic and mechanistic studies of vinyl cations generated through silylium-weakly coordinating anion catalysis. We find that these reactive intermediates undergo mild intermolecular carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, including carbon-hydrogen (C-H) insertion into unactivated sp C-H bonds and reductive Friedel-Crafts reactions with arenes. Moreover, we conducted computational studies of these alkane C-H functionalization reactions and discovered that they proceed through nonclassical, ambimodal transition structures. This reaction manifold provides a framework for the catalytic functionalization of hydrocarbons using simple ketone derivatives.

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Here we report the surprising discovery that high-energy vinyl carbocations can be generated under strongly basic conditions, and that they engage in intramolecular sp3 C–H insertion reactions through the catalysis of weakly coordinating anion salts. This approach relies on the unconventional combination of lithium hexamethyldisilazide base and the commercially available catalyst, triphenylmethylium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-borate. These reagents form a catalytically active lithium species that enables the application of vinyl cation C–H insertion reactions to heteroatom-containing substrates.

Diels-Alder reactions of tethered vinyl-metal species offer the opportunity to fashion highly functionalized diol intermediates for synthesis. We have developed the first enantioselective boron-tethered Diels-Alder reaction using quinine as a chiral promoter. Quinine recovery, enantioselectivity enhancement, and manipulation of the cyclohexene core are also investigated. DFT modeling calculations confirm the role of quinine as a bidentate ligand enhancing reaction rates. The enantioselectivity of the cycloaddition is proposed to originate from a boron-centered anomeric effect.

Herein we report the discovery of a AuI–DNA hybrid catalyst that is compatible with biological media and whose reactivity can be regulated by small complementary nucleic acid sequences. The development of this catalytic system was enabled by the discovery of a novel AuI‐mediated base pair. We found that AuI binds DNA containing C‐T mismatches. In the AuI–DNA catalyst's latent state, the AuI ion is sequestered by the mismatch such that it is coordinatively saturated, rendering it catalytically inactive. Upon addition of an RNA or DNA strand that is complementary to the latent catalyst's oligonucleotide backbone, catalytic activity is induced, leading to a sevenfold increase in the formation of a fluorescent product, forged through a AuI‐catalyzed hydroamination reaction. Further development of this catalytic system will expand not only the chemical space available to synthetic biological systems but also allow for temporal and spatial control of transition‐metal catalysis through gene transcription.