Salen–scandium(III) complex-catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) annulation of aziridines and aldehydes

• Linqiang Wang and
• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1087–1094, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.86

• require dineopentyl aziridine-2,2-dicarboxylates to realize high enantioselectivity, while the synthesis of the chiral ligand N,N'-dioxide requires multiple steps. Herein, we present a convenient highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of dialkyl 2,5-diaryl-1-sulfonyloxazolidine-2,2

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

• -workers (2019) reported an enantioselective esterification via oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed phthalaldehyde activation to form azolium ester intermediate 147 to give the chiral phthalidyl ester 146 with excellent enantiomeric ratio (Scheme 45B) [85]. Additionally, the reaction capacity

Recent total synthesis of natural products leveraging a strategy of enamide cyclization

• Chun-Yu Mi,
• Jia-Yuan Zhai and
• Xiao-Ming Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 999–1009, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.81

• column chromatography was required during this process, the synthetic route is highly practical. The enantioselective annulation of tertiary enamide 28 with enoldiazoacetate 29 was then explored under the catalysis of a chiral dirhodium catalyst. While Doyle and co-workers had previously reported an

• antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidizing properties. Previous synthetic strategies for these molecules typically rely on multi-step procedures to assemble the tricyclic core. However, the direct catalytic enantioselective formation of this scaffold from a linear precursor remains underexplored

A convergent synthetic approach to the tetracyclic core framework of khayanolide-type limonoids

• Zhiyang Zhang,
• Jialei Hu,
• Hanfeng Ding,
• Li Zhang and
• Peirong Rao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 926–934, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.75

• , Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang, China 10.3762/bjoc.21.75 Abstract A convergent approach for the enantioselective construction of an advanced intermediate containing the [5,5,6,6]-tetracyclic core framework of the khayanolide-type limonoids was described. The strategy features an acylative kinetic resolution of

• the benzylic alcohol, a 1,2-Grignard addition and an AcOH-interrupted Nazarov cyclization. Keywords: enantioselective synthesis; interrupted Nazarov cyclization; khayanolide-type limonoids; tetracyclic framework; Introduction Limonoids, a class of tetranortriterpenoids derived biosynthetically from

• ]). Conclusion In conclusion, we have developed a convergent approach for the enantioselective assembly of an advanced intermediate en route to krishnolides A and C. Key steps of our strategy entail an acylative kinetic resolution of the alcohol, a 1,2-Grignard addition and an AcOH-interrupted Nazarov

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

• , respectively. In 2024, the Song group achieved a ligand-controlled regiodivergent and enantioselective ring expansion of benzosilacyclobutenes with internal naphthylalkynes by strategically modulating the ligand steric profiles (Scheme 5) [23]. Employing cavity-engineered phosphoramidite ligands, the reaction

• hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)/chiral copper dual catalytic system that achieved regiodivergent and enantioselective C(sp3)–C(sp3) and C(sp3)–N oxidative cross-couplings between N-arylglycine ester/amide derivatives and abundant hydrocarbon C(sp3)–H feedstocks (Scheme 6) [24]. This methodology also

• , the Shu group developed a catalyst-controlled regioselective and enantioselective hydroamination reaction of electron-deficient alkenes (Scheme 7) [30]. By efficiently regulating the regioselectivity and enantioselectivity of alkene 23 hydrometallation through catalytic systems, they overcame the

Regioselective formal hydrocyanation of allenes: synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated nitriles with α-all-carbon quaternary centers

• Seeun Lim,
• Teresa Kim and
• Yunmi Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 800–806, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.63

• to four possible regioisomeric products. Recent research has addressed some of these challenges. Arai [25][26], Fang [27] and Breit [28] investigated the nickel-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective hydrocyanation of 1,1-disubstituted allenes using acetone cyanohydrin or TMSCN/MeOH as the precursor

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

New advances in asymmetric organocatalysis II

• Radovan Šebesta

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

• describes the enantioselective Michael addition of pyrazoline-5-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones. The enantioselectivity and chemical efficiency of this transformation were achieved with a cinchona-alkaloid-derived primary-amine–Brønsted acid composite [22]. A good demonstration of how organocatalysis

• progressed from the original amine catalysts is the work of Shirakawa and co-workers. In this contribution, the authors employed a binaphthalene-derived sulfide organocatalyst for enantioselective bromolactonizations of α- and β-substituted 5-hexenoic acids to produce the corresponding chiral lactones [23

• ]. Kowalczyk and co-workers showed how asymmetric organocatalysis can benefit from mechanochemical activation. They established that Michael additions of thiomalonates to enones, catalyzed by cinchona-derived primary amines, is efficient and enantioselective under ball-milling conditions [24]. Kondratyev and

Development and mechanistic studies of calcium–BINOL phosphate-catalyzed hydrocyanation of hydrazones

• Carola Tortora,
• Christian A. Fischer,
• Sascha Kohlbauer,
• Alexandru Zamfir,
• Gerd M. Ballmann,
• Jürgen Pahl,
• Sjoerd Harder and
• Svetlana B. Tsogoeva

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 755–765, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.59

• hydrocyanation of hydrazones, catalyzed by a calcium–BINOL phosphate complex, has been studied for the first time both experimentally and computationally with DFT methods. A full catalytic cycle for the enantioselective synthesis of α-hydrazinonitriles is proposed based on insights gained from DFT calculations

• through calcium catalysis [8][9][10]. Asymmetric synthesis has also been achieved via, e.g., 1,4-addition and [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 3-tetrasubstituted oxindoles with a calcium Pybox catalyst [11][12], or through enantioselective Friedel–Crafts and carbonyl–ene reactions [13]. Since the pioneering

• [40][41][42][43][44]. However, this catalytic system has not yet been employed explicitly in the hydrocyanation of hydrazones. In 2010, our group reported the first organocatalytic enantioselective hydrocyanation of hydrazones catalyzed by BINOL phosphate [45], giving valuable and potentially

Copper-catalyzed domino cyclization of anilines and cyclobutanone oxime: a scalable and versatile route to spirotetrahydroquinoline derivatives

• Qingqing Jiang,
• Xinyi Lei,
• Pan Gao and
• Yu Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 749–754, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.58

• azetidinones, enabling the efficient and enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydroquinoline-fused azetidines with three contiguous stereocenters in a single step [23]. Later, Tanaka, Nagashima, and their co-workers established a chemo-, regio-, and diastereoselective dearomative transformation of quinolines

Recent advances in allylation of chiral secondary alkylcopper species

• Minjae Kim,
• Gwanggyun Kim,
• Doyoon Kim,
• Jun Hee Lee and
• Seung Hwan Cho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 639–658, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.51

• secondary organocopper; copper-mediated reaction; stereoselectivity; Introduction The transition-metal-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective allylic substitution represents a pivotal methodology in organic synthesis, providing remarkable versatility for complex molecule construction [1][2][3][4]. The

• crucial advancement in this field. In particular, a key objective is developing regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective allylic substitution reactions that can effectively construct enantioenriched stereogenic centers from either allylic electrophiles or organometallic nucleophiles [39][40]. This

• products. The high stereochemical selectivity of both SN2 and SN2' pathways enabled the efficient construction of complex molecular frameworks. Notably, this approach facilitated the enantioselective synthesis of three ant pheromones: (+)-lasiol, (+)-13-norfaranal, and (+)-faranal. The synthesis of

Asymmetric synthesis of β-amino cyanoesters with contiguous tetrasubstituted carbon centers by halogen-bonding catalysis with chiral halonium salt

• Yasushi Yoshida,
• Maho Aono,
• Takashi Mino and
• Masami Sakamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 547–555, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.43

• of its unique interaction in organic synthesis. Chiral halonium salts have been found to have strong halogen-bonding-donor abilities and work as powerful asymmetric catalysts. Recently, we have developed binaphthyl-based chiral halonium salts and applied them in several enantioselective reactions

Vinylogous functionalization of 4-alkylidene-5-aminopyrazoles with methyl trifluoropyruvates

• Judit Hostalet-Romero,
• Laura Carceller-Ferrer,
• Gonzalo Blay,
• Amparo Sanz-Marco,
• José R. Pedro and
• Carlos Vila

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 533–540, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.41

• diastereoselectivity at 50 °C (Table 1, entry 16). Finally, the addition of molecular sieves was evaluated (Table 1, entries 17 and 18) affording in both cases lower yields for the reaction product. We also attempted asymmetric reactions using chiral organocatalysts to achieve an enantioselective outcome; however, we

Organocatalytic kinetic resolution of 1,5-dicarbonyl compounds through a retro-Michael reaction

• James Guevara-Pulido,
• Fernando González-Pérez,
• José M. Andrés and
• Rafael Pedrosa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 473–482, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.34

• yields [27]. These reactions have been utilized in the enantioselective synthesis of aryl sulfoxides through the arylation of sulfonate anions in the presence of palladium catalysts [28][29]. They have also been used in the synthesis of the neuraminidase inhibitor (−)-oseltamivir [30] and the

• organocatalytic synthesis of 2-cyclohexen-1-ones via a Michael/Michael/retro-Michael cascade reaction [31]. Our research has shown that the Jørgensen–Hayashi catalyst [32][33] is a highly promising organocatalyst, facilitating enantioselective Michael addition reactions with high yields and excellent levels of

• enantiocontrol [34][35][36][37][38][39]. In our studies on the organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of 1,5-ketoaldehydes [40], we found that the prolinol derivative A is an outstanding catalyst for the enantioselective preparation of these adducts (Scheme 2). We are currently investigating whether this

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

• ]. In addition, cyclic diaryl λ3-bromanes have been successfully employed as halogen-bonding organocatalysts in Michael addition [8] and their chiral variants were efficient in catalyzing enantioselective Mannich reactions of ketimines with cyanomethyl coumarins [9] and malonic esters [10]. These

Dioxazolones as electrophilic amide sources in copper-catalyzed and -mediated transformations

• Seungmin Lee,
• Minsuk Kim,
• Hyewon Han and
• Jongwoo Son

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 200–216, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.12

• , the Chang group elegantly unveiled a protocol for an enantioselective C–N bond formation, introducing δ-lactams from dioxazolones using a copper(I) catalyst and a chiral BOX ligand [74]. As shown in Scheme 2, dioxazolones containing aryl and heteroaryl groups were converted into the corresponding

• nitrenoid intermediate was characterized by the same group [75]. Further radical rebound from INT-4 induces the enantioselective C–N bond formation. Finally, the desired product 2 is released from INT-4, regenerating the active chiral copper species to participate in the catalytic cycle. 1.2 C(sp2)–H

• area of medicinal chemistry [93][94][95][96][97]. In 2018, Buchwald and co-workers unveiled the enantioselective synthesis of benzylic amines through the asymmetric Markovnikov hydroamidation of alkenes utilizing diphenylsilane in copper catalysis under mild reaction conditions [98]. Dioxazolones, as

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

• ][22][23][24]. Moreover, copper-catalyzed asymmetric radical cross-coupling has advanced significantly over the past decade [25][26][27], with notable examples including Liu and Stahl’s enantioselective cyanation of benzylic C–H bonds using a Cu/chiral bisoxazoline catalyst [28], along with the Peters

• enantioselective C–H alkynylation of ferrocene carboxamides with terminal alkynes by using Cu/BINOL and an electrocatalytic system (Figure 5) [49]. 8-Aminoquinoline-assisted C–H functionalization provided planar chiral ferrocenes with high yield and enantioselectivity. This reaction can be applied to a wide range

• quinine as a chiral ligand under standard conditions, the chiral product was obtained with a high yield and 79% ee. Enantioselective C(sp3)–H functionalization is an attractive strategy for synthesizing chiral molecules. Significant progress has been achieved in transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric C–H

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

• ] cycloaddition reaction with the nitroalkene produces the pyrrolidine XXVII, which then aromatizes by extrusion of HNO2 (Scheme 21) [38]. Substituted pyrrolidines 30 were achieved in an enantioselective form starting from amino acid esters, electron-poor olefins and 4-substituted-2-picolinaldehydes or 4

• -dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives 26. Synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles 27. Enantioselective synthesis of polysubstituted pyrrolidines 30 directed by the copper complex 29. Synthesis of 4,5-dihydropyrazoles 31. Synthesis of 2 arylisoindolinones 32. Synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines 33. Synthesis of

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

• are of interest and have been recently investigated by Jørgensen and co-workers. The authors employed an enantioselective aminocatalytic cycloaddition between 5H-benzo[a]pyrrolizine-3-carbaldehydes 22 and naphthyl-substituted nitroalkenes, α,β-unsaturated ketoesters, or α,β-unsaturated aldehydes 23

• reaction pathway was proposed [56]. The first step is a CPA C27-catalyzed condensation giving rise to the imine intermediate followed by isomerization to the enamine stabilized by CPA. An enantioselective intramolecular cyclization followed by dehydration then afford the aromatic ring and desired product

• and stereoselectivities (85%, 90% ee, >95:5 E/Z). A biological activity investigation led to promising results in the case of one substrate displaying cytotoxicity towards several cancer cell lines. Organocatalytic enantioselective construction of axially chiral styrenes 175 and 177 was done utilizing

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

• -heterocycles using various catalytic systems such as chiral metal catalysts, chiral Lewis acids or chiral organocatalysts. This review presents an overview of the recent advances in enantioselective cyclization reactions of 1-azadienes catalyzed by non-covalent organocatalysts. Keywords: α,β-unsaturated

• dienophile, and therefore it proceeds through the reaction of electron-poor dienes and electron-rich dienophiles (Figure 2b). α,β-Unsaturated imines can undergo inverse electron demand aza-Diels–Alder reactions (IEDADA) to produce N-heterocyclic compounds. The search for an enantioselective pathway to carry

• out IEDADA reactions has been a glowing field in recent years [11][12]. In particular, organocatalysis can provide different activation modes to promote enantioselective IEDADA reactions [13][14], based on three strategies (Figure 3): i) LUMO-lowering activation (Brønsted acid catalysis), ii) HOMO

Hypervalent iodine-mediated intramolecular alkene halocyclisation

• Charu Bansal,
• Oliver Ruggles,
• Albert C. Rowett and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3113–3133, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.258

• formed. The use of a chiral aryl iodide was tested, which gave products with low enantiomeric excess. However, these preliminary trials represent the first example of a catalytic, enantioselective HVI-mediated fluorocyclisation. The authors proposed a mechanism (Scheme 4) for this reaction that involved

• fluoroacetate as an internal standard). Electrochemical synthesis of fluorinated oxazolines. Electrochemical synthesis of chromanes. Synthesis of fluorinated oxazepanes. Enantioselective oxy-fluorination with a chiral aryliodide catayst. Catalytic synthesis of 5‑fluoro-2-aryloxazolines using BF3·Et2O as a

Enantioselective regiospecific addition of propargyltrichlorosilane to aldehydes catalyzed by biisoquinoline N,N’-dioxide

• Noble Brako,
• Sreerag Moorkkannur Narayanan,
• Amber Burns,
• Layla Auter,
• Valentino Cesiliano,
• Rajeev Prabhakar and
• Norito Takenaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3069–3076, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.255

• , the enantioselectivity consistently decreased as the chiral pocket became narrower while the reactivity remained the same. As such, we reduced the size of the substituents that craft the chiral pocket (7) and found that unsubstituted catalyst 8 was the most enantioselective. This observed catalyst

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

• formation of peroxide 9. The enantioselective peroxidation of alkenes 10 with TBHP with the formation of the optically active products 11 was carried out in good yields and low ee by the use of in situ-generated chiral bisoxazoline–copper(I) complexes (Scheme 7) [43]. Studying the oxidation of α-pinene (12

• . The oxidation of benzyl alcohol 62 with TBHP results in aldehyde C, HAT from which by tert-butoxy radical A leads to the C-centered radical D. Subsequent recombination of radicals D and B provides the target product 63. An enantioselective peroxidation method of alkylaromatics with TBHP using chiral

gem-Difluorovinyl and trifluorovinyl Michael acceptors in the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated fluorinated and nonfluorinated amides

• Monika Bilska-Markowska,
• Marcin Kaźmierczak,
• Wojciech Jankowski and
• Marcin Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2946–2953, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.247

• advancements have broadened the scope of Michael donors and acceptors to encompass fluorine-containing compounds, enhancing the reaction's utility in synthesizing fluorinated derivatives [7][8]. Shibata and colleagues pioneered the use of fluorinated Michael donors, notably achieving enantioselective addition

Access to optically active tetrafluoroethylenated amines based on [1,3]-proton shift reaction

• Yuta Kabumoto,
• Eiichiro Yoshimoto,
• Bing Xiaohuan,
• Masato Morita,
• Motohiro Yasui,
• Shigeyuki Yamada and
• Tsutomu Konno

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2776–2783, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.233

• reports on the preparation of chiral molecules possessing a tetrafluoroethylene unit on an asymmetric carbon center in a high optical purity, and to the best of our knowledge, only the following have been published so far (Scheme 1). As a highly enantioselective synthesis, there has been a pioneering work

• high enantiomeric excess (90% ee for (S)-23d and (S)-23e). Furthermore, it was found that the substituent position on the aromatic ring did not significantly influence the reaction efficiency as well as optical purity and the reaction proceeded in a highly enantioselective manner (91% ee for (S)-23f