Electrochemical cyclization of alkynes to construct five-membered nitrogen-heterocyclic rings

• Lifen Peng,
• Ting Wang,
• Zhiwen Yuan,
• Bin Li,
• Zilong Tang,
• Xirong Liu,
• Hui Li,
• Guofang Jiang,
• Chunling Zeng,
• Henry N. C. Wong and
• Xiao-Shui Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2173–2201, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.166

• in 66%–87% yields. Boc-amino ester (2e), dipeptide (2f), apivalate ester (2g) and ethinyl estradiol (2h) skeletons were also tolerated well. According to the previous works [163] and the experimental results, the authors proposed a plausible mechanism. Firstly, the anodic oxidation of [Cp2Fe

• ][194][195][196][197][198][199][200], the authors proposed a possible reaction mechanism. For the synthesis of 11a in Pt plate electrodes, two-electron anodic oxidation of I− formed I+. Addition of I+ to C≡C in 10 resulted in the production of A. Meanwhile, continuous reduction of H2O at the cathode

• , A proceeded an intramolecular nucleophilic attack by N and deprotonation to finish 15a. The other possible pathway was radical route, in which PhSe• dimerized to reform 14a or added to C≡C bond in 13a to afford B. The subsequent anodic oxidation of B gave C, which underwent nucleophilic cyclization

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

• ). In this field, Badovskaya and co-workers chose the anodic oxidation of HFO with H2O2 using electrodes made of graphite and LiClO4 as supporting electrolyte at 50 °C and 0.03 A current, providing maleic acid in 63% yield (Scheme 43b) [129]. There are other important conversions of HFO serving as a C4

Recent advances in oxidative radical difunctionalization of N-arylacrylamides enabled by carbon radical reagents

• Jiangfei Chen,
• Yi-Lin Qu,
• Ming Yuan,
• Xiang-Mei Wu,
• Heng-Pei Jiang,
• Ying Fu and
• Shengrong Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1207–1271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.98

• ), failed to react effectively. Additionally, the detailed reaction mechanism, explored through control experiments and cyclic voltammetry analysis, revealed a complex series of chemical transformations. The proposed mechanism involves the anodic oxidation of bromide ions to generate molecular Br2, which

Recent advances in the electrochemical synthesis of organophosphorus compounds

• Babak Kaboudin,
• Milad Behroozi,
• Sepideh Sadighi and
• Fatemeh Asgharzadeh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 770–797, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.61

• the electricity passed improved the reaction yield. The use of commercial acetonitrile without additional drying reduced the yield of the target product due to the formation of byproducts (RO)3PO and (RO)2P(O)H. It suggested that the reaction proceeded via anodic oxidation of trialkyl phosphite

• atmosphere, indicating that anodic oxidation is the main pathway of the reaction, and oxygen may have a positive effect. (Table 3). Functional groups at the 4-position moderately reduced the reaction yield. The nitro group was incompatible in this system, likely due to its preferential reduction ability

• . Some other heteroarenes were also tested, but only quinoxaline was compatible with this system under the standard conditions. A radical pathway was proposed in this reaction. At first, a thiazole radical cation was formed via anodic oxidation, followed by a reaction with phosphine oxides to give a

Entry to 2-aminoprolines via electrochemical decarboxylative amidation of N‑acetylamino malonic acid monoesters

• Olesja Koleda,
• Janis Sadauskis,
• Darja Antonenko,
• Edvards Janis Treijs,
• Raivis Davis Steberis and
• Edgars Suna

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 630–638, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.50

• under constant current conditions in aqueous acetonitrile and provides access to N-sulfonyl, N-benzoyl, and N-Boc-protected 2-aminoproline derivatives. Keywords: anodic oxidation; decarboxylation; electrosynthesis; Hofer–Moest reaction; non-proteinogenic amino acids; Introduction Non-proteinogenic

• amount of water was reduced from 33% to 17% (Table 1, entry 8 vs entry 7), an observation that might be useful for substrates of low aqueous solubility. However, further reduction of water amount to 5 equivalents completely inhibited the anodic oxidation of 9a, and only traces of the desired 6a were

• initial deprotonation of carboxylic acid 9a by cathodically generated hydroxide is followed by anodic oxidation/decarboxylation of the formed carboxylate 9a-I to generate stabilized cation 9a-II. The latter undergoes intramolecular cyclization with the tethered N-nucleophile into cyclic aminal 6a. In a

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

• diarylbromonium species by direct anodic oxidation of 2,2'-dibromo-1,1'-biphenyl. The electrochemical method provides access to a range of symmetrically and non-symmetrically substituted cyclic biaryl λ3-bromanes in moderate yields. Keywords: anodic oxidation; cyclic biaryl λ3-bromane; cyclic voltammetry

• oxidation of 2,2'-dibromo-[1,1'-biphenyl] into mono-λ3-bromane 5 would set the stage for the key cyclization event (Scheme 1, reaction 2). We also reasoned that an anodic oxidation of the aryl bromide is perfectly suited for the generation of mono-λ3-bromane 5 under mild conditions [16][17][18]. This

• an electrochemical synthesis of cyclic diaryl λ3-bromanes under anodic oxidation conditions. Results and Discussion Symmetric 2,2'-dibromo-1,1'-biphenyl 4a possessing ethoxycarbonyl groups ortho to the bromine was chosen as a model compound for our study. We anticipated that the presence of the ester

Recent advances in electrochemical copper catalysis for modern organic synthesis

• Yemin Kim and
• Won Jun Jang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 155–178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.9

• substrate 1 in the presence of a base to form Cu(II) complex 5, which undergoes anodic oxidation to generate Cu(III) intermediate 6. Carboxylate-assisted C–H activation of the benzamide subsequently leads to the formation of Cu(III) species 7. Metalation of the terminal alkyne 2, followed by reductive

• . First, TEMPO is converted to TEMPO+ through anodic oxidation, and iminium intermediate 15 is created through hydride transfer from THIQ (13) to TEMPO+. TEMPO–H, generated during the hydrogen transfer step, then returns to TEMPO+ through anodic oxidation. Chiral acetylide species 17 is produced from the

• captured by a chiral Cu(II) complex 25 to generate the Cu(III) complex 32. Subsequent reductive elimination provides the chiral product 29 and the Cu(I) complex 24. The catalytic cycle is completed when the Cu(I) complex 24 is reoxidized to the Cu(II) complex 25 through anodic oxidation. In 2023, Guo and

Advances in radical peroxidation with hydroperoxides

• Oleg V. Bityukov,
• Pavel Yu. Serdyuchenko,
• Andrey S. Kirillov,
• Gennady I. Nikishin,
• Vera A. Vil’ and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2959–3006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.249

• peroxy derivatives 36 in good yields. Three possible ways were proposed: a) anodic oxidation of TBHP and formation of tert-butylperoxy radical; b) hydrogen reduction of TBHP forming H2O and the tert-butylperoxy radical; c) anodic oxidation of NO3 anion to NO3 radical which act as a mediator to form the

A review of recent advances in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical late-stage functionalization classified by anodic oxidation, cathodic reduction, and paired electrolysis

• Nian Li,
• Ruzal Sitdikov,
• Ajit Prabhakar Kale,
• Joost Steverlynck,
• Bo Li and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2500–2566, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.214

• pharmaceutical drugs and natural products. We classify these advancements into three types: anodic oxidation, cathodic reduction, and paired electrolysis (Figure 1). This review considers direct electrolysis (oxidation or reduction), mediator-induced electrolysis, and metal-catalyzed and photocatalyzed

• . Review 1 LSF via anodic oxidation To date, the majority of electrosynthetic methods in organic chemistry consists of anodic oxidations. These techniques are generally more robust and can often be performed outside of a glovebox, making them particularly attractive for larger scale applications in

• industrial settings. An anodic oxidation is frequently employed for C–H functionalization, which can simplify late-stage functionalization strategies. Additionally, many of these synthetic methods do not require precious metals, enhancing their appeal in terms of sustainability and cost-effectiveness

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

• hydrazones initiated with the SET anodic oxidation of the hydrazone and deprotonation to form the N-centered radical 10. After aza-cyclization on the aromatic ring, a second SET oxidation and deprotonation delivered the heterocycle 9. This mechanism was supported by cyclic voltammetry analysis of a model

• point of view, the authors proposed the formation of N-pyridyl radical 18 through the anodic oxidation of in situ-generated anion 17. Subsequent radical cyclization, second anodic cyclization and deprotonation yielded the fused heterocycle 16. Similarly, Youssef and Alajimi disclosed the electrochemical

• produced hydrazones 29. After deprotonation, the authors proposed that the carboxylate anion underwent SET anodic oxidation/decarboxylation/radical cyclization sequence to form radical intermediates 34. Subsequent second anodic oxidation and deprotonation yielded the desired heteroaromatic 5-membered rings

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

• -stage functionalization; easily available ortho-pyridyl-substituted diarylamines are used as the precursors. Keywords: anodic oxidation; diarylamines; electrochemical cyclization; pyridoindazolium salts; reversible ring closure; Introduction Aromatic polyfused N-heterocycles are of interest as a

• TsONa as a supporting electrolyte. As follows from Figure 3, the tertiary amine is inappropriate due to its too anodic oxidation potential whereas the two nitroxide radicals might be suitable. Indeed, an increase in the oxidation current of a mediator was observed in both cases after A3 has been added

Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic quinones by continuous flow electrochemical oxidation: anodic methoxylation of polycyclic aromatic phenols (PAPs)

• Hiwot M. Tiruye,
• Solon Economopoulos and
• Kåre B. Jørgensen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1746–1757, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.153

• synthesis of polycyclic aromatic quinones by anodic oxidation as a green alternative to our previous synthesis with SIBX [18]. Results and Discussion The electrochemical reactions were performed in the Flux module of the Syrris automated modular flow system [40] which provides a controlled geometry with a

• ]. Studies by Swenton’s [41][53] and Barba’s [54] groups have established that a phenoxonium ion is formed, which is supported by further studies [37][39]. Based on this prior knowledge and our results, a mechanism for the anodic oxidation is proposed in Scheme 3. After two single-electron transfers [38], a

• : anodic oxidation with recirculating reaction solution The reaction solution of 0.01 M PAPs and 0.05 M Et4NOTs was prepared by dissolving the chemicals in 3:1 MeOH/THF (10 mL). The reaction solution was circulated from a continuously stirred flask fitted with a slit septum, to the syringe pump, through

Benzylic C(sp³)–H fluorination

• Alexander P. Atkins,
• Alice C. Dean and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1527–1547, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.137

• hypervalent fluoroiodane reagents [92][93]. In 2000, Fuchigami and co-workers demonstrated the effectiveness of these reagents in the oxidative electrochemical fluorination of benzylic positions adjacent to thiocyanate groups (Figure 36) [94]. The authors proposed anodic oxidation to generate a radical cation

• that can undergo facile α-proton elimination facilitated by the strongly electron-withdrawing thiocyanate group. Subsequent anodic oxidation affords a cationic species that can be trapped by fluoride to afford the product. This reaction was demonstrated on four substrates in yields of 47–71%. The

Electrophotochemical metal-catalyzed synthesis of alkylnitriles from simple aliphatic carboxylic acids

• Yukang Wang,
• Yan Yao and
• Niankai Fu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1497–1503, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.133

• by anodic oxidation and visible light irradiation of the Ce species in a sequential fashion [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. Therefore, the anodic electrode potential for this process could be substantially reduced. In doing so, a low working potential at the anode offers the opportunity for

• , experiments using stoichiometric Cu(II) and Ce(IV) indicated that the radical decarboxylative cyanation reaction can only occur under light irradiation. In contrast, reaction with Ce(III) exhibited nearly no reactivity, demonstrating the crucial roles of anodic oxidation and light irradiation to the

• then extrude CO2 to generate the alkyl radical. Concurrently, Cu(II)–CN species are produced in the presence of cyanide anion through anodic oxidation. At this stage, Cu(II)–CN species are believed to capture alkyl radicals and the product would be readily generated via reductive elimination from the

Synthesis of cyclic β-1,6-oligosaccharides from glucosamine monomers by electrochemical polyglycosylation

• Md Azadur Rahman,
• Hirofumi Endo,
• Takashi Yamamoto,
• Shoma Okushiba,
• Norihiko Sasaki and
• Toshiki Nokami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1421–1427, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.124

• product of monomer 6. The proposed mechanism is shown in Scheme 2. Anodic oxidation of thioglycoside 6 generated radical cation 11, which was converted to glycosyl triflate 12. 1,6-Anhydrosugar 7 was produced via 4C1-to-1C4 conformational change of the pyran ring to generate cation intermediate 13

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

• radical intermediate 164. In the other redox half-reaction, Hantzsch ester (HE) undergoes anodic oxidation to form radical cation 65, which then transfers a proton, likely to the phthalimidyl anion (–Nphth), resulting in the formation of radical species 165. Finally, reaction between intermediates 164 and

Additive-controlled chemoselective inter-/intramolecular hydroamination via electrochemical PCET process

• Kazuhiro Okamoto,
• Naoki Shida and
• Mahito Atobe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 264–271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.27

• radical acceptor moieties. Therefore, we investigated the origin of this selectivity under electrochemical conditions. Results and Discussion Anodic oxidation of uridine derivative 1 was performed in a CH2Cl2/Bu4NPF6 (0.1 M) electrolyte system using a carbon felt (CF) anode and a Pt cathode in the

• mechanism for the inter- and intramolecular hydroamination of 1 (Figure 4). In the N-alkylation reaction, anodic oxidation of a small hydrogen-bonded complex produces amidyl radical A. The hydrophobic MVK molecule was excluded from the highly polar environment of this complex, but the resulting amidyl

• electrochemical conditions. Experimental General procedure of anodic oxidation Compound 1 (145 mg, 0.2 mmol), Bu4NPF6 (387 mg, 1 mmol), CH2Cl2 (10 mL), phosphate base (90 mg, 0.2 mmol) and methyl vinyl ketone (32.7 μL, 0.4 mmol) were added to a test tube, which was then subjected to a constant electrical current

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

• -heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), extensively studied as organocatalysts as well as ligands for transition-metal-promoted synthetic methodologies [97][98][99]. Under anodic oxidation, the electrogeneration of boron trifluoride (BF3) from tetrafluoroborate ILs occurs [100][101]. Moreover, we have recently

• the 19F NMR analysis of BMIm-BF4 after anodic oxidation in a divided cell, which shows a peak at −147.3 ppm (besides the peak at −150.6 due to BF4−) (see Supporting Information File 1, Figure S1e), which is replaced by a peak at −144.0 ppm (referred to −150.6 ppm for BF4−) when the electrolysis is

• was set at −150.6 ppm in 19F NMR spectrum [112]. We thus carried out the anodic oxidation of pure BMIm-BF4 (divided cell, galvanostatic conditions) and stopped the electrolysis after 60 C (corresponding to 0.6 mmol of electrons). At the end of the electrolysis, 0.6 mmol of DIPEA were added to the

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

• doublet states which are photoexcited to yield super-oxidants or super-reductants while recycling e-PRC involves the turnover of a ‘standard’ (typically closed-shell) photoredox catalyst (PC) by means of anodic oxidation or cathodic reduction [28][29]. Furthermore, a series of new protocols using

Combretastatins D series and analogues: from isolation, synthetic challenges and biological activities

• Jorge de Lima Neto and
• Paulo Henrique Menezes

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 399–427, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.31

• , employing a 10-step synthetic route with an overall yield of 9%. Nishiyama employed electrochemical techniques as a starting point to achieve the total synthesis of combretastatin D-4 (4) [54]. Different anodic oxidation conditions and phenolic substrates were tested aiming at the formation of a diaryl

• ether moiety. The best result was obtained when phenol 101 was subjected to anodic oxidation, leading to the formation of spiro-dimer 102 in 61% yield. Protection of the alcohol using TBSOTf followed by cyclic ether cleavage and re-aromatization gave compound 104. Subsequent dehalogenation followed by

Two-step continuous-flow synthesis of 6-membered cyclic iodonium salts via anodic oxidation

• Julian Spils,
• Thomas Wirth and
• Boris J. Nachtsheim

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 27–32, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.2

• otherwise tedious to synthesize CDIS robustly in short reaction times. A significant drawback still is the use of stoichiometric amounts of chemical oxidants, which decreases the atom economy and necessitates additional workup procedures. A possible solution is the anodic oxidation of iodoarenes as

• anodic oxidation [37][38][39][40]. Due to the apparent advantages of electrochemical processes, their implementation in flow is simple and straightforward since further dilution or additives are unnecessary [41][42]. One early example of this combination in the field of HVI chemistry is the anodic

• oxidation of iodoarenes to form DIS by Wirth et al. (Scheme 1B) [39]. Herein, established conditions for synthesizing DIS were transferred into flow chemistry utilizing a model flow reactor with two platinum electrodes. Other recent examples include the generation of five-membered CDIS utilizing fluorinated

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

• [74][76][80][86][87][88]. To facilitate the anodic oxidation of N-hydroxyphthalimide, basic pyridine derivatives are used as the N-hydroxyphthalimide proton acceptors [87]. In many cases electrolysis can be performed in the galvanostatic mode in a simple undivided cell, which is convenient for

• multigram-scale syntheses [86]. The selective allylic [86] and benzylic [80] CH-oxidation to the corresponding carbonyl compounds was achieved. Compared to the direct anodic oxidation of organic substrates, the N-oxyl-mediated indirect electrolysis proceeds at lower potentials, demonstrates wider

• intermediate is depicted in Scheme 28). Quinone derivatives could also be generated in situ by anodic oxidation of phenolic compounds. An example of such process is the electrocatalytic biomimetic synthesis of secondary amines by o-azaquinone catalysis [130] (Scheme 29). Under anodic oxidation conditions imine

A one-pot electrochemical synthesis of 2-aminothiazoles from active methylene ketones and thioureas mediated by NH₄I

• Shang-Feng Yang,
• Pei Li,
• Zi-Lin Fang,
• Sen Liang,
• Hong-Yu Tian,
• Bao-Guo Sun,
• Kun Xu and
• Cheng-Chu Zeng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1249–1255, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.130

• produce α-iodo ketone with the molecular I2 produced by anodic oxidation. Subsequently, the nucleophilic substitution between intermediate 4 and thiourea tautomer gives α-sulfur substituted ketone 5. Intermediate 5 undergoes intramolecular nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group and followed by

Electro-conversion of cumene into acetophenone using boron-doped diamond electrodes

• Mana Kitano,
• Tsuyoshi Saitoh,
• Shigeru Nishiyama,
• Yasuaki Einaga and
• Takashi Yamamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1154–1158, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.119

• , where the BDD’s wide potential window enables the direct anodic oxidation of cumene into the cumyl cation. Since electricity is directly employed as the oxidizing and reducing reagents, the present protocol is easy to use, suitable for scale-up, and inherently safe. Keywords: aromatic alkyl; boron

• oxygen on the cathode. Figure 2 shows a proposed mechanism. Anodic oxidation of cumene on the BDD electrode with a wide potential window preferentially affords the cumyl cation as the reaction intermediate. On the other hand, cathodic reduction of dissolved oxygen produces the superoxide and even the

• straightforward electro-conversion of cumene into acetophenone using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. The BDD’s wide potential window enabled the direct anodic oxidation of cumene to afford a key reaction intermediate, which cannot be realized by other electrodes such as graphite and Ni. Electrosynthesis is

Synthesis of protected precursors of chitin oligosaccharides by electrochemical polyglycosylation of thioglycosides

• Md Azadur Rahman,
• Kana Kuroda,
• Hirofumi Endo,
• Norihiko Sasaki,
• Tomoaki Hamada,
• Hiraku Sakai and
• Toshiki Nokami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1133–1139, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.117

• process, which involved anodic oxidation at −80 °C and glycosylation at −50 °C. The crude product of the reaction was purified by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and the monosaccharides 1a–d and oligosaccharides 2a–d (n = 2)–7a–d (n = 7) were isolated. Only thioglycoside 1a (Ar = 4-FC6H4, Eox = 1.70

• the yield of 7a was very low (1%). These results indicated that the glycosylation temperature was an important parameter for obtaining longer oligosaccharides, and glycosylation might proceed during the anodic oxidation at −80 °C. The temperature of anodic oxidation (T1) was also investigated together

• with the glycosylation temperature (T2) because glycosylation must occur during the anodic oxidation at elevated temperature (Figure 4). Indeed, formation of oligosaccharides longer than tetrasaccharide 4a was increased at elevated temperature. The highest total yield of oligosaccharides 2a–7a was