The first catalytic formal [5+4] cycloaddition to prepare nine-membered heterocycles is presented. Under palladium catalysis, the reaction of N-tosyl azadienes and substituted vinylethylene carbonates (VECs) proceeds smoothly to produce benzofuran-fused heterocycles in uniformly high efficiency. Highly diastereoselective functionalization of the nine-membered heterocycles through peripheral attack is also demonstrated.

Desymmetrization of cyclohexadienones via enantioselective oxo-Michael reaction catalyzed by chiral phosphoric acid to afford highly enantioenriched 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran derivatives in excellent yields has been realized. The newly established methodology allows the facile enantioselective synthesis of cleroindicins C, D, and F.

Highly efficient and diastereodivergent aza-Diels-Alder reactions have been developed to access either diastereomeric series of benzofuran-fused δ-lactams and dihydropyridines in nearly perfect stereoselectivity (d.r. >20:1, >99 % ee for all examples). The complementarity of N-heterocyclic carbene and chiral amine as the catalyst was demonstrated for the first time, together with an excellent level of catalytic efficiency (1 mol % loading).

We report herein the first enantioselective cycloaddition of vinyl oxetanes, the reaction of which with azadienes provided unprecedented access to ten-membered heterocycles through a [6+4] cycloaddition. By using a commercially available chiral Pd-SIPHOX catalyst, a wide range of benzofuran- as well as indole-fused heterocycles could be accessed in excellent yield and enantioselectivity. A unique Lewis acid induced fragmentation of these ten-membered heterocycles was also discovered.