Total syntheses of highly oxidative Ryania diterpenoids facilitated by innovations in synthetic strategies

• Zhi-Qi Cao,
• Jin-Bao Qiao and
• Yu-Ming Zhao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2553–2570, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.198

• fragmentation, and face-selective hydroxylation at C3 to yield 109. A final sequence of epoxidation, single-electron reductive cyclization, and ethylene glycol deprotection delivered hemiketal 110, completing the E-ring formation. Finally, selective acetylation of the secondary hydroxy group culminated in the

Comparative analysis of complanadine A total syntheses

• Reem Al-Ahmad and
• Mingji Dai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2334–2344, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.178

• , followed by acetylation of the resulting propargylic alcohol afforded 17 which was further advanced to 18 via copper-catalyzed selective displacement of the propargyl acetate with benzylamine and hydrolysis of the primary acetate. The primary alcohol of 18 was activated with PPh3/CCl4, triggering an

Recent advances in Norrish–Yang cyclization and dicarbonyl photoredox reactions for natural product synthesis

• Peng-Xi Luo,
• Jin-Xuan Yang,
• Shao-Min Fu and
• Bo Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2315–2333, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.177

• by the Yang group [22]. Installation of the hydroxymethyl group in 4 was achieved through sequential formylation and reduction. Compound 4 then underwent a one-pot, substrate-controlled diastereoselective Johnson−Claisen rearrangement/acetylation to install ester 5. Treating 5 with m-CPBA (meta

• room temperature, delivering spiroacetal (S)-114 with complete retention of configuration (>99% ee). The subsequent one-pot acetylation generated (S)-115 in 83% overall yield over three steps from (S)-112. The following functional group manipulations of (S)-115 – including debenzylation/debromination

C2 to C6 biobased carbonyl platforms for fine chemistry

• Jingjing Jiang,
• Muhammad Noman Haider Tariq,
• Florence Popowycz,
• Yanlong Gu and
• Yves Queneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2103–2172, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.165

• . Then, through acetylation and subsequent base-mediated oxidopyrylium [5 + 2] cycloaddition reactions, 1-(trifluoromethyl)-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-en-2-ones were prepared (Scheme 58) [190]. Chu and Webster reported the photocatalyzed synthesis of furfural-derived diacids from furfural [191][192

The application of desymmetric enantioselective reduction of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the total synthesis of terpenoid and alkaloid natural products

• Dong-Xing Tan and
• Fu-She Han

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2085–2102, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.164

• of 57 to phenolic intermediate followed by the construction of the B ring generated tricyclic core 59. Subsequently, dihydroxylation of the doubled bond in the central six-membered ring using OsO4/NMO gave diol, which was then subjected to acetylation of the two hydroxy groups and hydrogenation of C5

Enantioselective desymmetrization strategy of prochiral 1,3-diols in natural product synthesis

• Lihua Wei,
• Rui Yang,
• Zhifeng Shi and
• Zhiqiang Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1932–1963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.151

• in two steps. Subsequently, asymmetric acetylation of 2 catalyzed by PPL afforded (R)-3 in 95% yield with 83% ee. The authors also used Candida antarctica lipase (CAL) in this transformation but with a suboptimal result ((S)-3 in 19% yield with 94% ee). The monoacetate (R)-3 was further converted

• JohnPhos (6) induced cyclization, yielding bicyclic compound 7 with a 7-membered heterocycle. Final deprotection of the methoxymethyl (MOM) group in 7 afforded (+)-heliannuol D (8). Having successfully applied PPL-catalyzed acetylation to the synthesis of (+)-heliannuol D, the Shishido group subsequently

• acetylation of prochiral 1,3-diols to access chiral building blocks (R)-3 and (R)-11, Shishido's team completed a series of helianane-type sesquiterpenes. This pioneering work demonstrates the utility of prochiral 1,3-diols in the synthesis of natural products. In 2013, the first asymmetric synthesis of the

Photoswitches beyond azobenzene: a beginner’s guide

• Michela Marcon,
• Christoph Haag and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1808–1853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.143

• ) [86][87]. Phenyliminoindolinone is synthesised by N-acetylation of 80 with acetic anhydride catalysed by DMAP, then 94 is treated with sodium sulphite to give 95. Base-assisted coupling with a nitrosoarene finally yields N-acetylphenyliminoindolinone 97 (Scheme 28) [63]. As each subclass shown in this

Synthetic approach to borrelidin fragments: focus on key intermediates

• Yudhi Dwi Kurniawan,
• Zetryana Puteri Tachrim,
• Teni Ernawati,
• Faris Hermawan,
• Ima Nurasiyah and
• Muhammad Alfin Sulmantara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1135–1160, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.91

• with vinyl acetate as the acylating agent, Amano lipase AK (AKL) was identified as the most effective biocatalyst for achieving selective acetylation, converting diol 28 to the monoacetate 37 in 91% yield with >99.4% de (by HPLC). The diacetate byproduct 39 was formed in a small amount (9%). A similar

Studies on the syntheses of β-carboline alkaloids brevicarine and brevicolline

• Benedek Batizi,
• Patrik Pollák,
• András Dancsó,
• Péter Keglevich,
• Gyula Simig,
• Balázs Volk and
• Mátyás Milen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 955–963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.79

• 21 under extremely harsh conditions (100 °C, 130 bar), followed by N-acetylation gave a mixture of diastereomeric racemates 22, which was cyclized to a diastereomeric mixture of β-carboline derivatives 23. Heating of 23 in pivalic acid in the presence of a catalytic amount of trifluoroacetic acid

Substituent effects in N-acetylated phenylazopyrazole photoswitches

• Radek Tovtik,
• Dennis Marzin,
• Pia Weigel,
• Stefano Crespi and
• Nadja A. Simeth

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 830–838, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.66

• hydrazine or methylhydrazine to yield NH-PAPs or NMe-PAPs, respectively, in high to quantitative yields. The NAc-PAPs were synthesized via an acetylation reaction of NH-PAPs with acyl chloride, forming the novel NAc-PAPs. While the molecules could be extracted and purified by column chromatography without

• for the photochemical properties in other classes of photoswitches, our focus was on the novel NAc-PAPs, which exhibit an acetyl group on one of the pyrazole nitrogens. The functional group could be installed easily via acetylation from the corresponding NH-PAPs in high yields to result in a set of

• →E ). Strong EWGs or EDGs enhanced the quantum yields for the π→π* transitions, whereas the n→π* transitions exhibited no clear correlation with substitution patterns. Notably, the acetylation of nitrogen significantly increased the ΦE→Z for π→π* transitions in almost all compounds studied (excluding

Binding of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides in water by a glucose naphtho crown ether

• Gianpaolo Gallo and
• Bartosz Lewandowski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 541–546, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.42

• as well indicated by the lower binding affinity of 1 to the acetylated analogues of peptides 2 and 3. In the case of peptide 4, acetylation of its N-terminus did not affect the stability of the complex with receptor 1. This suggests that 1 interacts with the N-terminal ammonium in 4 to a much lesser

Synthesis of the aggregation pheromone of Tribolium castaneum

• Biyu An,
• Xueyang Wang,
• Ao Jiao,
• Qinghua Bian and
• Jiangchun Zhong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 510–514, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.38

• (R)-citronellic acid [18], methyl (S)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropanoate, (S)-2-methyl-1-butanol [19], (R)-2,3-O-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde [20], (R)- and (S)-citronellol [21], (R)-4-methyl-δ-valerolactone [22], porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL)-catalyzed acetylation of racemic citronellol [23], and Evan′s

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

• synthesis of benzo[j]fluoranthene 23 in six steps (Scheme 3). In this sequence, 1,8-DHN (19) was first converted to 1-acetoxy-8-methoxynaphthalene (24) via a selective mono-methylation of 19 followed by acetylation by acetyl chloride in 88% yield over two steps. The more electron-rich ring of naphthalene 24

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

• cycloadducts 29e and 31e in good yields (Scheme 12). Further derivatizations were also carried out: The treatment of 29e with SOCl2 led to interesting unsaturated derivative 32 in a 54% yield. The acetylation of 31e provided 33 in 76% yield. Next, an alkene metathesis of 33 with styrene led to product 34 in 72

Multicomponent reactions driving the discovery and optimization of agents targeting central nervous system pathologies

• Lucía Campos-Prieto,
• Aitor García-Rey,
• Eddy Sotelo and
• Ana Mallo-Abreu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3151–3173, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.261

• ] developed artificial, ‘natural-like’ polyphenols, using the Ugi reaction, since it leads to mixed polyphenol–peptidomimetic structures (Scheme 4). The procedure involved an Ugi reaction using phenolic building blocks protected as allyl ethers, followed by deprotection, acetylation, and high-yielding

Cyclodextrin-based rotaxanes for polymer materials: challenge on simultaneous realization of inexpensive production and defined structures

• Yosuke Akae

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3026–3049, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.252

N-Glycosides of indigo, indirubin, and isoindigo: blue, red, and yellow sugars and their cancerostatic activity

• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2840–2869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.240

• precursors. The base-mediated reaction of 5-chloroanthranilic acid (8a) with chloroacetic acid afforded 8b (Scheme 5) [20]. Acetylation and base-mediated cyclization gave indoxyl 9a which was transformed to indigo 1c by oxidative dimerization. Benzylation finally afforded 1d. 4,6-Benzylidenation of ᴅ

• -glycoside 11a (Scheme 7) [20]. Debenzylation gave product 11b which was transformed to akashin A (11c) by reduction of the azide to the amine in the presence of propane-1,3-dithiol and subsequent debenzoylation. Akashin A was transformed to akashins B and C by acetylation and reaction with diacetyl

• [8][9][10][11]. Therefore, we studied the synthesis of oximes of indirubin-N-glycosides. The reaction of isatin-N-rhamnoside β-16a with 3-acetoxyindole and subsequent acetylation afforded indirubin-N-rhamnoside β-17e which was subsequently deprotected to give oxime β-17f (Scheme 15) [23]. In

Synthesis of tricarbonylated propargylamine and conversion to 2,5-disubstituted oxazole-4-carboxylates

• Kento Iwai,
• Akari Hikasa,
• Kotaro Yoshioka,
• Shinki Tani,
• Kazuto Umezu and
• Nagatoshi Nishiwaki

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2827–2833, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.238

• anhydride, the intermediately formed hemiacetal underwent acetylation, leading to N,O-acetals 1. In this method, an acid amide can be used as an amine masked with an acyl group. Subsequent elimination of acetic acid occurred to afford 2 in situ upon treatment with a base, enabling nucleophilic addition with

Novel truxene-based dipyrromethanes (DPMs): synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and photophysical properties

• Shakeel Alvi and
• Rashid Ali

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2163–2170, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.186

• was perfectly matched with the previously reported one [38]. General procedure for acetylation of truxene 10: Compound 10 was dissolved in DCM (15 mL). This solution was gradually added to a AlCl3/acetyl chloride solution at 0 °C, which was prepared by dissolving AlCl3 in acetyl chloride (11) with

Computational toolbox for the analysis of protein–glycan interactions

• Ferran Nieto-Fabregat,
• Maria Pia Lenza,
• Angela Marseglia,
• Cristina Di Carluccio,
• Antonio Molinaro,
• Alba Silipo and
• Roberta Marchetti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2084–2107, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.180

• able to add branching points and some sugar derivatisation, including methylation and acetylation. The user has also the possibility to choose the ring type and the anomeric configuration of each monosaccharide. Once the structure is complete, it is possible to download not only the generated .pdb

Syntheses and medicinal chemistry of spiro heterocyclic steroids

• Laura L. Romero-Hernández,
• Ana Isabel Ahuja-Casarín,
• Penélope Merino-Montiel,
• Sara Montiel-Smith,
• José Luis Vega-Báez and
• Jesús Sandoval-Ramírez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1713–1745, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.152

• induce a more bioactive compound, fluorine atoms were introduced by acetylation and benzoylation of -NH at 152. Spiro compounds 152–154 were easily afforded in 34–62% overall yields (Scheme 40). The compounds showed excellent coenzymatic effects towards cellobiase activity produced by Chaetomium

Chemo-enzymatic total synthesis: current approaches toward the integration of chemical and enzymatic transformations

• Ryo Tanifuji and
• Hiroki Oguri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1693–1712, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.151

• Suzuki–Miyaura coupling with boronic ester 53 and O-acetylation furnished 54. The dienophile component, morachalcone A (44), was synthesized from phenol 55 in four steps including O-prenylation and subsequent Claisen rearrangement, aldol condensation with 56, and deprotection. The key chemo-enzymatic

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

• acetylation of the ent-3ba' using acetic anhydride and DABCO, furnishes the desired product ent-3ba. Conclusion In summary, we have realized the Michael addition reaction of 4-unsubstituted pyrazolin-5-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones under organocatalytic conditions. The developed protocol was efficiently

Switchable molecular tweezers: design and applications

• Pablo Msellem,
• Maksym Dekthiarenko,
• Nihal Hadj Seyd and
• Guillaume Vives

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 504–539, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.45

• increase was observed upon closing due to the spatial proximity in the cavity between the two substrates. In contrast, the open tweezers showed a higher rate for the acetylation of meta and para substrates as a result of substrate inhibition of the closed cavity. These tweezers constitute a remarkable

Optimizations of lipid II synthesis: an essential glycolipid precursor in bacterial cell wall synthesis and a validated antibiotic target

• Milandip Karak,
• Cian R. Cloonan,
• Brad R. Baker,
• Rachel V. K. Cochrane and
• Stephen A. Cochrane

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 220–227, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.22

• , followed by in situ re-acetylation of the C2-amino group and C6-alcohol with acetic anhydride, resulting in the formation of disaccharide 4 in a one-pot fashion. The anomeric benzyl protecting group in disaccharide 4 was then removed via a Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation reaction, producing a mixture of α/β