The Pd nanoparticles immobilized on natural diatomite were achieved by a simple procedure. The catalysts are highly active for Heck and Suzuki reactions and can be recovered and reused many times. The catalytic process was also investigated.

Acids in command: The asymmetric formation of pyrroloindolines with adjacent quaternary and tertiary carbon centers has been achieved through catalysis by a chiral phosphoric acid. Starting from readily available tryptamine, both Michael products and amination products were obtained in high yields and enantioselectivities. The significance of this study was further demonstrated by the total synthesis of (−)‐debromoflustramine B.

We disclose a novel high yielding and highly enantioselective chiral calcium VAPOL phosphate-catalyzed chlorination of 3-substituted oxindoles with N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS). The reaction conditions are also shown to be effective for the catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of 3-aryloxindoles to methyl vinyl ketone.

An aqueous Heck reaction carried out under ultrasonic irradiation at the ambient temperature (25 degrees C) has been shown in this study to afford high yields of corresponding products. It was found that as a catalyst for the reaction palladium forms nanoparticles in-situ, characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses, and can be recycled. Furthermore, the Heck reaction under such mild and environmentally friendly conditions offers excellent regioselectivity of para- over ortho-substitution in phenyl iodides especially with electron-donating groups.