A novel NHC‐catalyzed annulation protocol for the asymmetric synthesis of biologically important β‐lactam fused spirocyclopentane oxindoles with four contiguous stereocenters, including two quaternary carbon centers, was developed. Alternatively, spirocyclopentane oxindoles containing an enaminone moiety can be achieved using the same starting materials, isatin‐derived enals, and N‐sulfonyl ketimines, in the presence of a slightly different NHC catalytic system. This switchable annulation strategy enables the selective assembly of both heterocyclic scaffolds with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities for a broad range of substrates.

We report here on the status of research on halogen bonds and other σ-hole interactions involvingp-block elements in Lewis acidic roles, such as chalcogen bonds, pnictogen bonds and tetrel bonds. A brief overview of the available literature in this area is providedviaa survey of the many review articles that address this field. Our focus has been to collect together most review articles published since 2013 to provide an easy entry into the extensive literature in this area. A snapshot ofcurrentresearch in the area is provided by an introduction to the virtual special issue compiled in this journal, comprising 11 articles and entitled `Halogen, chalcogen, pnictogen and tetrel bonds: structural chemistry and beyond.'