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

• /N-acylation reactions, metal catalysts, particularly precious transition metals, are considered less sustainable due to their limited availability. Therefore, metal-free catalysis methods have emerged as an alternative to respond to the green chemistry agenda. For instance, Huy and Mbouhom (2019

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

• Jilei Cao Leiyang Bai Xuefeng Jiang Hainan Institute of East China Normal University, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University

Sequential two-step, one-pot microwave-assisted Urech synthesis of 5-monosubstituted hydantoins from L-amino acids in water

• Wei-Jin Chang,
• Sook Yee Liew,
• Thomas Kurz and
• Siow-Ping Tan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 596–600, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.46

• exceptional functional group tolerance, accommodating phenyl, aliphatic, phenol, alcohol, heterocyclic, and sulfide groups. This scalable, rapid, and eco-friendly strategy offers a promising avenue for the efficient synthesis of hydantoins, aligning with green chemistry principles and expanding the

• advantages over conventional heating, such as enhanced reaction rates and yields [17]. Microwave irradiation is also aligned with our group’s sustainability goals of adhering to the principles of green chemistry [18]. Following our previous works in the synthesis and evaluation of biologically active

• demonstrate that the process can be effectively scaled up, particularly in industries that prioritize sustainability and operational efficiency. In terms of green chemistry principles, this approach already meets several key goals, such as reducing the use of hazardous reagents and solvents, increasing

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

• concerns and improved reaction control can be addressed, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable synthetic methodologies. Keywords: cascade reactions; formaldehyde surrogates; green chemistry; heterocycles; multicomponent reactions; Introduction Organic chemistry is a mature discipline that has

• temperatures, no specifically prepared solvents), one-pot, batch processes leading to tandem or cascade reactions, resource efficiency through the application of the 12 principles of Green Chemistry, and readily available starting materials such as waste materials from food production processes [1][2][3]. In

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

• crystal lattice and are often reversible, requiring either high-energy light or heat for initiation [6][7][8]. Notably, topochemical polymerizations align with the principles of green chemistry, as they are solvent-free and do not involve toxic reagents [9]. The highly ordered and uniform nature of

Photomechanochemistry: harnessing mechanical forces to enhance photochemical reactions

• Francesco Mele,
• Ana M. Constantin,
• Andrea Porcheddu,
• Raimondo Maggi,
• Giovanni Maestri,
• Nicola Della Ca’ and
• Luca Capaldo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 458–472, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.33

• developed, where additional energy is applied to increase mixing such as pulsation [26][27][28], ultrasound energy [29], segmented flow [30], or mechanical stirring [31]. In line with the recent emphasis on Green Chemistry principles [32][33], alternatives have been developed in order to reduce the amount

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

• chemistry with significant potential in synthetic and biomedical fields. Keywords: green chemistry; medicinal chemistry; organic photochemistry; photocatalysis; red-light mediated transformations; Introduction Red-light-activated photocatalysis has recently gained significant interest as a tool for

• underscores the practicality and accessibility of the method, even outside a laboratory setting. The green chemistry metrics analysis provided in the study confirms the environmental benefits, with high atom economy, low waste generation, minimal resource consumption, and the potential of porphyrin

Reactivity of hypervalent iodine(III) reagents bearing a benzylamine with sulfenate salts

• Beatriz Dedeiras,
• Catarina S. Caldeira,
• José C. Cunha,
• Clara S. B. Gomes and
• M. Manuel B. Marques

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3281–3289, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.272

• thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, project 2022.04623.PTDC, fellowship 2022.11629.BD (J.C.). The authors also thank the support by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry – LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 DOI 10.54499/UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP

Homogeneous continuous flow nitration of O-methylisouronium sulfate and its optimization by kinetic modeling

• Jiapeng Guo,
• Weike Su and
• An Su

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2408–2420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.205

• University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, P. R. China State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Chemistry-Synthesis Technology, Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry-Synthesis Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, China

Selective hydrolysis of α-oxo ketene N,S-acetals in water: switchable aqueous synthesis of β-keto thioesters and β-keto amides

• Haifeng Yu,
• Wanting Zhang,
• Xuejing Cui,
• Zida Liu,
• Xifu Zhang and
• Xiaobo Zhao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2225–2233, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.190

• synthetic method for the preparation of β-keto thioesters and β-keto amides remains imperative. Organic reactions in water are an important and exciting research topic of green chemistry because water as a solvent exhibits fascinating features, such as low cost, good environmental compatibility, nontoxicity

• , such as nontoxicity, inexpensiveness, nonflammability, low volatility and good water solubility, which are consistent with the concept of green chemistry [74][75]. Therefore, we tested the reaction in the presence of PEG-400 (Table 1, entries 7–9). It was found that the reaction uniquely produced 3a in

O,S,Se-containing Biginelli products based on cyclic β-ketosulfone and their postfunctionalization

• Kateryna V. Dil and
• Vitalii A. Palchykov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2143–2151, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.184

• gossypii, Tripomastigote Chagas, Tcruzi amastigota, Tcruzi epimastigota, Leishmania amazonensis, and Dengue larvicida. Keywords: dihydropyrimidinone/thione/selenone; green chemistry; in silico biological profile; multicomponent reaction (MCR); thiopyrandioxide; Introduction Multicomponent reactions (MCRs

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

• understand the conditions for the generation of heteroatom radicals. In addition, from the perspective of recent green chemistry, the development of environmentally friendly synthetic methods is strongly demanded. In other words, a new synthetic method should have excellent atom economy, produce no waste, be

Novel oxidative routes to N-arylpyridoindazolium salts

• Oleg A. Levitskiy,
• Yuri K. Grishin and
• Tatiana V. Magdesieva

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1906–1913, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.166

• in line with the green chemistry requirements [24]. To test the assumption, the preparative oxidation of amine A1 was performed in the potentiostatic mode at 1.6 V (vs Ag/AgCl, KCl(sat.)) in a two-compartment cell in DMF; sodium tosylate was used as a supporting electrolyte. After a charge

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

• adducts. An intriguing study is reported by Porcal et al. [35] in which they evaluate the use of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF, 23). Nowadays, the need to move towards more sustainable protocols is impending and the emphasis on green chemistry and on the use of renewable carbon sources is huge. Indeed

Hypervalent iodine-catalyzed amide and alkene coupling enabled by lithium salt activation

• Akanksha Chhikara,
• Fan Wu,
• Navdeep Kaur,
• Prabagar Baskaran,
• Alex M. Nguyen,
• Zhichang Yin,
• Anthony H. Pham and
• Wei Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1405–1411, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.122

• Akanksha Chhikara Fan Wu Navdeep Kaur Prabagar Baskaran Alex M. Nguyen Zhichang Yin Anthony H. Pham Wei Li Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Green Chemistry and Engineering, The University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, Ohio 43606, United States 10.3762/bjoc

Synthetic applications of the Cannizzaro reaction

• Bhaskar Chatterjee,
• Dhananjoy Mondal and
• Smritilekha Bera

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1376–1395, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.120

• established techniques in green chemistry due to their potential benefits in terms of reduced reaction times, increased yields, and the ability to perform reactions under milder conditions than traditional methods. The Cannizzaro reaction, being a useful synthetic tool, has also been explored in this regard

Generation of alkyl and acyl radicals by visible-light photoredox catalysis: direct activation of C–O bonds in organic transformations

• Mithu Roy,
• Bitan Sardar,
• Itu Mallick and
• Dipankar Srimani

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1348–1375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.119

• promote green chemistry principles. In this regard, in 2019, Banerjee et al. published a review article on the generation of acyl radicals in the presence of visible light [22]. Therein, they discussed the various ways in which visible light can generate acyl radicals from different organic molecules to

Sustainable tandem acylation/Diels–Alder reaction toward versatile tricyclic epoxyisoindole-7-carboxylic acids in renewable green solvents

• Ayhan Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1308–1319, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.114

• Diels–Alder reactions and can be used repeatedly without significant degradation. These materials also allow the reaction to be completed in less time, with less energy consumption and higher yields. Keywords: biobased solvent; epoxyisoindoles; furanics; green chemistry; intramolecular Diels–Alder

Oxidative hydrolysis of aliphatic bromoalkenes: scope study and reactivity insights

• Amol P. Jadhav and
• Claude Y. Legault

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1286–1291, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.111

• Amol P. Jadhav Claude Y. Legault Department of Chemistry, Centre in Green Chemistry and Catalysis, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada 10.3762/bjoc.20.111 Abstract We have developed an operationally simple method for the synthesis of dialkyl α-bromoketones from bromoalkenes by

• Green Chemistry and Catalysis (CGCC), and the Université de Sherbrooke.

Manganese-catalyzed C–C and C–N bond formation with alcohols via borrowing hydrogen or hydrogen auto-transfer

• Mohd Farhan Ansari,
• Atul Kumar Maurya,
• Abhishek Kumar and
• Saravanakumar Elangovan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1111–1166, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.98

• synthesizing amines, the borrowing hydrogen approach is becoming increasingly popular in catalysis since this method provides an excellent example of a green chemistry and atom-efficient reaction [31][32][33]. This section focuses on manganese-catalyzed C–N bond formation reactions via BH or HA using alcohols

Innovative synthesis of drug-like molecules using tetrazole as core building blocks

• Jingyao Li,
• Ajay L. Chandgude,
• Qiang Zheng and
• Alexander Dömling

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 950–958, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.85

• . It aims to meet the growing demand for tetrazole-based compound libraries and novel scaffolds, which are challenging to synthesize through other methods. Keywords: building blocks; green chemistry; multicomponent reaction; Passerini tetrazole reaction; tetrazole; Ugi reaction; Introduction The

One-pot Ugi-azide and Heck reactions for the synthesis of heterocyclic systems containing tetrazole and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline

• Jiawei Niu,
• Yuhui Wang,
• Shenghu Yan,
• Yue Zhang,
• Xiaoming Ma,
• Qiang Zhang and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 912–920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.81

• Chemistry and Center for Green Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA 10.3762/bjoc.20.81 Abstract A new method for the synthesis of heterocyclic systems containing tetrazole and tetrahydroisoquinoline is developed via the performance of one-pot Ugi-azide

• , and Cs2CO3 (Table 1, entries 12–14). Investigating other Pd catalysts, suche as PdCl2 and Pd(dba)2 also gave low yields (Table 1, entries 15 and 16). Since CH3CN is a more favorable solvent than DMF in green chemistry consideration [52][53], the optimal reaction conditions for the Heck reaction were

HPW-Catalyzed environmentally benign approach to imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines

• Luan A. Martinho and
• Carlos Kleber Z. Andrade

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 628–637, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.55

• was applied to a broader range of aromatic/heteroaromatic or aliphatic aldehydes, 2-aminopyridines/2-aminothiazoles and isocyanides. Regarding some Green Chemistry metrics, our methodology proved superior at least considering E-factor and mass intensity. As can be seen in entry 6 of Table 2, our

• /heteroaromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Furthermore, the isolation process is simple and there is no need for liquid–liquid extraction. In addition, our methodology showed superior Green Chemistry metrics as compared to some already reported methodologies. Selected examples of commercial drugs containing the

• conditions and Green Chemistry metrics for the GBB reactions under μw and conventional heating conditions.a Supporting Information Supporting Information File 44: Typical experimental procedures, FTIR, NMR and mass spectra of all compounds and GC metrics calculations. Funding The authors thank the

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

• reaction between aldehydes with indoles, while focusing on the more environmentally friendly methods developed over the years. Keywords: aldehyde; BIMs; Friedel–Crafts reaction; green chemistry; indole; Review Medicinal properties In recent years, diindolylmethane (DIM, 1) and its derivatives known as

• of green chemistry. Organocatalysis is the acceleration of chemical reactions with the use of small organic compounds, which do not contain any amounts of enzyme or inorganic elements [37][38][39]. The benefits of solid acid catalysis render them as an appealing choice, compared to their liquid

Mechanisms for radical reactions initiating from N-hydroxyphthalimide esters

• Carlos R. Azpilcueta-Nicolas and
• Jean-Philip Lumb

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 346–378, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.35