Recent advances in the stereoselective synthesis of distal biaxially chiral molecules

• Fanxing Zhou,
• Chen Zhang,
• Lingyu Sun,
• Yiyun Fang,
• Siming Zheng,
• Lina Hu,
• Mengyang Shen,
• Zhen Zhao,
• Wei Xu,
• Yunqiang Sun and
• Zi-Qiang Rong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 461–479, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.34

• biaxial chirality, multistep sequential generation, and conversion from central to biaxial chirality, with the aim of providing new perspectives and methodologies for further development in this area. Keywords: axially chiral compounds; stereoselective synthesis; Introduction In recent years, axially

• desymmetrization of latent chiral molecules. In this review, we summarized the research progresses related to the asymmetric synthesis of distal biaxial systems in recent years from single-step to multistep approaches. It is anticipated that new chiral skeletons and asymmetric synthesis methods of distally biaxial

Cone p-aminocalix[4]arenes enriched with ‘clickable’ alkyne or azide functionalities

• Ilia Korniltsev,
• Vasily Bazhenov,
• Alexander Gorbunov,
• Dmitry Cheshkov,
• Stanislav Bezzubov,
• Vladimir Kovalev and
• Ivan Vatsouro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 399–415, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.28

• compatible with propargyl or 2-azidoethyl functionalities residing at the calixarene narrow rims, these ‘simple’ transformations are not applicable to the available propargylated/2-azidoethylated p-tert-butyl- or p-H-calix[4]arenes. Therefore, the multistep reaction sequences presented below have been

Electrosynthetic access to unsymmetrical oxaza[8]helicenes with high chiral stability and strong circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)

• Tin Zar Aye,
• Rubal Sharma,
• Muthu Karuppasamy,
• Daiya Suzuki,
• Haruka Nakajima,
• Yoshitane Imai,
• Mitsuhiro Arisawa,
• Mohamed S. H. Salem and
• Shinobu Takizawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 372–382, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.25

• along the helical rim – are far rarer. Their scarcity primarily reflects the formidable challenge of controlling chemo- and regioselectivity during ring annulation and heteroatom introduction, which often necessitates multistep synthetic strategies [36][37][38]. To the best of our knowledge, only four

• ]helicene VII via cycloborylation of a pyridine-substituted carbo[6]helicene [41], while Xu, Wang and colleagues reported a multistep route to azabora[8]helicene VIII (Scheme 1B) [42]. Collectively, these studies highlight both the synthetic bottleneck and the untapped potential of unsymmetrical hetero[8

Recent advances in the cleavage of non-activated amides

• Eun-Sol Choi and
• Hyo-Jun Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 352–369, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.23

• twisted amides have revolutionized amide-bond activation, their preparation often requires multistep synthesis or the installation of strongly electron-withdrawing groups, thereby limiting their broad applicability. Thus, the selective activation and transformation of non-twisted, non-activated amides

Ring contraction and ring expansion reactions in terpenoid biosynthesis and their application to total synthesis

• Nicolas Kratena,
• Nicolas Heinzig and
• Peter Gärtner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 289–343, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.21

Arene activation via π-bond localization: concepts and opportunities

• Paul Meiners,
• Julian J. Melder and
• Tobias Morack

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 257–273, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.19

• dearomatization platform, combining pronounced π-basicity with practical scalability. Exploiting these attributes, a new multistep dearomatization protocol has recently been developed, enabling the conversion of arenes into trisubstituted cyclohexenes through three discrete nucleophilic additions to an η2-phenyl

• sequence elegantly illustrates how η4-coordination can orchestrate multistep bond construction. Finally, η4-bound intermediates have been proposed as intermediates in catalytic transformations – most notably in Chirik’s molybdenum-catalyzed arene hydrogenations [106][107] – highlighting the emerging

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

• 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

The high potential of methyl laurate as a recyclable competitor to conventional toxic solvents in [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions

• Ayhan Yıldırım and
• Mustafa Göker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2389–2415, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.184

• the time- and labor-intensive nature of traditional multistep synthesis strategies. For instance, this methodology has been demonstrated to be highly advantageous in the synthesis of numerous pharmaceutical compounds, biological probes, insecticides, alkaloids, and other intricate natural compounds

Pathway economy in cyclization of 1,n-enynes

• Hezhen Han,
• Wenjie Mao,
• Bin Lin,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2260–2282, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.173

• importance of reducing the time required for reaction processes and conducting multistep reactions within a single pot (Scheme 1a) [6][7]. Contemporary organic synthesis is progressively approaching ideal synthesis – achieving highly functionalized target molecular frameworks in a single step. This paradigm

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

• regioselectivity issues, multistep procedures, and limited applicability to tetra-ortho-substituted structures. Herein, we describe a direct, one-pot Pd-catalyzed dehydrogenative C–N coupling between aryl bromides and arylhydrazines to access non-symmetric azobenzenes. The use of bulky phosphine ligands and

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

• hemicellulose, dehydration to furfural, hydrogenation into furfuryl alcohol and final hydrolysis to levulinic acid (Scheme 70, route a). The second route is the acid-catalyzed multistep conversion of polysaccharides into C6 monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), followed by dehydration to 5-HMF, and then

Measuring the stereogenic remoteness in non-central chirality: a stereocontrol connectivity index for asymmetric reactions

• Ivan Keng Wee On,
• Yu Kun Choo,
• Sambhav Baid and
• Ye Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1995–2006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.155

• and restored in the course of the transformations (e.g., Scheme 4A and 4C). Such limitations become obvious in the cases of multistep, multi-intermediate reactions [32][33], particularly in the case of helical chirality where chirality transfer of intermediates is common [34][35][36][37][38][39]. In

Aryl iodane-induced cascade arylation–1,2-silyl shift–heterocyclization of propargylsilanes under copper catalysis

• Rasma Kroņkalne,
• Rūdolfs Beļaunieks,
• Armands Sebris,
• Anatoly Mishnev and
• Māris Turks

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1984–1994, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.154

• linker provides entry to 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines. Additionally, in the absence of internal nucleophiles, this methodology yields aryl-substituted 1,3-dienes. This work introduces a palladium-free, single-step alternative to multistep heterocycle construction from propargylsilanes and highlights the

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

• catalysis via the rational functionalization of MOF pores. Schematic representation of the modulation of MOF pore environments. A) de novo synthesis of several MOFs requiring the multistep synthesis of different organic linkers. B) Synthesis of several frameworks from a single parent MOF using post

Thermodynamics and polarity-driven properties of fluorinated cyclopropanes

• Matheus P. Freitas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1742–1747, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.137

• isomer among the 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexanes [10]. Although it was initially synthesized via a multistep reaction, it is now readily obtainable through the catalytic hydrogenation of hexafluorobenzene [11]. Its Janus-face-like structure has demonstrated unprecedented potential, particularly due to

Advances in nitrogen-containing helicenes: synthesis, chiroptical properties, and optoelectronic applications

• Meng Qiu,
• Jing Du,
• Nai-Te Yao,
• Xin-Yue Wang and
• Han-Yuan Gong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1422–1453, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.106

• , multistep synthetic protocol [31] (Table 5). Selected compounds such as 18b, 18c, 18d and 18l exhibit similar λabs around 410 nm and emit fluorescence centered near 530 nm, demonstrating consistent optical profiles despite structural variation. In a parallel effort, Yang’s group developed an efficient

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

• full analysis can be obtained by also evaluating the activation volume (ΔV‡) data. Considering that all of the above studied reactions are multistep processes with several elementary steps, the determination of ΔV‡ requires a detailed theoretical reaction mechanism study that is beyond the scope of the

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

• with alcohol C–H functionalisation, thus creating a unique synthetic strategy towards oxetane formation that avoids tedious multistep substrate preparations (Scheme 7) [42]. It can be initiated from simple, unactivated primary or secondary alcohols, tolerates various functional groups such as acetals

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

• of [4.3.3]_branch showed multistep uptake. In the desorption step, both samples retained most of the adsorbed N2 molecules even at 30 kPa. These observations and slow equilibrium in the adsorption processes suggested that presence of narrow connections between molecular-size cavities disturbed smooth

Studies on the syntheses of β-carboline alkaloids brevicarine and brevicolline

• Benedek Batizi,
• Patrik Pollák,
• András Dancsó,
• Péter Keglevich,
• Gyula Simig,
• Balázs Volk and
• Mátyás Milen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 955–963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.79

• -ray structure of compound 31. Synthesis of racemic brevicolline ((±)-1) starting from 1-methyl-9H-β-carbolin-4-yl trifluoromethanesulfonate (3). Synthesis of brevicarine (2) from brevicolline ((S)-1). First total synthesis of brevicarine (2). Multistep synthesis of brevicarine (2) starting from

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

• reaction pathways, selectivity, and catalytic efficiency. By exploiting dynamic acid–base equilibria or stimuli-responsive systems, chemists can manipulate substrate activation, stabilize reactive intermediates, and orchestrate complex multistep transformations under mild conditions [47]. In 2016, Lu's

• 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

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

• energy than that of the entry channel (1 + 7 + 8, Figure 3). Because the rate-determining and configuration-determining steps are different, reaction control of the whole multistep transformation in terms of enantioselectivity is therefore neither predominantly thermodynamic nor predominantly kinetic

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

• employ catalytic cyclization [9][10][11][12][13], reductive aminations [14][15][16][17], and photochemical cyclization [18][19][20]. However, these approaches often necessitate multistep syntheses of starting materials and involve intricate experimental procedures, significantly impeding their practical

The effect of neighbouring group participation and possible long range remote group participation in O-glycosylation

• Rituparna Das and
• Balaram Mukhopadhyay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 369–406, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.27

• multistep synthesis of complex oligosaccharides and in turn, standardise the process of the glycosylation towards a particular stereochemical output. While neighbouring group participation has been quite effective in achieving the required stereochemistry of the produced glycosides, remote participation

• the presence of Pd-C. This deprotection protocol also facilitates an orthogonal deprotection strategy in multistep oligosaccharide syntheses in the presence of benzyl (OBn) groups (Scheme 6). The benzyl and cyanopivaloyl-protected hexarhamnoside derivative 37 was completely deprotected by a single

Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and carbonic anhydrase inhibition activities of multifunctional pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazine acetamides

• Ayesha Saeed,
• Shahana Ehsan,
• Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Abdus Saleem,
• Simone Giovannuzzi and
• Claudiu T. Supuran

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 348–357, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.25

• . Finally, none of the pyrazolobenzothiazine scaffolds showed hCA inhibition activity comparable to acetazolamide (AAZ, reference drug). Conclusion In summary, an economical multistep synthesis approach without using any coupling reagents for the synthesis of new multifunctional pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazines