Advances in Zr-mediated radical transformations and applications to total synthesis

• Hiroshige Ogawa and
• Hugh Nakamura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 71–87, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.3

• conditions, delivering the desired ketones 12 in good yields. The reaction also tolerated a wide range of protecting groups, including esters, carbamates, and silyl ethers, without degradation (10f–k). Neopentyl iodide 10l and secondary alkyl iodide 10m were also competent substrates, although tertiary alkyl

• hydrogen atom from 1,4-cyclohexadiene, affording the hydrogenated product 36. The reaction proved broadly applicable to a wide range of alkyl chlorides. For example, primary alkyl chlorides bearing functional groups such as amides (34b), esters (34c), ketones (34d), and phosphoesters (34e) underwent smooth

• issue, the authors first examined a model system. When β-alkoxythioesters (S)-52 were coupled with chiral alkyl iodides (S)-53 and (R)-53 under the developed conditions, the desired β-alkoxy ketones 54 were obtained in good yields without epimerization, affording optically pure products. These results

Synthesis and applications of alkenyl chlorides (vinyl chlorides): a review

• Daniel S. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 1–63, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.1

• prepared in 1868 by Charles Friedel – best known for the Friedel–Crafts reaction – via the reaction of ketones with phosphorus pentachloride, these compounds have steadily gained attention over the decades. In recent years, their distinct reactivity and potential in organic synthesis have been increasingly

• Synthesis of Acetylenes” [29] which discusses the preparation of alkenyl chlorides via ketone chlorination using PCl5 (Figure 3A). The synthesis of β-chlorovinyl ketones was later reviewed by Poland and Benson in 1966 (Figure 3B) [30]. More recently, Morandi and co-workers summarized transition-metal

• -catalyzed additions of alkynes to acyl chlorides to access β-chlorovinyl ketones (2024) [31]. A review by Sharma and Singh covers comprehensively the synthesis and application of β-halovinyl aldehydes [32]. It should be noted that the synthesis of β-chloroalkenes substituted with an electron-withdrawing

Competitive cyclization of ethyl trifluoroacetoacetate and methyl ketones with 1,3-diamino-2-propanol into hydrogenated oxazolo- and pyrimido-condensed pyridones

• Svetlana O. Kushch,
• Marina V. Goryaeva,
• Yanina V. Burgart,
• Marina A. Ezhikova,
• Mikhail I. Kodess,
• Pavel A. Slepukhin,
• Alexandrina S. Volobueva,
• Vladimir V. Zarubaev and
• Victor I. Saloutin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2716–2729, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.209

• -trifluoroacetoacetate and methyl ketones enables the synthesis to be carried out for octahydropyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-6-ones and hexahydrooxazolo[3,2-a]pyridin-5-ones, the preferential formation of which depends on the substituent in the methyl ketone component. Dual acid–base catalysis of the reactions with alkyl

• methyl ketones increases the regioselectivity in the synthesis of octahydropyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidinones. The cyclization with acetophenone is characterized by the regiospecific generation of these bicycles. The presence of three chiral centers in the synthesized bicycles, depending on the alkyl substituent

• , causes the formation of two to four diastereomers, the structure of which has been determined with 1H, 19F, 13C, 2D 1H-13C HSQC/HMBC, 1H-1H COSY/NOESY NMR and X-ray diffraction analysis. Keywords: condensed pyridones; 1,3-diamino-2-propanol; ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate; methyl ketones; three

Mechanistic insights into hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodobenzene-mediated ditosyloxylation of chalcones: a DFT study

• Jai Parkash,
• Sangeeta Saini,
• Vaishali Saini,
• Omkar Bains and
• Raj Kamal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2703–2715, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.208

• of the hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodobenzene (HTIB)-mediated conversion of chalcones (α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds) to ditosyloxy ketones is investigated. Here, at β-carbon of the chalcone, an aryl group with a para-substituent is present. Our study focuses on investigating the effect of different

• nature of para-substituents on the reaction mechanism. The substituents considered in the study include -OCH3, -SCH3, -Cl and -NO2 groups. For these chalcones, different possible pathways at various steps during the reaction are investigated leading to formation of α,β-ditosyloxy ketones and β,β

• -ditosyloxy ketones. It is found that the mechanism for the formation of α,β-ditosyloxy ketone involves only electrophilic addition of HTIB, and the mechanism is the same for all studied chalcones, irrespective of whether an electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituent is present on the aryl ring

Synthesis of new tetra- and pentacyclic, methylenedioxy- and ethylenedioxy-substituted derivatives of the dibenzo[c,f][1,2]thiazepine ring system

• Gábor Berecz,
• András Dancsó,
• Mária Tóthné Lauritz,
• Loránd Kiss,
• Gyula Simig and
• Balázs Volk

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2645–2656, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.205

• substitution reactions of benzo-1,3-dioxoles and benzo-1,4-dioxanes [20]. Reduction of ketones 6 and 7 with NaBH4 gave alcohols 16 and 17, which were chlorinated with SOCl2 to result in compounds 18 and 19. Treatment of the latter with the appropriate amines gave amino derivatives 20a, 20c–e, and 21a, 21c–p

Thiazolidinones: novel insights from microwave synthesis, computational studies, and potentially bioactive hybrids

• Luan A. Martinho,
• Victor H. J. G. Praciano,
• Guilherme D. R. Matos,
• Claudia C. Gatto and
• Carlos Kleber Z. Andrade

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2618–2636, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.203

• isobutyraldehyde could be obtained. Other aliphatic aldehydes, such as phenylacetaldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, and heptanal, yielded only self-condensation products. A similar issue was observed with certain ketones, such as cyrene, cyclohexanone, 1,3-dichloroacetone, and acetophenone, since the condensation

• a catalyst in AcOH under microwave (μw) heating for the synthesis of 5-arylidene derivatives of rhodanine or thiazolidine-2,4-dione. Despite some minor limitations, such as the use of some ketones and aliphatic aldehydes, this convenient methodology is broad in scope (49 products were obtained

Visible-light-driven NHC and organophotoredox dual catalysis for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds

• Vasudevan Dhayalan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2584–2603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.200

• of single-electron NHC catalysis by incorporating oxidatively generated aryloxymethyl radicals A as a key intermediate. A variety of γ-aryloxy ketones 12 were successfully prepared in the presence of NHC (15 mol %), photocatalyst (2 mol %), using 467 nm LED and a combination of alkene 11, amide 9

• is the reduction of acylazolium C to generate a stable benzylic radical D is formed, and this extends the lifetime of the radical, allowing for radical–radical coupling reaction to afford the desired γ-aryloxy ketones 12 in good yields. The utility of this sustainable method was further demonstrated

• silylboronates 13. This photochemical method operates via catalytic activation of the silylboronate 13 in the presence of NHC (10 mol %) and 4CZIPN (1 mol %) with Rb2CO3 (10 mol %) as a base in CH3CN at rt for 20 h. The approach affords highly functionalized β-silylated aryl ketones 14 in moderate to good yields

Ex-situ generation of gaseous nitriles in two-chamber glassware for facile haloacetimidate synthesis

• Nikolai B. Akselvoll,
• Jonas T. Larsen and
• Christian M. Pedersen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2465–2469, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.188

• of various trifluoromethyl-containing aza-heterocycles, such as pyridines [2], pyridinones and pyrimidinones [3], tetrazoles [4], tetrazapentalenes [5] and uracil [6]. In addition, it has also been used for the synthesis of fluoro-substituted ketones [7] and substituted trifluoroacetamides via the

Transformation of the cyclohexane ring to the cyclopentane fragment of biologically active compounds

• Natalya Akhmetdinova,
• Ilgiz Biktagirov and
• Liliya Kh. Faizullina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2416–2446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.185

• [52] achieved high regioselectivity and stereospecific construction of contiguous all-carbon quaternary centers through an oxidative ring contraction of cyclic α-formyl ketones by the action of H2O2. This reaction is easy to perform, environmentally friendly, and does not require expensive catalysts

• ], the mechanism and factors controlling the selectivity of the oxidative ring contraction in cyclic α-formyl ketones under the action of H2O2 were studied in detail. Due to their complex architecture and diverse biological activities, including antiviral, antitumor, antimalarial, and antifungal activity

• products 147a and 148a. The authors of [74] believe that methyl ketones 148a,b were obtained as a result of breaking the C4–C5 bond, and cyclopentanes 147a,b were formed from methyl ketones through intramolecular aldol condensation. Treatment of keto ester 148a with NaH led to a complex mixture, from which

An Fe(II)-catalyzed synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidine] derivatives

• Elizaveta V. Gradova,
• Nikita A. Ozhegov,
• Roman O. Shcherbakov,
• Alexander G. Tkachenko,
• Larisa Y. Nesterova,
• Elena Y. Mendogralo and
• Maxim G. Uchuskin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2383–2388, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.183

• -arylindoles with α,β-unsaturated ketones, followed by Fe(II)-catalyzed spirocyclization of readily accessible oxime acetates. The method exhibits a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. The synthesized spirocyclic compounds showed no significant antimicrobial activity. Keywords: α,β

• yield substituted spiropyrrolidines (Scheme 1, path b) [9]. Additionally, an organocatalytic, enantioselective Michael addition/cyclization sequence of 3-aminooxindole Schiff bases with terminal vinyl ketones, catalyzed by a cinchona-derived base, has been reported to afford chiral spiroindolylpyrroles

• -one derivatives bearing an indolyl moiety. For this purpose, the reaction of 2-arylindoles 1 with α,β-unsaturated ketones 2 was employed, affording the corresponding indolylalkanones 3 (Scheme 2) [19][20][21]. A combination of trimethylsilyl chloride and acetonitrile served as a mild promoter for the

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

• synthesis of natural products but also establish a solid foundation for subsequent pharmaceutical investigations. Keywords: dicarbonyls; natural product; Norrish–Yang cyclization; photoredox; total synthesis; Introduction In the 1930s, Norrish documented the photodecomposition of aldehydes and ketones [1

Halogenated butyrolactones from the biomass-derived synthon levoglucosenone

• Johannes Puschnig,
• Martyn Jevric and
• Ben W. Greatrex

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2297–2301, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.175

• in 22% yield. Fluorination of α,β-unsaturated ketones is a more challenging transformation than the halogenation reactions presented in Scheme 1 [33]. The previous reports of enamines as suitable substrates led us to prepare and examine enamine 15, which was generated from 5 with 3.0 equivalents of

• low, the synthesis of 7c via this method represents a substantial improvement on previous approaches to this material [24]. The Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of 7c was uneventful and the fluorinated alkene 17 was isolated in 50% yield. The α-trifluoromethylation of ketones and aldehydes can be performed

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

•  4B) [53]. A catalytic system consisting of a combination of chiral bisoxazoline L3 and NiCl2·(DME) was able to catalyze the reaction between 21 and 22 in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of Mn as reductant. α,α-Disubstituted ketones 23 were obtained in moderate to good yields and up to 94% ee

• decatungstate (TBADT) and chiral amine 33 was able to catalyze the reaction between benzodioxoles 32 and cyclic β,β-disubstituted enones 31. Cyclic ketones 34 bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters at the β-position were obtained in good yields and high enantioselectivity. Enzyme-catalyzed radical

• enantioselectivity. New catalytic methods have been developed by merging photoenzymatic catalysis with small-molecule photoredox catalysis. Enantioselective radical acylation reactions of N-hydroxyphthalimide esters and aldehydes, yielding α-substituted ketones, were catalyzed by a radical acyl transferase (an

Thiadiazino-indole, thiadiazino-carbazole and benzothiadiazino-carbazole dioxides: synthesis, physicochemical and early ADME characterization of representatives of new tri-, tetra- and pentacyclic ring systems and their intermediates

• Gyöngyvér Pusztai,
• László Poszávácz,
• Anna Vincze,
• András Marton,
• Ahmed Qasim Abdulhussein,
• Judit Halász,
• András Dancsó,
• Gyula Simig,
• György Tibor Balogh and
• Balázs Volk

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2220–2233, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.169

• synthesis [18][19][20][21]. Sudhakara et al. described the advantages of using bismuth nitrate as catalyst in the synthesis of hydrazones and in the one-pot Fischer synthesis of indoles from ketones and hydrazines [22][23]. Adopting this method, hydrazone intermediates 7a–j were obtained by treatment of

• hydrazino derivatives 5a,b with ketones 6a–e in the presence of bismuth nitrate pentahydrate catalyst in refluxing methanol with good to excellent yields (method A, step 1). As regards cis–trans isomerism, compounds (E)-7a and (E)-7f were isolated in high yields (94% and 84%, respectively), however, in the

• performed using the method described in the literature [18], i.e., by heating compounds 5a,b with ketones 6a–e in the presence of bismuth nitrate pentahydrate catalyst and PPA in methanol at 110 °C in a closed vial (Scheme 1, method B). In the synthesis of asymmetric hydrazones 7a,c,f,h, the major product

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

• : aldehydes; biobased chemistry; biomass; carbonyl; fine chemicals; ketones; multicomponent; platforms; sustainability; Introduction Shifting towards sustainable practices in the chemical industry relies on continued advancement of green chemistry sciences which aim to minimize the global environmental

• catalysts including Ni/CeO2-γAl2O3, spinal NiAl2O4 and Ni/La2O3-αAl2O3, at 230 °C and 3.2 MPa. Using a chiral catalyst composed of [RuCl2(benzene)]2 and SunPhos, an effective asymmetric hydrogenation of α-hydroxy ketones was reported, yielding chiral terminal 1,2-diols in up to 99% ee. This Ru-catalyzed

• asymmetric hydrogenation process of α-hydroxy ketones opens up a new pathway for the production of chiral terminal 1,2-diols (Scheme 23) [98]. Kini and Mathews reported the synthesis of novel oxazole derivatives such as 6-(substituted benzylidene)-2-methylthiazolo[2,3-b]oxazol-5(6H)-one by reacting 1

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

• -membered cyclic ketones 74 and hydroxylamines 75 (Scheme 21) [57]. High to excellent yield and enantioselectivity were achieved for the inherently chiral products when using a range of substituted arylhydroxylamines (see 76a–c). The racemization barrier of the product 76a was determined to be 110.5 kJ/mol

• , which suggested the relative instability of the configuration of these structurally unique products compared to the eight-membered inherently chiral compounds. Moreover, unsymmetrical substituted cyclic ketones 74 were investigated under the standard conditions, which produced a pair of diastereomers

• with poor diastereoselectivity while maintaining high enantioselectivity for both diastereomers (see 76d–g). Furthermore, the authors have investigated the asymmetric condensation using other seven-membered cyclic ketones (see 77a) as well as the coupling with alkylhydroxylamine (see 77b

Systematic pore lipophilization to enhance the efficiency of an amine-based MOF catalyst in the solvent-free Knoevenagel reaction

• Pricilla Matseketsa,
• Margret Kumbirayi Ruwimbo Pagare and
• Tendai Gadzikwa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1854–1863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.144

• of carbonyl compounds, such as aldehydes or ketones, with active methylene compounds [37]. The resulting α,β-unsaturated carbonyl products can then be further elaborated to form natural products, therapeutic agents, polymers, pesticides, and insecticides [38], which have important applications in the

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

• -metal catalysts. One of the key transformations in organic synthesis is the selective oxidative cleavage of alkenes to yield ketones or aldehydes [43][44][45][46][47]. Traditionally, such transformations have been achieved using various oxidizing agents, transition-metal-based systems, organo- and

Synthesis of chiral cyclohexane-linked bisimidazolines

• Changmeng Xi,
• Qingshan Sun and
• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1786–1790, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.140

• transition states can be regulated depending upon the structures of substrates, achieving excellent stereoselectivities among various substrates in the catalytic asymmetric aziridination of α,β-unsaturated ketones [21]. The steric effect of cHBOX ligands can be changed easily by the use of different chiral

Convenient alternative synthesis of the Malassezia-derived virulence factor malassezione and related compounds

• Karu Ramesh and
• Stephen L. Bearne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1730–1736, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.135

• . 5%. Furthermore, the present method may also be used to prepare related compounds. Keywords: bis(aryl/heteroaryl)ketones; EDC; indole alkaloids; malassezione; Introduction Lipophilic yeasts of the genus Malassezia are commensal fungi that constitute the normal skin microbiota; however, when they

• the presence of the indole groups. General procedure for the synthesis of ketones 25a,b, and d from acids 24a,b, and d. Adapting DCC/DMAP protocols reported previously [22][23][24][25][26][27], an oven-dried 50 mL flask equipped with a magnetic stir bar was charged with the acid (1 equiv, typically

• ] or B) indole-3-acetic acid. Various bis-substituted ketones prepared. a25c prepared from 25b. Supporting Information Supporting Information File 6: Copies of NMR and MS spectra of synthesized compounds. Funding This work was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering

Influence of the cation in hypophosphite-mediated catalyst-free reductive amination

• Natalia Lebedeva,
• Fedor Kliuev,
• Olesya Zvereva,
• Klim Biriukov,
• Evgeniya Podyacheva,
• Maria Godovikova,
• Oleg I. Afanasyev and
• Denis Chusov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1661–1670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.130

• efficiency falls down for some products, in particular, those containing electron-withdrawing groups. Wide range of amines was synthesized in moderate to good yields. Aliphatic ketones, aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes have successfully reacted with primary and secondary amines. Multiple bonds

Catalytic asymmetric reactions of isocyanides for constructing non-central chirality

• Jia-Yu Liao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1648–1660, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.129

• ] between alkynyl ketones 33 and isocyanoacetates (Scheme 6) [38]. The success of this study not only adds a new entry to the de novo arene formation strategy [39][40] but also initiates the application of isocyanoacetates in constructing axial chirality. With Ag2O and quinine-derived amino-phosphine ligand

General method for the synthesis of enaminones via photocatalysis

• Paula Pérez-Ramos,
• Raquel G. Soengas and
• Humberto Rodríguez-Solla

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1535–1543, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.116

• enaminones has attracted much attention over the past decades. Kuwano’s group described the synthesis of enaminones from ethyl ketones via a nickel-catalyzed selective β-amination (Scheme 1A) [31]. The preparation of enaminones can also be achieved by the reaction of aldehydes and calcium carbide in the

High-pressure activation for the solvent- and catalyst-free syntheses of heterocycles, pharmaceuticals and esters

• Kelsey Plasse,
• Valerie Wright,
• Guoshu Xie,
• R. Bernadett Vlocskó,
• Alexander Lazarev and
• Béla Török

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1374–1387, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.102

• imidazole-based N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)–CuCl complexes [40]. However, their synthesis is often tainted by the use of toxic reagents and solvents. In addition, when o-phenylenediamine reacts with ketones, the common catalytic methods yield benzodiazepine products [41]. In our case the reaction of o

• -phenylenediamine with ketones to form 1,3-dihydrobenzimidazoles. Molecular volumes of the reactants and products and the reaction volume (ΔV) for the reaction of chalcone with hydrazines to form pyrazoles. Molecular volumes of the reactants and products and the reaction volume (ΔV) for the reaction of chalcone

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

• base [5]. In fact, its hydrogen-bond-accepting ability is even stronger than that of the other 3-, 5- and 6-membered cyclic ethers, as well as the carbonyls of aldehydes, ketones, esters and carbonates [6][7][8]. The only better carbonyl-based hydrogen-bond acceptors are amides, carbamates and ureas [9

• ] dimerisation, this methodology enables performing photocycloadditions between electron-deficient alkenes and aliphatic ketones which had been usually avoided. One year later, Yoon and co-workers published the first highly enantioselective Paternò–Büchi reaction between quinolones 84 and ketoesters 85 (Scheme

• enantioselectivities. In 2018, Scheidt and colleagues disclosed the first N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalysed [2 + 2] annulation between trifluoromethyl ketones and γ-substituted allenoates (Scheme 25a) [68]. The resulting 2-alkylideneoxetane products 95 were generally obtained in >90% yields and good