Recent advances in synthetic approaches for bioactive cinnamic acid derivatives

• Betty A. Kustiana,
• Galuh Widiyarti and
• Teni Ernawati

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1031–1086, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.85

Recent advances in controllable/divergent synthesis

• Jilei Cao,
• Leiyang Bai and
• Xuefeng Jiang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 890–914, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.73

• cycloaddition reactions with substituted furans as diene component to produce the corresponding epoxy-cycloaddition adducts. The authors developed an Ir/Sc tandem catalytic reaction to convert these adducts into polysubstituted 3-haloisoquinolines 99 in one pot. After obtaining isoquinoline compounds 99 with

Light-enabled intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition via photoactivation of simple alkenylboronic esters

• Lewis McGhie,
• Hannah M. Kortman,
• Jenna Rumpf,
• Peter H. Seeberger and
• John J. Molloy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 854–863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.69

• process (Figure 2B) [19]. In a bid to translate sensitization reaction probes to meaningful synthetic transformations, conventional intermolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions were initially trialled (Figure 3A). Preliminary reactions using styrene or methyl acrylate were unsuccessful, with no [2 + 2

New advances in asymmetric organocatalysis II

• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 766–769, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.60

• cycloaddition reactions [1][2][3][4]. The history of scientific discoveries, however, is rarely defined by single specific dates that can unambiguously be connected to the discoveries. Instead, the chronology often seems to be quite convoluted but also ultimately more interesting, as can also be seen for

• organocatalytic cycloaddition reactions of unsaturated imines. A broad variety of activation modes, as well as catalyst structures, was covered and found to be useful in affording a diverse array of chiral N-heterocycles [27]. In my group, we recently became interested in atroposelective catalytic syntheses

Unprecedented visible light-initiated topochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition in a functionalized bimane dye

• Metodej Dvoracek,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Mathias O. Senge and
• Mikhail A. Filatov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 500–509, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.37

• ] cycloaddition reactions, states that for the reaction to occur, the distance between the centers of the double bonds must be less than 4.2 Å, and the double bonds must be coplanar and parallel [11]. Designing topochemically active compounds is a challenging task, as the crystal packing mode must first be

• compounds capable of undergoing topochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions initiated by visible light. A number of related bimane structures have been reported. These include anti-(Ph,Cl)bimane (CPDZBO10) where the Ph residues impart a bowl-shaped bimane distortion and syn-(Ph,Cl)bimane [25], anti-(H,Me

Electrochemical synthesis of cyclic biaryl λ³-bromanes from 2,2’-dibromobiphenyls

• Andrejs Savkins and
• Igors Sokolovs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 451–457, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.32

• diaryl λ3-bromanes under remarkably mild conditions with subsequent applications of the in situ-generated arynes in cycloaddition reactions [3], meta-selective reactions with oxygen and nitrogen nucleophiles [4][5], regiodivergent meta or ortho-alkynylations [6], and regioselective (di)halogenation [7

Three-component reactions of conjugated dienes, CH acids and formaldehyde under diffusion mixing conditions

• Dmitry E. Shybanov,
• Maxim E. Kukushkin,
• Eugene V. Babaev,
• Nikolai V. Zyk and
• Elena K. Beloglazkina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 262–269, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.18

• method was successfully used to generate highly active nitrile oxides and nitrilimines for 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions [19][20][21]. Based on our previous experience with diffusion mixing, we assumed that formaldehyde vapor diffusion into the reaction would lead to an extremely low concentration

• under the above conditions to form highly reactive intermediates capable of [4 + 2]-cycloaddition reactions. Cyclopentadiene, cyclohexadiene, 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and isoprene were used as traps for the intermediates formed. The results are presented in Scheme 3. In general, the reactions produced

Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed multicomponent reactions

• Sara Colombo,
• Camilla Loro,
• Egle M. Beccalli,
• Gianluigi Broggini and
• Marta Papis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 122–145, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.7

• behavior or reactivity properties. The ambiguity related to the role of Cu(OTf)2 is particularly relevant for cycloaddition reactions, where it is even more difficult to justify the activation of the copper species as a Lewis acid or metal catalyst [12][13][14]. The reaction mechanism involved can be ionic

Emerging trends in the optimization of organic synthesis through high-throughput tools and machine learning

• Pablo Quijano Velasco,
• Kedar Hippalgaonkar and
• Balamurugan Ramalingam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 10–38, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.3

• . Photochemical reactions require uniform light penetration of the reaction mixture, and flow setups with uniform path lengths would be ideal for such reactions. A self-optimizing continuous-flow reactor was designed by Poscharny et al. [59] for [2 + 2]-cycloaddition reactions promoted by light. The optimization

Synthesis of acenaphthylene-fused heteroarenes and polyoxygenated benzo[j]fluoranthenes via a Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura/C–H arylation cascade

• Merve Yence,
• Dilgam Ahmadli,
• Damla Surmeli,
• Umut Mert Karacaoğlu,
• Sujit Pal and
• Yunus Emre Türkmen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3290–3298, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.273

• )-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with 1,8-dialkynylnaphthalenes to access azafluoranthenes and 2-pyridone-fused naphthalenes [27]. In 2017, we reported a Pd-catalyzed cascade reaction that involves a sequential Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling and a subsequent intramolecular C–H arylation between

Non-covalent organocatalyzed enantioselective cyclization reactions of α,β-unsaturated imines

• Sergio Torres-Oya and
• Mercedes Zurro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3221–3255, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.268

• , they can be attacked by a nucleophile and undergo a 1,2-addition or conjugate addition leading to the production of allylic amines or aliphatic imines, respectively. They can also behave as C4 synthons in cycloaddition reactions such as the aza-Diels–Alder reaction, giving access to nitrogen-containing

• , respectively. Additionally, the most common cyclic α,β-unsaturated imines involve benzofuran or saccharin-derived azadienes (Figure 1). Cycloaddition reactions, especially Diels–Alder reactions, have attracted a lot of attention since their discovery as one of the most powerful methodologies for the

• Brønsted acid catalysis has been widely studied in asymmetric synthesis [38][39]. While the asymmetric transformations of 2-azadienes have been more intensively investigated, enantioselective derivatizations of 1-azadienes are scarce. In this section, the cycloaddition reactions involving α,β-unsaturated

Efficacy of radical reactions of isocyanides with heteroatom radicals in organic synthesis

• Akiya Ogawa and
• Yuki Yamamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2114–2128, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.182

• isocyanides forms the imidoyl radicals, which undergo intramolecular cyclization and oxidative dehydrogenation to give phenanthridines (Scheme 27) [100]. Conclusion In this Perspective, the addition and cycloaddition reactions of heteroatom radicals with isocyanides have been described in detail and their

Multicomponent syntheses of pyrazoles via (3 + 2)-cyclocondensation and (3 + 2)-cycloaddition key steps

• Ignaz Betcke,
• Alissa C. Götzinger,
• Maryna M. Kornet and
• Thomas J. J. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2024–2077, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.178

Harnessing the versatility of hydrazones through electrosynthetic oxidative transformations

• Aurélie Claraz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1988–2004, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.175

• versatile reagents in organic synthesis. They have for instance been frequently employed for the construction of azacycles through various cyclization protocols or cycloaddition reactions [6][7][8][9][10]. Early work in this field includes the well-known Fischer indole synthesis [11]. Additionally, they

• the critical role of in situ-generated molecular iodine (Scheme 8) [44]. Formal cycloaddition Hydrazones constitute a versatile building block for the construction of azacycles through formal cycloaddition reactions. Under oxidative electrochemical conditions, either the oxidation of the hydrazone or

• -derived hydrazones was also proposed as key initial step of the transformation (Scheme 12) [51]. Concurrently, similar formal electrochemical cycloaddition reactions between preformed aldehyde-derived hydrazones and aliphatic amines were investigated by the groups of D. Tang [52] and Pan [53]. The latter

1,2-Difluoroethylene (HFO-1132): synthesis and chemistry

• Liubov V. Sokolenko,
• Taras M. Sokolenko and
• Yurii L. Yagupolskii

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1955–1966, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.171

• products were separated by column chromatography and characterized. Heterocyclizations–photochemical [2 + 2]- and [2 + 4]-cycloaddition reactions: The formation of oxetanes as a result of photochemical cycloaddition of fluoroketones or fluoroaldehydes and 1,2-difluoroethylene was previously described by

SOMOphilic alkyne vs radical-polar crossover approaches: The full story of the azido-alkynylation of alkenes

• Julien Borrel and
• Jerome Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 701–713, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.64

• elimination of the organometallic intermediate would lead to the desired product (Scheme 1B, reaction 1). Unfortunately, this approach will not be compatible in the case of azidation since the copper, azides and alkynes present in the mixture are expected to undergo alkyne–azide cycloaddition reactions [28

Enhanced reactivity of Li⁺@C₆₀ toward thermal [2 + 2] cycloaddition by encapsulated Li⁺ Lewis acid

• Hiroshi Ueno,
• Yu Yamazaki,
• Hiroshi Okada,
• Fuminori Misaizu,
• Ken Kokubo and
• Hidehiro Sakurai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 653–660, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.58

• thermal [2 + 2] cycloaddition. The [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of empty C60 have been known to proceed with unsaturated substrates having HOMO levels suitable for the thermal or photoinduced single-electron-transfer (SET) process (Scheme 1) [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Although the

Unveiling the regioselectivity of rhodium(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions for open-cage C₇₀ production

• Cristina Castanyer,
• Anna Pla-Quintana,
• Anna Roglans,
• Albert Artigas and
• Miquel Solà

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 272–279, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.28

• holds significant promise for applications in the fields of medicinal chemistry, materials science, and photovoltaics. In this study, we investigate the regioselectivity of the rhodium(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions between diynes and C70 as a novel procedure for generating C70 bis

• regioselective [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions as a means to tailor the properties of fullerenes for specific applications. Types of [6,6]-bonds together with the [5,6]-bond of C60 with their C–C distances in pristine C60 and C70. 1H NMR (CS2/CDCl3, 400 MHz) spectrum of compound 2a as a mixture of two

Catalytic multi-step domino and one-pot reactions

• Svetlana B. Tsogoeva

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 254–256, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.25

• . Zhang, Ma, and W. Zhang reflects the state of the art in the α-amino acid-based [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of N–H-type azomethine ylides in multicomponent, one-pot, and stepwise reactions for the synthesis of diverse bioactive heterocyclic compounds and natural products [9]. Computational studies

• of transannular cycloadditions of cycloalkenone hydrazones catalyzed by BINOL-derived phosphoric acid are reported in the Full Research Paper by Vicario, Merino, and co-workers [10]. Their methodologies can now be used to predict the reactivity of different substrates in other cycloaddition reactions

Cycloaddition reactions of heterocyclic azides with 2-cyanoacetamidines as a new route to C,N-diheteroarylcarbamidines

• Pavel S. Silaichev,
• Tetyana V. Beryozkina,
• Vsevolod V. Melekhin,
• Valeriy O. Filimonov,
• Andrey N. Maslivets,
• Vladimir G. Ilkin,
• Wim Dehaen and
• Vasiliy A. Bakulev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 17–24, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.3

• -triazole-4-carbimidamides with alkyl, allyl, propargyl, benzyl, cycloalkyl, and indolyl substituents at the N1 position . Keywords: Cornforth rearrangement; cycloaddition reactions; 3,3-diaminoacrylonitriles; heterocyclic azides; 1,2,3-triazole; Introduction Heteroaryl amidines are widely used in the

Construction of diazepine-containing spiroindolines via annulation reaction of α-halogenated N-acylhydrazones and isatin-derived MBH carbonates

• Xing Liu,
• Wenjing Shi,
• Jing Sun and
• Chao-Guo Yan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1923–1932, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.143

• spirooxindoles [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. In the presence of Lewis bases, isatin-derived MBH carbonates usually undergo [3 + 2] and [3 + 3] cycloaddition reactions with a broad range of active C–C and C–N double bonds and 1,3-dipolarpohiles to give various five- or six-membered cyclic spirooxindoles [44

• ] cycloaddition reactions of MBH carbonates derived from isatins. Synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,5'-[1,2]diazepines] 3a–m. Conditions: α-halogenated acylhydrazone (0.2 mmol), MBH nitrile of isatin (0.1 mmol), Et3N (0.2 mmol), DCM (4.0 mL), rt, 24 h; athe α-chloro-N-acylhydrazone was used, for other compounds α

Biphenylene-containing polycyclic conjugated compounds

• Cagatay Dengiz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1895–1911, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.141

• arene–oxanorbornadiene annulation reactions [40]. This study involved converting PAHs obtained through annulation and aromatization steps into curved PAH structures using metal-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions pioneered by Vollhart [41] and Kotora [42]. Unlike previous studies that reported

• -catalyzed formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions but also the emergence of tetracene trimer 86 and tetramer 88 stemming from [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions (Scheme 18). It is proposed that an aryne intermediate is formed after thermal activation and that the observed end products are formed from arynes

• 21. Synthesis of symmetric POAs 25a and 25b. Synthesis of POA 29 via palladium-catalyzed annulation/aromatization reaction. Synthesis of bisphenylene-containing structures 34a–c. Synthesis of curved PAH 38 via Pd-catalyzed annulation and Ir-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions. Synthesis of [3

Trifluoromethylated hydrazones and acylhydrazones as potent nitrogen-containing fluorinated building blocks

• Zhang Dongxu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1741–1754, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.127

• presence of Brønsted acid. In their pioneering research, Tanaka et al. reported the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of trifluoroacetaldehyde hydrazones and glyoxals to give 4-hydroxy-3-trifluoromethylpyrazoles. The resultant pyrazoles containing a free 4-hydroxy group were easily converted to a variety of

• group has attracted a significant level of attention, and many trifluoromethylated pyrazoles have been used in medicinal products or in pesticides [66]. The [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions are considered among the most powerful tools for the synthesis of versatile fluoroalkylated pyrazoles. Enol ethers

• trifluoromethylated 1,2,4-triazoles were synthesized with excellent regioselectivities in [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of trifluoromethylated hydrazonoyl chlorides with imidates, amidine and 1H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-thiols, all of which were individually reported by Wang, Deng and Cai, respectively [77][78][79

Decarboxylative 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of amino acids for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds

• Xiaofeng Zhang,
• Xiaoming Ma and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1677–1693, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.123

• with arylaldehydes are much less explored. The [3 + 2] adducts of α-amino acids could be used for a second [3 + 2] cycloaddition as well as for other post-condensation modifications. This article highlights our recent work on the development of α-amino acid-based [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of N–H

• anionic charge on the α-carbon connecting to the EWG. They are popular AMYs for 1,3-diploar [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with alkenes to generate pyrrolidines 1a–d with high regio- and stereoselectivities. They have been reported in a huge number (1,000+) of publications [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25

• trifluoromethylated pyrrolidines As mentioned above, the unexpected double cycloaddition and low stereoselectivity are the major challenges for [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of semi- and non-stabilized AMYs derived from the condensation of amino acids with aldehydes. However, the reactions of amino acids with

Morpholine-mediated defluorinative cycloaddition of gem-difluoroalkenes and organic azides

• Tzu-Yu Huang,
• Mario Djugovski,
• Sweta Adhikari,
• Destinee L. Manning and
• Sudeshna Roy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1545–1554, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.111

• are available [2][3], only a couple of cycloaddition reactions has been reported [4]. For example, [3 + 2] dipolar cycloadditions to form saturated difluoroisoxazolidines [5][6] and difluoropyrrolidines [7] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with gem-difluoro-1,3-dienes [8]. The overall landscape of

• -promoted [22] azide–alkyne cycloaddition reactions [17][23][24]; however, most of these strategies use high temperatures [21][25]. Herein, we report the discovery of a novel, one-step regioselective method under mild conditions to obtain 1,4,5-trisubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles from gem-difluoroalkenes

• elimination, resulting in an SNV-like transformation [26]. We previously reported that α-fluoronitroalkenes could be effectively used as surrogates of α-fluoroalkynes in cycloaddition reactions with organic azides to construct 4-fluoro-1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles regioselectively [27]. This two-step