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A novel palladium-catalyzed C-H formylation of electron-rich N-, O-, and S-containing heteroarenes has been developed. The key to success is that the commercially available BrCHCl2 was used as a stoichiometric carbonyl source. Mechanistic investigations indicated that different from the known Reimer-Tiemann reaction, this net C-H formylation proceeded through an electrophilc radical-type path.

An efficient nickel-catalyzed reductive relay cross-coupling of internal alkenes with alkyl (or aryl) halides has been developed. This method has demonstrated broad substrate scope, mild reaction conditions and excellent terminal-selectivity. Moreover, this efficient strategy could be applied to the terminal-selective alkylation of isomeric mixtures of internal alkenes.

A novel electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolation reaction system has been developed with AgSCF3 used directly as the SCF3 source, in the presence of KI/K2S2O8/I2. Various N-benzylindoles have been trifluoromethylthiolated successfully with this system, and the mechanism of investigation showed an electrophilic reagent was generated in situ.

A highly efficient asymmetric amination of β-keto esters was achieved under phase transfer conditions using chiral quaternary ammonium bromide as a catalyst. The amination products were obtained in quantitative yields with up to 97% ee. One of the amination products represents a key intermediate for the preparation of aldose reductase inhibitor AS-3201.

Glucose can produce H2O2 in solution when irradiated with UV light even in the absence of glucose oxidase. Based on this effect, photons were utilized as a substrate for glucose oxidase, and a new fluorescent method was developed for indirect determination of glucose by a coupled fluorescence reaction of p-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid and H2O2 with hemin as a catalyst. The calibration graph is linear over the range 0–6.0×10−7 mol/l glucose, the detection limit is 1.7×10−8 mol/l glucose. The method has been applied to the determination of glucose in human sera with satisfactory results.