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

• function as an engine, consistently pushing the boundaries of the discipline. From the early synthesis of simple molecules to the current precise assembly of complex natural products and functional materials, the iteration of methods and optimization of strategies have always been key to breaking through

Palladium-catalyzed regioselective C1-selective nitration of carbazoles

• Vikash Kumar,
• Jyothis Dharaniyedath,
• Aiswarya T P,
• Sk Ariyan,
• Chitrothu Venkatesh and
• Parthasarathy Gandeepan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2479–2488, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.190

• ; palladium; Introduction Carbazole represents an important heterocyclic scaffold that is broadly present in many natural products, biologically active motifs, as well as optoelectronic and functional materials [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. By virtue of its substantial application in various fields, significant

• attention has been devoted to the chemical synthesis of carbazole and its derivatives [9][10][11][12][13][14]. To access substituted carbazole cores for pharmacophores and functional materials, two main synthetic routes are: i) sequential multistep syntheses of selectively substituted carbazoles and ii

• and functional materials (Scheme 1a) [62][63][64][65][66]. Traditional electrophilic aromatic substitution methods for the nitration of carbazole typically result in a mixture of 1-nitro-, 2-nitro-, and 3-nitro-substituted isomers (Scheme 1b) [67]. Therefore, developing a method for the regioselective

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of selenium-containing atropisomers via C–Se bond formations

• Qi-Sen Gao,
• Zheng-Wei Wei and
• Zhi-Min Chen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2447–2455, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.186

• in this review. Axially chiral selenium-containing compounds also play an irreplaceable role in asymmetric catalysis, functional materials, pharmaceutical chemistry and other fields. However, little attention has been paid to these compounds, which led to slow development and a relative lack of

Rotaxanes with integrated photoswitches: design principles, functional behavior, and emerging applications

• Jullyane Emi Matsushima,
• Khushbu,
• Zuliah Abdulsalam,
• Udyogi Navodya Kulathilaka Conthagamage and
• Víctor García-López

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2345–2366, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.179

• demonstrates that mechanical motion within a rotaxane can propagate molecular-level stereochemical information to the macroscopic organization of soft matter, providing a new strategy for dynamic chirality control in functional materials. Spiropyran When spiropyrans are irradiated with UV light, the breaking

Pd-catalyzed dehydrogenative arylation of arylhydrazines to access non-symmetric azobenzenes, including tetra-ortho derivatives

• Loris Geminiani,
• Kathrin Junge,
• Matthias Beller and
• Jean-François Soulé

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2234–2242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.170

• photoswitching event involves a molecular size reduction between the E- and Z isomers, thereby driving structural changes that enable applications in molecular machines, biological allosteric modulators, and advanced functional materials (Figure 1a) [9][10][11]. Despite the widespread interest in azobenzenes

• valuable addition to existing methodologies and open further opportunities for applications in molecular probe design, functional materials, and photoresponsive systems, where ortho-substitution is often critical. General overview of azobenzene chemistry. a) Selected examples and photoisomerization of

Synthesis of triazolo- and tetrazolo-fused 1,4-benzodiazepines via one-pot Ugi–azide and Cu-free click reactions

• Xiaoming Ma,
• Zijie Gao,
• Jiawei Niu,
• Wentao Shao,
• Shenghu Yan,
• Sai Zhang and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2202–2210, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.167

• piperazinone ring. Keywords: benzodiazepine; click reaction; multicomponent reaction; one-pot; piperazinone; polycyclic; triazole; tetrazole; Ugi–azide reaction; Introduction Triazole, tetrazole, and benzodiazepine are privileged heterocyclic rings commonly found in drug molecules and functional materials [1

• ][2][3][4][5]. For example, triazole-fused 1,4-benzodiazepins are protease inhibitors [6] and part of drug molecules such as alprazolam [7], estazolam [8], and triazolam [9] (Figure 1). Tetrazole-containing functional materials have been developed as photographic sensitizers, diagnostic contrast

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

• , this protocol was an efficient and sustainable approach to synthesize 2,3′-biindolyl atropisomers and could be potentially applied in manufacture of functional materials, bioactive molecules and chiral ligands. Construction of isoindolinones and indolizines An electrochemical and copper-catalyzed

Multicomponent reactions IV

• Thomas J. J. Müller and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2082–2084, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.163

• Thomas J. J. Muller Valentyn A. Chebanov Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Organische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry, State Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals” of

Solar thermal fuels: azobenzene as a cyclic photon–heat transduction platform

• Jie Yan,
• Shaodong Sun,
• Minghao Wang and
• Si Wu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2036–2047, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.159

• ]. Since Olmsted’s pioneering exploration of azobenzene compounds as solar thermal fuels in 1983 [42], significant breakthroughs have been achieved through interdisciplinary integration of organic synthesis, functional materials engineering, photophysical mechanism analysis, and computational chemistry. So

• need for NIR-responsive systems. Second, although azobenzene-based fuels have evolved from conceptual designs to functional materials, many still require solvent assistance during energy charging. The use of organic solvents exacerbates environmental concerns, increases costs, complicates operation

Switchable pathways of multicomponent heterocyclizations of 5-amino-1,2,4-triazoles with salicylaldehydes and pyruvic acid

• Yana I. Sakhno,
• Oleksander V. Buravov,
• Kostyantyn Yu. Yurkov,
• Anastasia Yu. Andryushchenko,
• Svitlana V. Shishkina and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2030–2035, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.158

• Yana I. Sakhno Oleksander V. Buravov Kostyantyn Yu. Yurkov Anastasia Yu. Andryushchenko Svitlana V. Shishkina Valentyn A. Chebanov Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry, State Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals” of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Nauky Ave., 60

α-Ketoglutaric acid in Ugi reactions and Ugi/aza-Wittig tandem reactions

• Vladyslav O. Honcharov,
• Yana I. Sakhno,
• Olena H. Shvets,
• Vyacheslav E. Saraev,
• Svitlana V. Shishkina,
• Tetyana V. Shcherbakova and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2021–2029, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.157

• Vladyslav O. Honcharov Yana I. Sakhno Olena H. Shvets Vyacheslav E. Saraev Svitlana V. Shishkina Tetyana V. Shcherbakova Valentyn A. Chebanov Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry, State Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals” of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Nauky

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of helically chiral, planarly chiral and inherently chiral molecules

• Wei Liu and
• Xiaoyu Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1864–1889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.145

• versatility of this method in the asymmetric synthesis of diverse chiral molecular structures. Substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes represent another class of conformationally rigid, planarly chiral molecules, which have emerged as versatile scaffolds for developing chiral catalysts, ligands and functional

• materials. In 2023, our group reported the first catalytic kinetic resolution of racemic amido[2.2]paracyclophanes through a CPA-catalyzed asymmetric aromatic amination reaction [43]. Treating the racemic N-Boc-substituted [2.2]paracyclophane 48a with dibenzyl azodicarboxylate (0.7 equiv) in the presence of

Fe-catalyzed efficient synthesis of 2,4- and 4-substituted quinolines via C(sp²)–C(sp²) bond scission of styrenes

• Prafull A. Jagtap,
• Manish M. Petkar,
• Vaishnavi R. Sawant and
• Bhalchandra M. Bhanage

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1799–1807, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.142

• , antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities [10][11][12][13]. In the field of optoelectronics, especially with 2,4-diarylquinoline derivatives, extensive studies have highlighted their applicability in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) systems as functional materials [14][15] and cutting-edge fluorescent

Research progress on calixarene/pillararene-based controlled drug release systems

• Liu-Huan Yi,
• Jian Qin,
• Si-Ran Lu,
• Liu-Pan Yang,
• Li-Li Wang and
• Huan Yao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1757–1785, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.139

• molecules and high-selectivity binding in drug-controlled release. Many calix/pillar[n]arene hosts are soluble in water, particularly macrocycles that are modified with carboxyl and phosphate groups. Moreover, their amphiphilic modification ability allows easy self-assembly into functional materials like

• , especially those formed in aqueous solutions, are potential candidates for mimicking biocompatibility or creating important functional materials. In 2021, Maiti et al. employed small-molecule mannose-modified CA4 to create the core structure CA4-Man3 and produce nano-micelles known as CA4-Man3-NPs (Figure 5

Preparation of a furfural-derived enantioenriched vinyloxazoline building block and exploring its reactivity

• Madara Darzina,
• Anna Lielpetere and
• Aigars Jirgensons

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1737–1741, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.136

• applications to functional materials, pharmaceutically relevant compounds, and agrochemicals [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. In our recent work, we have developed a Torii-type electrosynthesis of unsaturated esters 3a–c starting from furfural (1) and amino alcohol conjugates 2a–c [18]. The process

3,3'-Linked BINOL macrocycles: optimized synthesis of crown ethers featuring one or two BINOL units

• Somayyeh Kheirjou,
• Jan Riebe,
• Maike Thiele,
• Christoph Wölper and
• Jochen Niemeyer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1719–1729, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.134

• highly efficient catalysts, chemosensors, and functional materials. We have recently made strides in developing macrocyclic organocatalysts; however, their synthesis remains challenging. In this work, we aimed to discover a straightforward method for producing a diverse range of chiral macrocycles

pH-Controlled isomerization kinetics of ortho-disubstituted benzamidines: E/Z isomerism and axial chirality

• Ryota Kimura,
• Satoshi Ichikawa and
• Akira Katsuyama

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1568–1576, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.120

• various fields, such as functional materials, biological probes, and drugs. a) Structural features of DiBA. b) Resonance structure of the amide moiety of DiBA. c) Molecular form and protonated structure of ortho-disubstituted benzamidine. Rotational barriers of 2-bromo-N,N,6-trimethylbenzimidamide and its

Wittig reaction of cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl

• Taito Moribe,
• Junichiro Hirano,
• Hideaki Takano,
• Hiroshi Shinokubo and
• Norihito Fukui

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1454–1461, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.107

• (TADF), demonstrating that CBBC represents a promising building block for the design of advanced functional materials [17][21]. However, the transformation of the carbonyl groups in CBBC has been underexplored. Herein, we report the Wittig reaction of CBBC 1. CBBC 1 undergoes structural change from a

Selective monoformylation of naphthalene-fused propellanes for methylene-alternating copolymers

• Kenichi Kato,
• Tatsuki Hiroi,
• Seina Okada,
• Shunsuke Ohtani and
• Tomoki Ogoshi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1183–1191, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.95

• , Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan 10.3762/bjoc.21.95 Abstract Development of three-dimensional (3D) building blocks is a key to change tight molecular assemblies of rigid π-conjugated planes into organic functional materials endowed with molecular-size cavities. To increase the diversity of available 3D building

• go beyond common organic functional materials composed of rigid π-conjugated planes and flexible peripheral substituents. Because larger π-conjugated planes mostly display low solubility and dense packing due to the π–π stacking and CH–π interactions, surrounding alkyl and other flexible moieties are

• , the methylene-alternating copolymers displayed gas adsorption properties. Further studies are underway towards novel functional materials containing fully π-fused propellanes as flexible 3D building blocks. Chemical structures of fully π-fused propellanes and their typical reaction patterns toward

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

• successfully applied in the synthesis of complex natural products, pharmaceuticals, and functional materials, often streamlining multistep sequences and minimizing protecting-group strategies [50][51]. In 2016, Li and co-workers developed divergent coupling conditions for iminamides 77 with receptor-type diazo

Dicarboxylate recognition based on ultracycle hosts through cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions

• Wen-Hui Mi,
• Teng-Yu Huang,
• Xu-Dong Wang,
• Yu-Fei Ao,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• De-Xian Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 884–889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.72

• ]. Additionally, dicarboxylates like tartrate, adipate or citrate are widely used as food additives [23][24]. Furthermore, functional materials based on dicarboxylates are expected to play a significant role in future technologies [25]. Therefore, the recognition and detection of dicarboxylates are of great

Origami with small molecules: exploiting the C–F bond as a conformational tool

• Patrick Ryan,
• Ramsha Iftikhar and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 680–716, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.54

Photochemically assisted synthesis of phenacenes fluorinated at the terminal benzene rings and their electronic spectra

• Yuuki Ishii,
• Minoru Yamaji,
• Fumito Tani,
• Kenta Goto,
• Yoshihiro Kubozono and
• Hideki Okamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 670–679, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.53

• due to the angular annelation. These series are known as one-dimensional graphene ribbons. As has been commonly recognized, acene molecules have been intensively and extensively studied in the organic functional materials field [5][6][7]. By contrast, phenacenes had been hardly applied as functional

• the manipulation of the solid-state optoelectronic nature of polycyclic aromatic molecules to develop future functional materials in organic electronics. Chemical structures of phenacenes studied in this work. UV–vis and fluorescence spectra of F8PIC (a), F8FUL (b), and F87PHEN (c) (red lines) and the

Unraveling aromaticity: the dual worlds of pyrazole, pyrazoline, and 3D carborane

• Zahra Noori,
• Miquel Solà,
• Clara Viñas,
• Francesc Teixidor and
• Jordi Poater

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 412–420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.29

• , exceptional thermal and chemical stability, and robust synthetic versatility [16][17] – make carborane derivatives essential components in various fields. These include pharmaceuticals [18][19][20][21][22], boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) [23][24][25][26], organometallic ligands [27], and functional

• materials [28][29][30]. As a result, developing efficient methods for selectively introducing functional groups into carboranes has become a key area of research [29][31]. Moreover, replacing planar aryl rings in biologically active molecules with spherical carborane units has led to novel alternatives [32

Hydrogen-bonded macrocycle-mediated dimerization for orthogonal supramolecular polymerization

• Wentao Yu,
• Zhiyao Yang,
• Chengkan Yu,
• Xiaowei Li and
• Lihua Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 179–188, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.10

• polymerization concentration of 17 μM. These polymers were highly concentration-dependent. Establishing this new dimerization motif with shape-persistent H-bonded macrocycles widens the scope of noncovalent building blocks for supramolecular polymers and augurs well for the future development of functional

• materials. Keywords: hydrogen-bonded macrocycle; orthogonal self-assembly; shape-persistent; supramolecular polymer; Introduction Host–guest interactions, particularly those involving macrocycles as hosts [1], have found a myriad of applications in supramolecular chemistry [2][3][4] owing to their ability