Experimental and theoretical studies on the synthesis of 1,4,5-trisubstituted pyrrolidine-2,3-diones

• Nguyen Tran Nguyen,
• Vo Viet Dai,
• Nguyen Ngoc Tri,
• Luc Van Meervelt,
• Nguyen Tien Trung and
• Wim Dehaen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1140–1153, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.118

• interacts with CH3NH2 to form a stable complex (IS1), which is then transfered to the IS5 intermediate via the TS8 transition state with a high potential barrier of 49.5 kcal·mol−1. From the IS5 intermediate, there are two possible ways to yield product 10ab by removing one H2O molecule from either two O–H

• groups or O–H and N–H groups. Before a H2O molecule is released from two O–H groups, IS5 firstly converts to its isomer IS8 through the TS12 transition state with a relatively small potential barrier (ca. 2.6 kcal·mol−1). IS8 then removes H2O from two close O–H bonds to form the product 10ab via TS18

• bond to N atom (Scheme 4). This process is thermodynamically favorable by a Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of −6.5 kcal·mol−1. In addition, a second way from 4a, through the TS5 transition state, to form the IS3 intermediate requires an activation energy of ca. 33.7 kcal·mol−1. IS3 could release one H2O

Understanding the competing pathways leading to hydropyrene and isoelisabethatriene

• Shani Zev,
• Marion Ringel,
• Ronja Driller,
• Bernhard Loll,
• Thomas Brück and
• Dan T. Major

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 972–978, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.97

• pressure of 1 bar and temperature of 298 K. We note that for some reaction steps, a transition state could not be located. Summary of yields of HP and IE products in hydropyrene synthase. Free energy profile of hydropyrene cation (a), and IE cation (b) formation in the gas phase. The free energy of cation

Copper-catalyzed multicomponent reactions for the efficient synthesis of diverse spirotetrahydrocarbazoles

• Shao-Cong Zhan,
• Ren-Jie Fang,
• Jing Sun and
• Chao-Guo Yan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 796–808, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.80

• cycloaddition between the indole-based ortho-quinodimethanes (o-QDMs, A) and dienophiles affords the final spiro compounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 as major isomers through an endo-transition state. Due to the different polarity, 3-phenacylideneoxindole and isatylidene malononitrile resulted in regioisomeric spiro

Synthesis of bis-spirocyclic derivatives of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane via cyclopropene cycloadditions to the stable azomethine ylide derived from Ruhemann's purple

• Alexander S. Filatov,
• Olesya V. Khoroshilova,
• Anna G. Larina,
• Vitali M. Boitsov and
• Alexander V. Stepakov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 769–780, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.77

• using density functional theory (DFT) methods at the M11/cc-pVDZ level of theory. The cycloaddition reactions have been found to be HOMOcyclopropene–LUMOylide controlled while the transition-state energies for the reaction of 3-methyl-3-phenylcyclopropene with PRP are fully consistent with the

• transition state structures ΤS-4-endo, TS-4-exo, TS-4'-endo, and TS-4'-exo that were associated with a concerted mechanism of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Two of them, namely TS-4-endo and TS-4-exo correspond to the two nitrogen invertomers 4-endo and 4-exo of cycloadduct 4 while the other two TS-4'-endo

• -exo = 2.1 kcal/mol, ΔG‡4'-exo->4'-endo = 0.2 kcal/mol, and ΔG‡4'-endo->4'-exo = 3.8 kcal/mol). Since rapid interconversion takes place, it does not matter via which transition state (ΤS-4-endo or ΤS-4-exo) cycloadduct 4 is formed. The same pattern is consistent with cycloadduct 4'. It should be

A trustworthy mechanochemical route to isocyanides

• Francesco Basoccu,
• Federico Cuccu,
• Federico Casti,
• Rita Mocci,
• Claudia Fattuoni and
• Andrea Porcheddu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 732–737, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.73

• attributed to their probable reaction mechanism where the nitrogen atom not only promotes the enolate derivative formation as already described in literature [33][34] but it may also generate a positively charged intermediate at the transition state [35], enhancing the nucleophilic substitution. Obviously

Heteroleptic metallosupramolecular aggregates/complexation for supramolecular catalysis

• Prodip Howlader and
• Michael Schmittel

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 597–630, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.62

• complex [FeCu2(104)2]4+ (Figure 23), the latter controlling a double-click catalytic access to rotaxanes 109, by addition/removal of iron(II) ions [110]. Although [FeCu2(104)2]4+ is an open and flexible structure, the availability of two catalytic copper(I) centers positioned at 34 Å in the transition

• state of the second click reaction, leads to an astounding synthetic efficiency, although there is a major distance mismatch between the copper(I) ions in [FeCu2(104)2]4+ and two triazole units of the rotaxane. For instance, the system [FeCu2(104)2]4+ (dCu–Cu = 34 Å) afforded the formation of both 109a

Site-selective reactions mediated by molecular containers

• Rui Wang and
• Yang Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 309–324, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.35

• efforts to increase site-selectivity, with the best result of site-specificity [2][3][4]. However, it is rather difficult to do so, differentiating one certain reactive site from the similar others, because the difference between their transition-state free energies, that would modulate isomeric product

• the coiling conformation, giving rise to a compressed 5-membered-ring transition state. Later, the authors offered a detailed discussion regarding the mechanism of this reaction [73]. This example of using a synthetic receptor to achieve site-selective reaction fully showed how a molecular container

Iridium-catalyzed hydroacylation reactions of C1-substituted oxabenzonorbornadienes with salicylaldehyde: an experimental and computational study

• Angel Ho,
• Austin Pounder,
• Krish Valluru,
• Leanne D. Chen and
• William Tam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 251–261, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.30

• local minima have only real frequencies, while transition-state structures were characterized by exactly one imaginary frequency. Solvent effects (solvent = 1,4-dioxane) were taken into account using the polarized continuum model (PCM) of Tomasi and co-workers [72] and were involved in all geometry

• reductive elimination transition states, 2bTS3b is the more energetically accessible transition state with an energy barrier of 5.9 kcal/mol, that is 4.9 kcal/mol lower in energy compared to 2aTS3a. This large difference in activation energy (ΔΔG‡) between the two competing transition states offers

Organocatalytic asymmetric nitroso aldol reaction of α-substituted malonamates

• Ekta Gupta,
• Narendra Kumar Vaishanv,
• Sandeep Kumar,
• Raja Krishnan Purshottam,
• Ruchir Kant and
• Kishor Mohanan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 217–224, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.25

• derivative in good yield, albeit with a considerable diminishment in the ee (Scheme 4). Based on the literature reports and the stereochemical outcome, a plausible transition state is proposed, as shown in Figure 2. The activation of nitrosobenzene was achieved by the intramolecular hydrogen-bonding of the

• absolute configuration of C7 is S. Proposed transition state for the nitroso aldol reaction. Catalytic asymmetric nitroso aldol reaction. Variation of the amide moiety of malonamates. General conditions: 1 (0.20 mmol), 2a (0.24 mmol), 3a (0.04 mmol), toluene (3.0 mL). Yields refer to isolated yields after

Mechanistic studies of the solvolysis of alkanesulfonyl and arenesulfonyl halides

• Malcolm J. D’Souza and
• Dennis N. Kevill

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 120–132, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.13

• to synchronous bond-making and bond-breaking, with a small negative charge development on the sulfur at the transition state, for the solvolytic process. Subsequent to this 1927 study, Hammett reported [5][6] in 1937, the development of the Hammett equation, involving the consideration of a scale

• group present and to a very similar value of +0.37 in the presence of a p-nitro group. Again, these low ρ values are consistent with a transition state with very similar amounts of bond-breaking and bond-making, such that only a small amount of charge develops at the α-carbon. Over an eleven-year period

• . The plots all deviated modestly from linearity but overall an SN2 pathway with some degree of variation between the structures at the transition state was a logical assessment of the mechanistic situation. In a following publication [20], the solvolytic behaviors of methane- and ethanesulfonyl

The enzyme mechanism of patchoulol synthase

• Houchao Xu,
• Bernd Goldfuss,
• Gregor Schnakenburg and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 13–24, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.2

• , while the mechanism by Akhila et al. [10] can proceed via low transition state barriers. As discussed above, the mistake in the mechanistic work by Faraldos et al. [14] seems to reside in an impure starting material (2-2H)FPP containing additional deuterium at C15, but it is difficult to understand the

DABCO-promoted photocatalytic C–H functionalization of aldehydes

• Bruno Maia da Silva Santos,
• Mariana dos Santos Dupim,
• Cauê Paula de Souza,
• Thiago Messias Cardozo and
• Fernanda Gadini Finelli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2959–2967, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.205

• HAT step energetics and determined an optimized geometry for the transition state, showing that the hydrogen atom transfer between aldehydes and DABCO is a mildly endergonic, yet sufficiently fast step. The same calculations were performed with quinuclidine, for comparison of both catalysts and the

• the DFT/M06-2X/cc-pVTZ level with DABCO and quinuclidine. The energy profiles include the separated reagent molecules (Reac. ∞), the reactants complex (RC), the transition state (TS), the products complex (PC) and the separated products (Prod. ∞). Figure 3 show the calculated Gibbs free energies for

N-Sulfinylpyrrolidine-containing ureas and thioureas as bifunctional organocatalysts

• Viera Poláčková,
• Dominika Krištofíková,
• Boglárka Némethová,
• Renata Górová,
• Mária Mečiarová and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2629–2641, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.176

• this case, the nitroalkene could not be activated by hydrogen bonding via the (thio)urea moiety, however, it is also probably less sterically hindered (Figure 3a). The DFT calculated transition states support this analysis. The transition state TS-major-re-SR-cat leading to the major stereoisomer of

Visible-light-mediated copper photocatalysis for organic syntheses

• Yajing Zhang,
• Qian Wang,
• Zongsheng Yan,
• Donglai Ma and
• Yuguang Zheng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2520–2542, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.169

• proposed mechanism is shown in Scheme 15. Under blue visible light, the haloalkane is reduced by the copper acetylide to form the alkyl radical intermediate R2•. If aryl halide is the haloalkane, the copper acetylide is attacked by the aryl halide to form transition-state intermediate A. The copper

• acetylide is transformed into a high-valent CuIII complex, which subsequently undergoes reductive elimination or dissociation of the transition-state intermediate in the case of aryl halide to generate the target product (Scheme 15). From 2015 to 2020, Hwang and co-workers [67][68][69][70][71] investigated

Halides as versatile anions in asymmetric anion-binding organocatalysis

• Lukas Schifferer,
• Martin Stinglhamer,
• Kirandeep Kaur and
• Olga García Macheño

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2270–2286, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.145

• between the catalyst and the substrate, which exclusively stabilize the transition state that forms the major enantiomer. Furthermore, Gouverneur and co-workers established an enantioselective nucleophilic fluorination protocol using a chiral bis-urea catalyst 41 and CsF as an inorganic fluoride source

Transition-metal-free intramolecular Friedel–Crafts reaction by alkene activation: A method for the synthesis of some novel xanthene derivatives

• Tülay Yıldız,
• İrem Baştaş and
• Hatice Başpınar Küçük

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2203–2208, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.142

• deactivate the ring in the transition state. The lowest yield was observed for compound 5j to which a cyclopentyl group is attached. Since the cyclopentyl group in this compound is directly attached to the carbon from which the carbocation is formed, byproducts are formed and the yield is reduced since

Constrained thermoresponsive polymers – new insights into fundamentals and applications

• Patricia Flemming,
• Alexander S. Münch,
• Andreas Fery and
• Petra Uhlmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2123–2163, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.138

Enantioenriched α-substituted glutamates/pyroglutamates via enantioselective cyclopropenimine-catalyzed Michael addition of amino ester imines

• Zara M. Seibel,
• Jeffrey S. Bandar and
• Tristan H. Lambert

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2077–2084, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.134

• reported [45], for which a detailed transition state model was developed. In that study, it was determined that the reaction proceeds via several competing low-energy transition states involving both O–H and N–H enolate binding modes, E and Z enolate isomers, and a range of H-bonding and other noncovalent

• organizational interactions. This complexity makes the detailed prediction of the transition state organization for the current process very challenging. However, we propose that the general structure 19 shown in Figure 3 is a reasonable representation of one of the likely pathways (the major ambiguities being

• enolate geometry and N–H vs O–H binding). From this transition state, addition of the enolate to the acrylate followed by rapid proton transfer would lead to the glutamate derivative 10 (path a, red dashed line). A competing pathway involving bond formation between the acrylate α-carbon and the imine

Asymmetric organocatalyzed synthesis of coumarin derivatives

• Natália M. Moreira,
• Lorena S. R. Martelli and
• Arlene G. Corrêa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1952–1980, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.128

• proposed transition state includes activations of the enone via an iminium ion and the coumarin by hydrogen bonding. A series of optically active polycyclic pyranocoumarin derivatives 37 was obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) (Scheme 12). Kowalczyk and Albrecht

On the application of 3d metals for C–H activation toward bioactive compounds: The key step for the synthesis of silver bullets

• Renato L. Carvalho,
• Amanda S. de Miranda,
• Mateus P. Nunes,
• Roberto S. Gomes,
• Guilherme A. M. Jardim and
• Eufrânio N. da Silva Júnior

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1849–1938, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.126

Development of N-F fluorinating agents and their fluorinations: Historical perspective

• Teruo Umemoto,
• Yuhao Yang and
• Gerald B. Hammond

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1752–1813, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.123

• the phenol hydroxy group in the transition state. This assumption could also explain the high o-selectivity obtained in the fluorinations of naphthol, phenylurethane, and trimethylsilyl ether of phenol, and the exclusive 6-selectivity observed in the fluorination of conjugated enol triisopropylsilyl

Electron-rich triarylphosphines as nucleophilic catalysts for oxa-Michael reactions

• Susanne M. Fischer,
• Simon Renner,
• A. Daniel Boese and
• Christian Slugovc

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1689–1697, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.117

• rationalized. Note that although a two-step process is discussed herein, it is also conceivable that the reaction towards ii proceeds via a single transition state involving the Michael acceptor, the Michael donor, and the alcohol. Furthermore, the different nucleophilicity of the generated alkoxides might

Methodologies for the synthesis of quaternary carbon centers via hydroalkylation of unactivated olefins: twenty years of advances

• Thiago S. Silva and
• Fernando Coelho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1565–1590, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.112

• then furnished the cycloisomerized product (Scheme 18). Carbon-centered radical additions via metal hydride hydrogen H atom transfer Tertiary carbon free radicals are useful intermediates in the construction of new all-carbon quaternary centers. The late stage transition state associated with the

Fritsch–Buttenberg–Wiechell rearrangement of magnesium alkylidene carbenoids leading to the formation of alkynes

• Tsutomu Kimura,
• Koto Sekiguchi,
• Akane Ando and
• Aki Imafuji

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1352–1359, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.94

• group and methyl group to the carbenoid carbon atom was examined for each geometric isomer to locate the transition state [37]. While appropriate transition state structures were not found for the 1,2-shift of the methyl group in (E)-3e and the 1,2-shift of substituents in magnesium alkylidene carbenoid

• (Z)-3e, transition state structure (E)-3e‡ was found for the 1,2-shift of phenyl group in magnesium alkylidene carbenoid (E)-3e. The geometry around the carbenoid carbon atom in magnesium alkylidene carbenoids (E)-3e (C–Cl: 1.86 Å, C=C–Cl: 115°, C=C–Mg: 135°) significantly deviated from that of the

• standard sp2-hybridized carbon atom, suggesting that magnesium alkylidene carbenoids (E)-3e have partial vinylidene characteristics [19]. In the transition state structure (E)-3e‡, the ipso carbon atom (C3) of the phenyl group was located at the middle between the C=C bond (C2–C3: 1.72 Å, C1–C3: 1.70 Å

N-tert-Butanesulfinyl imines in the asymmetric synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles

• Joseane A. Mendes,
• Paulo R. R. Costa,
• Miguel Yus,
• Francisco Foubelo and
• Camilla D. Buarque

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1096–1140, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.86

• -aziridine in 50% yield under the same conditions. The transition state is proposed with a six-membered chair-like transition containing a four-membered metallocycle. In cis-aziridine the enolate of methyl α-bromoacetate has E-geometry and the trans-aziridine 8a has Z-geometry [32][33]. In the transition

• state, the metal cation of the enolate is being coordinated with both nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the sulfinimine [25][26] (Scheme 3). In 1999, Ellman and co-workers described the reduction of sulfinyl imines using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) [34] or o ʟ-selectride [35]. Davis–Ellman transition state

• based on the operating transition states [37][38]. A cyclic transition state is proposed in the reaction with sodium borohydride. In this transition state, the oxygen of the sulfinyl group interacts with the boron atom, facilitating the release of the hydride, directing the attack to the Si-face of the