Formaldehyde surrogates in multicomponent reactions

• Cecilia I. Attorresi,
• Javier A. Ramírez and
• Bernhard Westermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 564–595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.45

• ] cycloaddition step that ends with aromatization through a 1,3-H shift (Scheme 31) [84][85]. These compounds are highly relevant biological scaffolds for drug discovery [84]. In general, this reaction works very well with a wide variety of Lewis acids (as Sc(OTf)3 and MgCl2) and Brønsted acids (e.g., NH4Cl and

Recent advances in organocatalytic atroposelective reactions

• Henrich Szabados and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 55–121, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.6

• purities in this process (Scheme 20). Chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed atroposelective reactions Chiral Brønsted acids became prominent organocatalysts that also promote the syntheses of axially chiral compounds. The amination of aromatic biaryls 65a–g with dibenzylazodicarboxylate catalyzed by

• just one nitrogen resulted in retarded or halted reactivity. The combination of 2-naphthols 151 and alkynylhydroxyisoindolinones 152 in the presence of two chiral Brønsted acids C35 and C36 provided axially chiral isoindolinones 153 (Scheme 45) [73]. The optimized reaction conditions led to the handful

• organocatalytic reactions are discussed according to the dominant catalyst activation mode. For covalent organocatalysis, the typical enamine and iminium modes are presented, followed by N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed reactions. The bulk of the review is devoted to non-covalent activation, where chiral Brønsted

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

• nitrogen atom which is prone to interacting with hydrogen-bond donors or Brønsted acids decreasing the LUMO energy of the diene. This review article aims to give an overview of the non-covalent organocatalyzed cyclization reactions involving α,β-unsaturated imines. Although most of the cyclization

• covered in this review are hydrogen-bond donors such as thioureas and squaramides, Brønsted bases such as tertiary amines, and Brønsted acids such as chiral phosphoric acids. As depicted in Figure 4, a bifunctional squaramide is able to activate both an α,β-unsaturated imine through hydrogen bonding with

• demonstrate the robustness of this novel methodology the model reaction was scaled up to 1.0 mmol, giving the desired product with a slight decrease of the yield and similar results in terms of enantioselectivity, 67% yield, 92% ee and >20:1 dr. Brønsted acids: chiral phosphoric acids The employment of

Hydrogen-bond activation enables aziridination of unactivated olefins with simple iminoiodinanes

• Phong Thai,
• Lauv Patel,
• Diyasha Manna and
• David C. Powers

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2305–2312, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.197

• solvent, resulted in a 16% yield of 3a (Table 1, entry 7). Performing aziridination with 10 equivalents of HFIP in CH2Cl2 resulted in a 38% yield (Table 1, entry 8). The aziridine product 3a was not observed when other Lewis or Brønsted acids, such as BF3·Et2O, TfOH, or Zn(OTf)2, were employed in CH2Cl2

gem-Difluorination of carbon–carbon triple bonds using Brønsted acid/Bu₄NBF₄ or electrogenerated acid

• Mizuki Yamaguchi,
• Hiroki Shimao,
• Kengo Hamasaki,
• Keiji Nishiwaki,
• Shigenori Kashimura and
• Kouichi Matsumoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2261–2269, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.194

• University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan 10.3762/bjoc.20.194 Abstract gem-Difluorination of carbon–carbon triple bonds was conducted using Brønsted acids, such as Tf2NH and TfOH, combined with Bu4NBF4 as the fluorine source. The electrochemical oxidation of a Bu4NBF4/CH2Cl2 solution

The Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction in its maturity: innovation and improvements since its 21st birthday (2019–2023)

• Cristina Martini,
• Muhammad Idham Darussalam Mardjan and
• Andrea Basso

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1839–1879, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.162

• discussed in more details in chapter 2). Another recent article on the use of Brønsted acids has been reported by Vilapara et al., who employed for the first time etidronic acid (1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid, HEDP) as a green catalyst. Reactions were efficient at room temperature [11]; although the

• Suzuki–Miyaura reaction and then subjected the adduct 52 to a GBB reaction with various aldehydes and isocyanides (Scheme 20) [53]. Focusing on the GBB part, the authors tested both Lewis acids (Sc(OTf)3 or Yb(OTf)3) and Brønsted acids (NH4Cl or AcOH) and found that the best results could be obtained

• limited to methanol due to solubility problems, and HClO4 was selected because other Brønsted acids caused amine deprotection. The GBB adducts 58 could be further elaborated through a Buchwald intramolecular nucleophilic substitution/cyclization, as it will be described in section 3.3. 3 Novel scaffolds

Ring opening of photogenerated azetidinols as a strategy for the synthesis of aminodioxolanes

• Henning Maag,
• Daniel J. Lemcke and
• Johannes M. Wahl

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1671–1676, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.148

• added to 3a (Scheme 3a). Formation of hemiketal 8 was expected to occur, which would facilitate ring opening by a 5-exo-tet cyclization. While we did observe the formation of hemiketal 8 by NMR spectroscopy, we were unable to detect any ring-opened products 9, even when adding Lewis acids or Brønsted

• acids to the reaction mixture (see Supporting Information File 1 for further details). Finally, we decided to evaluate the electronic effects of the PG on the ring opening, which is why we opted to try the benzhydryl-protected substrate 3l in our envisioned transformation. Several recent publications

Primary amine-catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-Michael addition reaction of pyrazolin-5-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones

• Pooja Goyal,
• Akhil K. Dubey,
• Raghunath Chowdhury and
• Amey Wadawale

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1518–1526, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.136

• solvent, as the product 3aa was isolated in reproducible yield (77%) and enantioselectivity 74% ee (Table 1, entry 3). Next, we explored a variety of achiral and/or chiral Brønsted acids A1–6 as additives in order to increase the yield and the enantioselectivity of the reaction (Table 1, entries 4–9). A

• marked increase in both the yield and enantioselectivity of the product 3aa were observed. Among the screened Brønsted acids A1–6, the combination of 15 mol % of the catalyst I and 30 mol % of (±)-mandelic acid (A5) was found to be superior in terms of enantioselectivity (92% ee) of the product 3aa

• assembly 4 (Scheme 5). It is known that Brønsted acids facilitate the iminium ion formation step [38][39] and the counteranion of the acid plays an important role in the stereocontrolling event [38][40]. On the other hand, the protonated quinuclidine nitrogen atom of the catalyst II (in the iminium ion

Synthesis of 2-benzyl N-substituted anilines via imine condensation–isoaromatization of (E)-2-arylidene-3-cyclohexenones and primary amines

• Lu Li,
• Na Li,
• Xiao-Tian Mo,
• Ming-Wei Yuan,
• Lin Jiang and
• Ming-Long Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1468–1475, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.130

• , 2a could be fully converted and the 2-benzylaniline 4aa was obtained in 52% yield after 46 h (Table 1, entry 1). Some commonly used acid catalysts were tested, however, neither Brønsted acids such as AcOH and TsOH, nor Lewis acids such as FeCl3 and BF3·Et2O, showed a promoting effect on the aimed

Mechanistic investigations of polyaza[7]helicene in photoredox and energy transfer catalysis

• Johannes Rocker,
• Till J. B. Zähringer,
• Matthias Schmitz,
• Till Opatz and
• Christoph Kerzig

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1236–1245, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.106

• solutions. However, these studies might be important for explaining reactivity changes when Aza-H is employed in photoreactions requiring or releasing Brønsted acids. During the 3-CR experiment, we observed a decomposition of the catalyst that occurred faster than in the absence of any additives (see

Bismuth(III) triflate: an economical and environmentally friendly catalyst for the Nazarov reaction

• Manoel T. Rodrigues Jr.,
• Aline S. B. de Oliveira,
• Ralph C. Gomes,
• Amanda Soares Hirata,
• Lucas A. Zeoly,
• Hugo Santos,
• João Arantes,
• Catarina Sofia Mateus Reis-Silva,
• João Agostinho Machado-Neto,
• Leticia Veras Costa-Lotufo and
• Fernando Coelho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1167–1178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.99

• , ZrCl4, In(OTf)3, InCl3, and AlCl3 were selected as catalysts (Table 1, entries 5–13), and even after this screening, the best result still remained the one obtained with Bi(OTf)3. The Brønsted acids TFA and TsOH were also tested for the transformation but gave worse results (Table 1, entries 14 and 15

Advancements in hydrochlorination of alkenes

• Daniel S. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 787–814, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.72

• (anti-Markovnikov product). One plausible explanation for this intriguing observation is that K10 and other zeolites may function both as Brønsted acids and radical initiators [63]. Consequently, it is likely that both ionic and radical pathways are concurrently in operation. The in situ generation of

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel–Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

• Periklis X. Kolagkis,
• Eirini M. Galathri and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 379–426, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.36

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as suitable solvent for BF₃: the case of alkyne hydration. Chemistry vs electrochemistry

• Marta David,
• Elisa Galli,
• Richard C. D. Brown,
• Marta Feroci,
• Fabrizio Vetica and
• Martina Bortolami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1966–1981, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.147

• ], Pd(II) [31][32][33], Pt(II) [34][35], Fe(III) [36][37], Cu(I) [38][39][40][41], Co(III) [42][43][44], as well as other metals, have been widely studied. In addition, methods involving Brønsted acids, alone or in presence of Lewis acids as co-catalysts, have been developed [45][46][47][48][49][50][51

• ][52][53][54]. However, some of these procedures suffer from major drawbacks, such as the toxicity and/or high cost of the metal catalysts, the need to use concentrated Brønsted acids in high excess, long reaction times, and high temperatures. In addition, these reactions have been studied mainly in

Lewis acid-promoted direct synthesis of isoxazole derivatives

• Dengxu Qiu,
• Chenhui Jiang,
• Pan Gao and
• Yu Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1562–1567, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.113

• environmentally friendly catalysts, our laboratory recently developed an alternative approach to the synthesis of isooxazoles starting from 2-methylquinoline and alkynes mediated by Brønsted acids in good yields (Scheme 1, reaction 3) [20]. The utilization of main element metal aluminum salts in organic synthesis

Photoredox catalysis harvesting multiple photon or electrochemical energies

• Mattia Lepori,
• Simon Schmid and
• Joshua P. Barham

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1055–1145, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.81

Synthesis of tetrahydrofuro[3,2-c]pyridines via Pictet–Spengler reaction

• Elena Y. Mendogralo and
• Maxim G. Uchuskin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 991–997, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.74

• hydrolysis could be a convenient tool for the synthesis of substituted 3-(2-oxopropyl)piperidin-4-ones 5. Using tetrahydrofuro[3,2-c]pyridine 4a as the model compound, we studied the effect of various Brønsted acids, temperature, concentrations, and the nature of the solvent on the efficiency of the reaction

Aromatic C–H bond functionalization through organocatalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aza-Friedel–Crafts reaction: a recent update

• Anup Biswas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 956–981, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.72

• –Crafts reaction has also been explored under the influence of organocatalysis. However, here organocatalysts act as Brønsted acids which form noncovalent interactions (H-bonding) with the imine nitrogen to enhance the electrophilicity of the imine component. In addition, by selecting suitable imine

Clauson–Kaas pyrrole synthesis using diverse catalysts: a transition from conventional to greener approach

• Dileep Kumar Singh and
• Rajesh Kumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 928–955, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.71

• conditions (Scheme 10). Green chemistry approach for the Clauson–Kaas synthesis of N-substituted pyrroles This section describes the Clauson-Kaas pyrrole syntheses using different greener methods in the presence of various Brønsted acids or Lewis acids. These include reactions in aqueous media, under solvent

• -catalyzed reactions under heating conditions. However, due to environmental concerns, the second part of this review focuses on greener Clauson–Kaas reaction protocols. Various Brønsted acids, Lewis acids, transition metal catalysts, and organocatalysts have been used in water as a green solvent, under

Catalytic aza-Nazarov cyclization reactions to access α-methylene-γ-lactam heterocycles

• Bilge Banu Yagci,
• Selin Ezgi Donmez,
• Onur Şahin and
• Yunus Emre Türkmen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 66–77, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.6

• ester 36 with an n-propyl group at the β-position is that it does not have the volatility issues of the ethyl-substituted ester, and that it is sterically less hindered than the isobutyl-substituted ester. When a broad range of Lewis and Brønsted acids such as AgOTf, Zn(OTf)2, ZnBr2, CuCl2, BF3·OEt2

Redox-active molecules as organocatalysts for selective oxidative transformations – an unperceived organocatalysis field

• Elena R. Lopat’eva,
• Igor B. Krylov,
• Dmitry A. Lapshin and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1672–1695, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.179

• ]. The well-known and convenient classification of organocatalysts into Lewis bases, Lewis acids, Brønsted bases, and Brønsted acids [1] also leaves the redox-organocatalysts behind. Moreover, in numerous research papers employing redox-active molecules as catalysts the developed processes are not

• -organocatalysts. Organocatalysis classification used in the present perspective. Oxidative processes catalyzed by amines. N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis in oxidative functionalization of aldehydes. Examples of asymmetric oxidative processes catalyzed by chiral Brønsted acids. Asymmetric aerobic α

Automated grindstone chemistry: a simple and facile way for PEG-assisted stoichiometry-controlled halogenation of phenols and anilines using N-halosuccinimides

• Dharmendra Das,
• Akhil A. Bhosle,
• Amrita Chatterjee and
• Mainak Banerjee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 999–1008, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.100

• with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) was carried out in toxic polar solvents (e.g., DMF), but no iodinated or chlorinated products were obtained because of the low reactivity of NIS and NCS (Scheme 1a) [24][25][26][27]. In recent time, the use of Lewis or Brønsted acids, Lewis bases, and transition-metal

New advances in asymmetric organocatalysis

• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 240–242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.28

• transformations using chiral Brønsted acids, Brønsted base, and hydrogen bond donors. Recently noncovalent activation continues to expand into other types of weak attractive interactions such as halogen and chalcogen bonds. Not surprisingly, all activation modes allow further expansion and diversification via a

α-Ketol and α-iminol rearrangements in synthetic organic and biosynthetic reactions

• Scott Benz and
• Andrew S. Murkin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2570–2584, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.172

• later explored alternative Brønsted and Lewis acids that could effectively catalyze the rearrangement of symmetric α‑hydroxy aldimines [29]. A catalyst screen was performed on the model substrate 97a (97 with R = Ph; Figure 19a) using three different Brønsted acids (acetic acid, sulfuric acid, and p

• rearrangements catalyzed by silica gel and montmorillonite K 10. a) For 102a (102 with R = Ph), silica gel and montmorillonite K 10 gave ≥95% yields, while Brønsted acids, other Lewis acids, and NaOEt generally performed much more poorly. b) Electron-rich R groups rearrange efficiently in the presence of silica

Enantioselective PCCP Brønsted acid-catalyzed aminalization of aldehydes

• Martin Kamlar,
• Robert Reiberger,
• Martin Nigríni,
• Ivana Císařová and
• Jan Veselý

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2433–2440, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.160

• Abstract Here we present an enantioselective aminalization of aldehydes catalyzed by Brønsted acids based on pentacarboxycyclopentadienes (PCCPs). The cyclization reaction using readily available anthranilamides as building blocks provides access to valuable 2,3-dihydroquinazolinones containing one

• chiral Brønsted acids. In the scope of Brønsted acid catalysis, chiral phosphoric acids (CPA) are dominating as potent catalysts in various asymmetric transformations [19][20][21][22][23], although the synthesis of these catalysts is expensive and laborious [24]. One of the most frequent examples of CPAs

• employed as catalysts in asymmetric dihydroquinazolinone synthesis [18]. Regarding the above-mentioned strategies involving chiral Brønsted acids, we envisioned that chiral pentacarboxycyclopentadiene (PCCP) derivatives could be used in the enantioselective aminalization of aldehydes with anthranilamide