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

• reaction to rapidly establish the tetracyclic skeleton of complanadine A and an iridium-catalyzed site-selective pyridine C–H borylation followed by a Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling to forge the C2–C3’ linkage. Their synthesis achieves a high degree of synergy between classic transformations and modern

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• and imidoyl chlorides) in the presence of CuBArF4/bisoxazoline L4 catalyst, an acid co-catalyst, and iridium photocatalyst form chiral oxazolines 29 in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities (82–97% ee) (Scheme 6). Chiral β-aminoalcohols 30 can be obtained by the hydrolysis of 29. Another

• . The use of more sustainable photoredox catalysts – organic molecules or complexes of earth-abundant metals – is a key endeavor toward decreasing reliance on the iridium and ruthenium complexes commonly employed in photoredox methods. As a whole, asymmetric radical chemistry offers significant utility

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

• bicyclic alkanes, used as fuel additives, by hydrodeoxygenation catalyzed by iridium/rhenium oxide supported on silica [182]. Conversion of furfural to amines: The synthesis of m-xylylenediamine from furfural and acrylonitrile through a Diels–Alder/aromatization sequence was developed by Wischet and Jérôme

Bioinspired total syntheses of natural products: a personal adventure

• Zhengyi Qin,
• Yuting Yang,
• Nuran Yan,
• Xinyu Liang,
• Zhiyu Zhang,
• Yaxuan Duan,
• Huilin Li and
• Xuegong She

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2048–2061, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.160

• compounds 51a and 51b, which became separable, gratifyingly. Finally, chemoselective reduction of lactam to amine with the more reactive ketone unreacted was successfully achieved. In this transformation, the iridium-catalyzed hydrosilylation of the lactam generated the corresponding O-silyl aminal, which

Photochemical reduction of acylimidazolium salts

• Michael Jakob,
• Nick Bechler,
• Hassan Abdelwahab,
• Fabian Weber,
• Janos Wasternack,
• Leonardo Kleebauer,
• Jan P. Götze and
• Matthew N. Hopkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1973–1983, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.153

• , resulted in clean formation of the fully reduced product 2 in 48% 1H NMR yield with no intermediate species 3 being detected (Table 1, entry 17). The related iridium complex [Ir(ppy)2(dtbpy)]PF6 (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine) delivered 2 in a similar yield of 46% (Table 1, entry 18) while the organic species

Oxetanes: formation, reactivity and total syntheses of natural products

• Peter Gabko,
• Martin Kalník and
• Maroš Bella

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1324–1373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.101

• polysubstituted oxetanes 64 (Scheme 18) [57]. The mechanism is based on a 1,5-HAT/radical recombination sequence where the H-atom transfer is triggered by an S0 → T1 excitation of the starting allyl ether 63 using an iridium photosensitiser and blue light for irradiation. The method employs mild reaction

• irradiation and employ the same cationic iridium photosensitiser, but they differ in solvent, catalyst loading and power of the light source which is reflected mainly in the reaction times. The cycloadducts were obtained in high yields and both electron-rich and poor aryls were tolerated, as well as

•  23) based on the rebound triplet mechanism [64]. The stereochemical behaviour of the reaction is controlled by a novel hydrogen-bonding chiral iridium photocatalyst 86, delivering oxetane products 87 in excellent enantiomeric excess. In this unique photocycloaddition mechanism, previously described

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

• synthesis of polydeoxypropionate based on iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of α-substituted acrylic acid [40]. This method was subsequently applied to the synthesis of a promising vaccine candidate (+)-phthioceranic acid, as well as key intermediates for two natural products, ionomycin and

• borrelidin (C3–C11). The synthesis involved three main steps: (1) carboxymethylation using Meldrum’s acid, (2) alkenylation with Eschenmoser’s salt, and (3) asymmetric hydrogenation catalyzed by iridium complex (Ra)-50 or (Sa)-50. The authors began their investigation by performing the hydrogenation of α

• -substituted acrylic acid 51 (Scheme 7). After optimization, the iridium complex (Ra)-50, in the presence of cesium carbonate, was identified as the most efficient catalyst, producing compound 52 in 97% yield with an enantiomeric excess of 97.6%. Subsequently, compound 52 was treated with Meldrum’s acid in the

Light-enabled intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition via photoactivation of simple alkenylboronic esters

• Lewis McGhie,
• Hannah M. Kortman,
• Jenna Rumpf,
• Peter H. Seeberger and
• John J. Molloy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 854–863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.69

• activation of polyboronated alkenes [51] and β-borylstyrenes [43][48], was ineffective and no reactivity was observed. Implementing a higher energy iridium sensitizer (≈60 kcal/mol) was also unsuccessful (Table 1, entry 2), however, employing thioxanthone (65 kcal/mol) demonstrated efficient activation of

• activation (Table 2) [59][60]. As anticipated, guided by alkene scrambling reaction probes (Table 1), iridium sensitizers were unsuccessful (Table 2, entries 1 and 2). Thioxanthone provided the cyclobutyl product 4b in 10% yield (Table 2, entry 3), indicating catalysis with poor overlap between the catalyst

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

• terminus. In search of complementary approaches, other transition metals including W [9], Mo [10], Ru [11][12], Rh [13][14][15], and Ni [16][17] have been explored. Among these alternatives, Ir catalysis emerged as a particularly powerful complement to Pd catalysis. The field of iridium-catalyzed allylic

• substitution reactions began to develop with the groundbreaking work of Takeuchi and Kashio, and subsequent research has revealed that iridium catalysts behave quite differently from their palladium counterparts [18]. The most notable distinction lies in their contrasting regioselectivity patterns. Palladium

• catalysts generally produce straight-chain products lacking chirality when reacting with monosubstituted allylic substrates, whereas iridium catalysts selectively generate branched products with high optical purity and precise control over the reaction site. Furthermore, the development of chiral

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

• catalysis in recent years not only with heavy metals such as ruthenium and iridium [1][2][3][4][5], but also with lighter elements [6][7][8]. This field of light-mediated organic transformations relies on the use of a photocatalyst to promote radical reactions through electron transfer between this former

• poor light penetration, side reactions, and scalability related to traditional blue-light-driven metallophotoredox reactions. By switching from blue light (460 nm) to red light (660 nm) and osmium complex [Os(phen)3]2+ instead of an iridium complex, the authors have been able to significantly enhance

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

• iridium (Scheme 1b) [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Notably, dioxazolones have primarily been studied in directed carbon–hydrogen amidation processes, which can circumvent the need for tedious prefunctionalizations. Copper catalysts have gained recognition and attracted

C–C Coupling in sterically demanding porphyrin environments

• Liam Cribbin,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Nicolae Buga,
• John E. O’ Brien,
• Raphael Bühler,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Mathias O. Senge

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2784–2798, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.234

• ][25], Negishi [26], and Kumada [27] coupling reactions, as well as modern iridium and rhodium-based coupling techniques [28], are just some examples of the C–C bond formations that have been implemented to achieve complex substitution patterns and functional arrangements on porphyrins. Of these named

pKalculator: A pK_a predictor for C–H bonds

• Rasmus M. Borup,
• Nicolai Ree and
• Jan H. Jensen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1614–1622, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.144

• showed that our ML model is able to predict the reaction site for pKa-dependent reactions. Now, we test the ML model on a more complex reaction type, namely, borylation reactions. Caldeweyher et al. [45] presented a workflow to predict the iridium-catalyzed borylation site of aryl C–H bonds (SoBo) [45

• ] and experimentally validated their approach using six pharmaceutical intermediates from medicinal chemistry programs. In the article, they state that ”Iridium catalysts ligated by bipyridine ligands catalyze the borylation of the aryl C–H bonds that are most acidic and least sterically hindered…”[45

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

• publications by the Doyle and Musacchio groups in 2021 and 2022 demonstrated the effective use of photochemical oxidative radical-polar crossover mechanisms to achieve this. The Doyle group reported the use of an iridium-catalysed system in this context with Et3N·3HF as the fluoride source (Figure 32) [83

• radical displayed high affinity for benzylic HAT, in turn affording a benzylic radical and methane. The Ir(IV) species then oxidised the benzylic radical to the benzylic cation regenerating the ground-state iridium species, completing the catalytic cycle. Attack of the benzylic cation by fluoride, from

• fluoride. Manganese-catalysed benzylic C(sp3)–H fluorination with AgF and Et3N·3HF and proposed mechanism. 19F NMR yields in parentheses. Iridium-catalysed photocatalytic benzylic C(sp3)–H fluorination with nucleophilic fluoride and N-acyloxyphthalamide HAT reagent. Iridium-catalysed photocatalytic

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

• , such as iridium complexes or organic dyes, and activating agents, including dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) and PPh3. Redox-active esters are created when activating agents and carboxylic acids react. These esters can then be reduced using a photoredox catalyst to produce the acyl radical. In 2019, Doyle

• , Wang and co-workers [30] demonstrated the photomediated synthesis of γ,γ-difluoroallylic ketones by reacting trifluoromethyl alkenes and acids in the presence of PPh3 additive and iridium photocatalyst in basic medium (Scheme 3). This methodology was suitable for a wide range of carboxylic acids in the

• iridium photocatalyst [Ir(dF(CF3)ppy)2(dtbbpy)]PF6 leads to excited-state *[Ir(III)], Ered (*[Ir(III)]/[Ir(II)]) = +1.21 V, possessing sufficient energy to oxidize PPh3, forming the triphenylphosphine radical cation. Subsequently, benzoic acid undergoes deprotonation facilitated by a base, producing

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

• achieving both selective dehydrogenation and hydrogenation is highly important. A typical BH process is demonstrated in Scheme 1. Several precious transition-metal catalysts have been used successfully in this area, including iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, and osmium [4]. However, these noble metals are toxic

SOMOphilic alkyne vs radical-polar crossover approaches: The full story of the azido-alkynylation of alkenes

• Julien Borrel and
• Jerome Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 701–713, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.64

• a non-complexed copper catalyst formed during the transformation [24][51]. When iridium-based photocatalysts were tested, no product formation or only traces were observed (Table 2, entries 2 and 3). Using Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O afforded 17% of 4a, a similar yield as with Cu(dap)2Cl with a reduced

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

• a reductive quenching mechanism. However, since the overall transformation is redox-neutral, no stoichiometric reductant was employed. Instead, fluorescence-quenching studies suggested that the reductive quenching of the iridium excited state (*IrIII) was taking place "off-cycle" via oxidation of

• deprotonation of 21 to provide radical intermediate 22 [45]. Finally, the iridium excited state (*IrIII) formed under blue light irradiation oxidizes 22 to form product 23 and the corresponding reduced IrII complex, beginning a new photocatalytic cycle. Photocatalytic oxidative quenching mechanism The

Aldiminium and 1,2,3-triazolium dithiocarboxylate zwitterions derived from cyclic (alkyl)(amino) and mesoionic carbenes

• Nedra Touj,
• François Mazars,
• Guillermo Zaragoza and
• Lionel Delaude

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1947–1956, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.145

• of charges (Figure 1) [13][14][15][16]. Crabtree and co-workers first reported the abnormal binding of an imidazolium salt to an iridium hydride at the C4 carbon atom instead of C2 in 2001 [17][18]. Since then, many other metal complexes bearing imidazol-4-ylidene ligands (F) have been reported [7

Organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence material with strained benzoguanidine donor

• Alexander C. Brannan,
• Elvie F. P. Beaumont,
• Nguyen Le Phuoc,
• George F. S. Whitehead,
• Mikko Linnolahti and
• Alexander S. Romanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1289–1298, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.95

• compete with classic phosphorescent emitters that employ scarce metals such as iridium and platinum [7][8][9]. Since its first report in 2012 by Uoyama et al., 1,2,3,5-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,6-dicyanobenzene (4CzIPN) has been a benchmark TADF emitter due to its high quantum yields and excellent

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

Photoredox catalysis enabling decarboxylative radical cyclization of γ,γ-dimethylallyltryptophan (DMAT) derivatives: formal synthesis of 6,7-secoagroclavine

• Alessio Regni,
• Francesca Bartoccini and
• Giovanni Piersanti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 918–927, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.70

• of all ergot alkaloids, specifically the decarboxylative cyclization of DMAT, is still a puzzle even though a radical mechanism has been proposed (Figure 1a) [72][73]. Results and Discussion Herein, we propose that visible light irradiation of the cationic iridium photocatalyst Ir[dF(CF3)ppy]2(dtbbpy

Pyridine C(sp²)–H bond functionalization under transition-metal and rare earth metal catalysis

• Haritha Sindhe,
• Malladi Mounika Reddy,
• Karthikeyan Rajkumar,
• Akshay Kamble,
• Amardeep Singh,
• Anand Kumar and
• Satyasheel Sharma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 820–863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.62

• iridium catalysis was achieved by Shi [61] in 2010 through an unusual meta-selectivity for the first time (Scheme 11a). To achieve meta-selectivity, the group has screened various transition metals and revealed that a silyl-iridium complex promoted the addition of meta-pyridyl C–H bonds to aldehydes 50

• which resulted in C3-alkylated pyridines 51. Based on the reactions performed for the catalytic activity of the silyl-iridium complex, the authors proposed a catalytic mechanism (Scheme 11b). The mechanism involves the initial formation of the active silyl-iridium catalyst A which through oxidative

• addition of 1 gives the silyl-iridium complex 52. The insertion of aldehyde 50 into the Ir–Si bond of 52 provides the pyridyl alkyl iridium species 53 that finally by C–C formation via reductive elimination furnishes the desired products 51 along with the formation of an iridium hydride species (Scheme 11b

Transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions of strained bicyclic alkenes

• Austin Pounder,
• Eric Neufeld,
• Peter Myler and
• William Tam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 487–540, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.38

• sketched in red, with newly formed cyclic structures being highlighted. Review Earth-abundant metals Among the transition metal used in organic synthesis, the late transition metals like rhodium, palladium, and iridium have taken center stage when it comes to methodology development. Although these late

Strategies to access the [5-8] bicyclic core encountered in the sesquiterpene, diterpene and sesterterpene series

• Cécile Alleman,
• Charlène Gadais,
• Laurent Legentil and
• François-Hugues Porée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 245–281, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.23

• formation of the fused cyclobutane acid 162 as the desired precursor for the cyclooctane formation. The ring expansion was achieved in the presence of an iridium catalyst and under blue LED irradiation, via the trapping by TEMPO or O2 of the cyclobutyl radical resulting from decarboxylation, which allowed a