Enantioselective desymmetrization strategy of prochiral 1,3-diols in natural product synthesis

• Lihua Wei,
• Rui Yang,
• Zhifeng Shi and
• Zhiqiang Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1932–1963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.151

• optically pure intermediates in total synthesis. This section focuses on applications of lipase-catalyzed acylation of prochiral 1,3-diols in total synthesis. Porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) PPL, a commercially available lipase isolated from fresh porcine pancreas [26], is one of the most widely used

Synthesis, biological and electrochemical evaluation of glycidyl esters of phosphorus acids as potential anticancer drugs

• Almaz A. Zagidullin,
• Emil R. Bulatov,
• Mikhail N. Khrizanforov,
• Damir R. Davletshin,
• Elvina M. Gilyazova,
• Ivan A. Strelkov and
• Vasily A. Miluykov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1909–1916, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.148

• , phosphine oxides, and bisphosphonates, allows for tailored modifications that enhance selectivity, bioavailability, and reduce potential side effects [8][9][10][11][12][13]. This versatility makes them valuable not only as drugs but also as intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry, facilitating access

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

• . This trend suggests that the lipophilic surfaces may destabilize hydrophilic intermediates, promoting faster conversion of HPMM to BMN, similar to the ground-state destabilization of polar substrates observed in enzymes with lipophilic pockets [54][55]. It should be noted that this result is in

Photoswitches beyond azobenzene: a beginner’s guide

• Michela Marcon,
• Christoph Haag and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1808–1853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.143

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

• styrene, leading to the in situ generation of two valuable intermediates that act as dual synthons for the synthesis of 2,4- and 4-substituted quinolines. As part of our ongoing efforts to develop innovative C–C and C–H activation strategies for constructing nitrogen-containing heterocycles [55][56], we

• herein report the first example of the earth-abundant iron-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of C(sp2)–C(sp2) bonds of styrenes and further utilization of the intermediates as dual synthons for the synthesis of two essential quinoline moieties as shown in Scheme 1b. Results and Discussion To validate our

• corresponding imines I and I′, as supported by the detection of imine I during GC–MS analysis. Both imines coordinate with the Lewis acid FeIII forming intermediates II and II′ with enhanced electrophilicity, respectively. Another equivalent of styrene (2a) attacks the electrophilic carbon, leading to the

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

• amino alcohols derived from furfural and ʟ- or ᴅ-valinol were subjected to Torii-type ester electrosynthesis to obtain the corresponding unsaturated esters. These served as key intermediates to prepare (S)- and (R)-enantioenriched unsaturated amides by N-Alloc deprotection which induced concomitant

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

• synthetic approaches (see Figure 1e) toward BINOL macrocycles had successfully used either Williamson-type reactions or Suzuki couplings for the synthesis of intermediates. Thus, we chose to compare the use of two-fold Suzuki coupling or two-fold Williamson reaction for the synthesis of macrocycles M1. For

• (in a two-fold Suzuki coupling) or with the BINOL-derived diol Me-2 (in a two-fold Williamson reaction) gave no meaningful yields of the desired intermediates Me-36 or Me-46, respectively. For this reason, we resorted to an alternative synthesis of the BINOL-based bistosylates Me/H/iPr-36. For the

Continuous-flow-enabled intensification in nitration processes: a review of technological developments and practical applications over the past decade

• Feng Zhou,
• Chuansong Duanmu,
• Yanxing Li,
• Jin Li,
• Haiqing Xu,
• Pan Wang and
• Kai Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1678–1699, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.132

• dramatically, and the number of nitrogen-containing compounds continuously increased. These compounds find broad applications in synthesizing energetic materials, dyes, flavorings and fragrances, pharmaceutical and pesticide intermediates, as well as specialty chemicals [2]. As delineated in Figure 1, a

• multifunctionality stemming not only from its strong proton-donating capacity but also its unique capability to stabilize reactive intermediates through preferential solvation effects. The optimal solvent choice must balance multiple factors: substrate solubility, nitrating reagent compatibility, temperature control

• nominal operating parameters (e.g., elevated temperatures approaching the decomposition threshold of nitro compounds, prolonged residence times that may promote polynitration, or extreme reagent stoichiometries that could generate unstable intermediates) while monitoring key performance indicators such as

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

• ), K2CO3 (0.181 mmol, 0.125 equiv), H3PO2 (0.725 mmol, 0.5 equiv.), neat, 110 °C. Yield was determined by NMR, isolated yield in parentheses. a48 h. Reaction profile and DFT energies of intermediates and transition states. M062X functional with the basis set 6-311+G(d,p) on the model reaction between

Chemical synthesis of glycan motifs from the antitumor agent PI-88 through an orthogonal one-pot glycosylation strategy

• Shaokang Yang,
• Xingchun Sun,
• Hanyingzi Fan and
• Guozhi Xiao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1587–1594, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.122

• comparison with previous, traditional, and time-consuming synthesis of PI-88 glycan components, the one-pot glycan assembly strategy has some advantages, including: 1) acceleration of glycan synthesis, 2) avoidance of purification of intermediates during glycosylation intervals, and 3) reduction of chemical

Synthesis of an aza[5]helicene-incorporated macrocyclic heteroarene via oxidation of an o-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene icosamer

• Yusuke Matsuo,
• Aoi Nakagawa,
• Shu Seki and
• Takayuki Tanaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1561–1567, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.119

•  1) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Nevertheless, partially fused macrocyclic intermediates are also important as they exhibit structural strain associated with both the polycyclic segments and the inherent strain stemming from the macrocyclic structure. For instance, cyclic chrysenylenes [13][14][15][16

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

• intermediates in the synthesis of several derivatives with important applications in medicinal chemistry. Furthermore, many marketed drugs feature the enaminone structural moiety. In this context, we have developed a photoredox and nickel catalytic system to rapidly forge the enaminone scaffold from 3

• ; enaminones; nickel; photocatalysis; Introduction Enaminones are relevant intermediates in organic chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These enamines have a carbonyl group conjugated to a carbon–carbon double bond, owing its great versatility in organic synthesis to its ability to

• (Figure 1). In view of the important biological roles of enaminones and their relevance as synthetic intermediates, it is not surprising that there has been a continuous focus on developing general, straightforward, and efficient strategies for their synthesis. Enaminones are usually accessed by

Ambident reactivity of enolizable 5-mercapto-1H-tetrazoles in trapping reactions with in situ-generated thiocarbonyl S-methanides derived from sterically crowded cycloaliphatic thioketones

• Grzegorz Mlostoń,
• Małgorzata Celeda,
• Marcin Palusiak,
• Heinz Heimgartner,
• Marta Denel-Bobrowska and
• Agnieszka B. Olejniczak

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1508–1519, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.113

• of non-concerted, step wise cycloadditions leading to mixtures of five- and seven-membered heterocyclic products (cycloadducts), and respective zwitterionic intermediates were postulated to explain the unexpected reaction pathway [11]. Due to the practically equal electronegativity of carbon and

• ,d, respectively, as the expected reactive intermediates after N2 elimination from 2c and 2d. Trapping of transient thiocarbonyl S-methanides 1 with enolizable 1-substituted 5-mercapto-1H-tetrazoles 4 Adamantanethione S-methanide (1a) is considered as a prominent representative of the ‘sulfur

Highly distinguishable isomeric states of a tripodal arylazopyrazole derivative on graphite through electron/hole-induced switching at ambient conditions

• Himani Malik,
• Sudha Devi,
• Debapriya Gupta,
• Ankit Kumar Gaur,
• Sugumar Venkataramani and
• Thiruvancheril G. Gopakumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1496–1507, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.112

• intermediates. (c) All 8 states are accessible reversibly even at lower sample voltages, indicating that switching can be performed between any given state at a low threshold voltage. That is, all states are accessible and are remarkably stable at all sample voltages. It is concluded that the high energy

Photoredox-catalyzed arylation of isonitriles by diaryliodonium salts towards benzamides

• Nadezhda M. Metalnikova,
• Nikita S. Antonkin,
• Tuan K. Nguyen,
• Natalia S. Soldatova,
• Alexander V. Nyuchev,
• Mikhail A. Kinzhalov and
• Pavel S. Postnikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1480–1488, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.110

• that bulky isonitriles effectively shield the radical or cationic centers in intermediates X1 or X2, thereby preventing multiple additions of isonitrile to give the highest yields for benzamides 2be and 2ge among the scope of isonitriles. In the final step of the reaction, the addition of a water

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

• transfer. In the second protocol, the β-lactone intermediates 7 are reduced to a diol and a subsequent Williamson etherification affords the oxetanes. Since both protocols consist of two steps and give only moderate yields, the overall oxetane yield and synthetic efficiency are rather low. In 2019, Marini

• -, particularly 2-methylideneoxetanes have become valuable intermediates in oxetane chemistry as they readily undergo a variety of chemical transformations, including ring-opening reactions with nucleophiles, epoxidations, cyclopropanations and [3 + 2] cycloadditions with nitrile oxides [51][52]. In addition

• potentially reactive functional groups such as alkenes, alkynes, halides or azides. In 2023, Coote et al. developed a synthetic approach to functionalised spirocyclic oxetanes 83 by combining a Paternò–Büchi reaction with succinic anhydride opening and esterification (Scheme 22) [63]. The key intermediates 82

Recent advances in amidyl radical-mediated photocatalytic direct intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer

• Hao-Sen Wang,
• Lin Li,
• Xin Chen,
• Jian-Li Wu,
• Kai Sun,
• Xiao-Lan Chen,
• Ling-Bo Qu and
• Bing Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1306–1323, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.100

• structurally diversified target molecules 65–68 under optimized reaction conditions. In these cases, the high polarity of the radical intermediates of CF3CH2OH and 4-methylbenzonitrile, combined with the poor solubility of adamantane, may explain the possible reasons behind the reaction process [91]. Amidyl

Recent advances in oxidative radical difunctionalization of N-arylacrylamides enabled by carbon radical reagents

• Jiangfei Chen,
• Yi-Lin Qu,
• Ming Yuan,
• Xiang-Mei Wu,
• Heng-Pei Jiang,
• Ying Fu and
• Shengrong Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1207–1271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.98

• single-electron-transfer (SET) process, leading to the formation of hybrid alkyl–Pd radical intermediates. The optimized conditions employed cesium carbonate as the base in 1,4-dioxane, under blue LED irradiation at room temperature, affording the desired products in moderate to good yields. The

Optimized synthesis of aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals by omission of solubilizing alcohol cosolvents

• Julius Krenzer and
• Thomas J. J. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1201–1206, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.97

• from in the process. For suppressing the formation of side products by self-condensation of S,N-ketene acetal intermediates the reaction temperature has to be kept as low as possible for assuring kinetic control. Therefore, in contrast to the standard protocol [5][6] (Scheme 2), reacting aroyl

Enhancing chemical synthesis planning: automated quantum mechanics-based regioselectivity prediction for C–H activation with directing groups

• Julius Seumer,
• Nicolai Ree and
• Jan H. Jensen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1171–1182, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.94

• be predicted by calculation and comparison of the relative energies of the proceeding palladacycle intermediate, as postulated in the Bell–Evans–Polanyi (BEP) principle [10][11]. Focussing on the intermediates allows for easier automation of the calculations since a minimum instead of a saddle point

• electrophilic aromatic substitution and a proton abstraction mechanism via CMD, where they calculated the relative energies of the intermediates. Using their workflow, they were able to predict correctly the regioselectivity for 18 tested substrates. The main limitation of this work is the computational cost

• module [18]. Similarly to previous works [9][14], we focus on the CMD step, the first and commonly the rate-determining step in C–H activation, and consider the prototypical Pd(OAc)2 catalyst. Using a selective approach, we calculate the relative energies of all relevant palladacycle intermediates using

A multicomponent reaction-initiated synthesis of imidazopyridine-fused isoquinolinones

• Ashutosh Nath,
• John Mark Awad and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1161–1169, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.92

• -donating group in 6o (R2 = 5-methyl) lowers the dienophilic nature and gave no product 8o. The R3 substituent from isocyanides is an important factor in forming intermediates 7 and promoting dehydrative aromatization for making products 8. The reactions with R3 = n-butyl resulted in the high yielding

• group on the imidazopyridine moiety have direct electronic impact on the IMDA reaction. This integrated reaction process provided a new avenue for the preparation of heterocyclic scaffolds with potential biological activity. Experimental General procedure for the synthesis of intermediates 4 and 6 The

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

• alcohols, 34 and ent-34, after recrystallization from hot hexane (100% ee by chiral phase HPLC, yield not reported). These alcohols were then treated with triphenylphosphine and iodine in the presence of imidazole to yield the iodides 35 and ent-35 (Scheme 2). The iodide intermediates were subsequently

• simple impurity removal from the key chiral intermediates through recrystallization, from which their exact structures could be elucidated by XRD crystallography. Zhou’s approach for constructing Omura’s C3–C11 fragment In 2018, Zhou and co-workers developed an efficient, high-yielding iterative

• 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

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

• carboxylate groups followed by a ring opening of the aziridine ring, forming azomethine ylide intermediates A. The intermediates A further undergo a [2 + 3] annulation (or cycloaddition) with aldehydes 2 through endo transition state TS to generate intermediates B, which release products 3 with regeneration

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

• active acid fluorides 48 by utilizing hypervalent iodine(III) of PhI(OPiv)2 and py·HF as the fluoride source to afford the corresponding amides 49 and 50 in excellent yields (Scheme 16) [48]. Herein, the hypervalent iodine(III) reagent reacted with the phenol group to give intermediates 51 and 52

• amide 57 from the corresponding acid chloride 46 by employing isothiocyanate in the presence of AgF (Scheme 19) [51]. Herein, fluoride ions attack the isothiocyanate to afford the reactive N-trifluoromethylated secondary amine intermediates 58. Xiao and co-workers (2019) prepared cinnamamide 13 from

• ) employed N-formylpyrrolidine (FPyr) and trichlorotriazine (TCT) to catalyze the amidation of cinnamic acid derivative 121. The reaction proceeds via formation of the reactive acid chloride 36 through cascade reaction involving reactive intermediates 123 and 124 (Scheme 37) [72]. Zeng and co-workers (2019

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

• iminium intermediates can serve as electrophiles. Due to the presence of an amide, the resulting iminiums from the enamides can be stabilized to take part in the second nucleophilic addition, though direct isomerization of the iminiums to the enamides is also possible (Figure 1). Guided by these

• various cyclization reactions that play a pivotal role in the total synthesis of natural alkaloids. The nucleophilicity of enamides and the electrophilicity of the resulting acyliminium intermediates can be strategically manipulated in numerous ways to design cyclization and annulation reactions. Notably