1,4-Dithianes: attractive C2-building blocks for the synthesis of complex molecular architectures

• Bram Ryckaert,
• Ellen Demeyere,
• Frederick Degroote,
• Hilde Janssens and
• Johan M. Winne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 115–132, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.12

• -formation processes (Scheme 12) [82][83]. These recently obtained results indicate that a sulfur-stabilized carbon radical derived from 1,4-dithiane (1) is a viable reaction intermediate, opening up the use of 1,4-dithianes in various free radical-type cross-couplings. 5 Synthetic equivalents of the allyl

Synthesis and characterisation of new antimalarial fluorinated triazolopyrazine compounds

• Kah Yean Lum,
• Jonathan M. White,
• Daniel J. G. Johnson,
• Vicky M. Avery and
• Rohan A. Davis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 107–114, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.11

• lead compounds without the need for de novo synthesis [5]. Baran et al. has developed an operationally simple, radical-based functionalisation strategy that allows direct transformation of C–H bonds to C–C bonds in a practical manner [11]. This strategy involves the utilisation of sodium and zinc

• [14], we had undertaken some preliminary investigations into the use of commercially available Diversinate™ reagents and showed the bicyclic nitrogen-rich core of Series 4 was amenable to this chemistry, with radical sulfinate substitution occurring with high-selectivity at C-8 and in respectable

Practical synthesis of isocoumarins via Rh(III)-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation cascade

• Qian-Ci Gao,
• Yi-Fei Li,
• Jun Xuan and
• Xiao-Qiang Hu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 100–106, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.10

• reactions and radical transformations [36][37][38]. Based on the literature precedents [27] and our previous work [33][34][35], a mechanism for this Rh-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation reaction was proposed and depicted in Scheme 5. In the presence of AgSbF6, dimeric [Cp*RhCl2]2 transforms into the

NaI/PPh₃-catalyzed visible-light-mediated decarboxylative radical cascade cyclization of N-arylacrylamides for the efficient synthesis of quaternary oxindoles

• Dan Liu,
• Yue Zhao and
• Frederic W. Patureau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 57–65, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.5

• Dan Liu Yue Zhao Frederic W. Patureau Institute of Organic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.19.5 Abstract A practical NaI/PPh3-catalyzed decarboxylative radical cascade cyclization of N-arylacrylamides with redox-active esters is described, which

• afforded various functionalized oxindoles featuring a C3 quaternary stereogenic center. Mechanistic experiments suggest a radical mechanism. Keywords: decarboxylative cascade cyclization; iodide catalysis; metal-free photocatalysis; oxindole; phosphine catalysis; Introduction Radical-initiated cascade

• reactions constitute a powerful synthetic approach to construct multiple C–C or C–X bonds in one pot. As such, these tend to allow facile access to many complex natural molecules and drugs [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Recently, radical-initiated cascade cyclizations involving acrylamides have attracted considerable

Combining the best of both worlds: radical-based divergent total synthesis

• Kyriaki Gennaiou,
• Antonios Kelesidis,
• Maria Kourgiantaki and
• Alexandros L. Zografos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1–26, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.1

• of atom economy and protecting-group-free synthesis dominating the field of total synthesis. In this new era, total synthesis is moving towards natural efficacy by utilizing both the biosynthetic knowledge of divergent synthesis and the latest developments in radical chemistry. This contemporary

• for biological screening. The era of scalability [2] in total synthesis prompts researchers in this field to make use of more direct retrosynthetic disconnections with the aid of “radical” retrosynthetic analysis, as the advancement in the area now allows to harness one-electron power in a highly

• disconnections. As radical disconnections are gaining ground, more sophisticated retrosyntheses of natural products are unlocked, enriching thus their synthetic scalability [6][7]. A direct comparison of a classic vs a radical approach highlights the complementarity and, more often than not, the superiority of

Total synthesis of grayanane natural products

• Nicolas Fay,
• Rémi Blieck,
• Cyrille Kouklovsky and
• Aurélien de la Torre

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1707–1719, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.181

• , obtaining excellent selectivity in all cases. Alternatively, the same year, the authors published a vinyl radical cyclization occurring in presence of n-Bu3SnH, providing a stereoselective access to the bicyclo[3.2.1]octane unit corresponding to the CD rings [25]. Newhouse’s synthesis of principinol D In

• [3.2.1]octane 67 was achieved by a radical cyclization using n-Bu3SnH in refluxing toluene. A sequence involving an ester reduction, Ley–Griffith oxidation and Seyferth–Gilbert homologation with Bestmann–Ohira reagent allowed to obtain the alkynyl bicylo[3.2.1]octane 69. On the other hand, the five

• radical cyclization of an alkynyl ketone as the key step. The synthesis started by a Cu-catalyzed conjugate addition of the vinyl Grignard reagent, followed by TMS α-propargylation under basic conditions, affording the TMS-alkynyl ketone 76 as the major diastereomer (Scheme 11). Originally a Au-catalyzed

Redox-active molecules as organocatalysts for selective oxidative transformations – an unperceived organocatalysis field

• Elena R. Lopat’eva,
• Igor B. Krylov,
• Dmitry A. Lapshin and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1672–1695, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.179

• are a number of reviews on specific groups of redox-organocatalyzed oxidative transformations [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] and organocatalyzed enantioselective radical reactions were recently discussed [57]. However, the field remains not overviewed in general and it is not

• (Scheme 2). In the enamine type of catalysis (Scheme 2A) the key enamine intermediate can undergo one-electron oxidation (route 1), electrophilic radical attack (route 2), or electrophile attack (route 3). The one-electron oxidation leads to the electrophilic cation radical which can further undergo

• a nucleophilic reacting center. In addition to umpolung reactions with electrophiles, Breslow intermediates can undergo oxidation with the formation of radical cations or electrophilic acylazolium cations. The acylazolium cation in turn can undergo nucleophilic attack resulting in C–O and C–N

Naphthalimide-phenothiazine dyads: effect of conformational flexibility and matching of the energy of the charge-transfer state and the localized triplet excited state on the thermally activated delayed fluorescence

• Kaiyue Ye,
• Liyuan Cao,
• Davita M. E. van Raamsdonk,
• Zhijia Wang,
• Jianzhang Zhao,
• Daniel Escudero and
• Denis Jacquemin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1435–1453, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.149

• spectroelectrochemistry of the compounds was studied (Figure 7). For NI-PTZ, when a positive potential of +0.53 V (vs Ag/AgNO3) was applied, the hallmark absorption bands of the PTZ•+ radical cation centered at 516, 794, and 891 nm are observed [20]. These bands are similar to the ones observed for the previously

• reported NI-N-PTZ dyad. Upon a negative potential at −1.83 V (vs Ag/AgNO3) applied, the absorption bands of the NI•− radical anion at 424, 492, 720, and 801 nm are observed, which are also similar to the ones of the analogous dyad [20]. For NI-PTZ-O, similar NI•− absorption bands were observed. However

• the impact of the conformational restriction on the photophysical properties of NI-PhMe2-PTZ. We underline that the absorption of the CT states of the dyads may not be the “simple sum” of the absorption of the radical cation and the radical anion of the dyads, obtained by the spectroelectrochemistry

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase-mediated tailoring of triterpenoids and steroids in plants

• Karan Malhotra and
• Jakob Franke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1289–1310, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.135

• compound I (intermediate G), it is now generally accepted as a ferryl (Fe(IV)) oxo species with a radical cation in the porphyrin system [18][23]. In the case of hydroxylations, the oxygen from compound I (intermediate G) can then be transferred by an oxygen rebound mechanism (steps 7 and 8) via the ferryl

A one-pot electrochemical synthesis of 2-aminothiazoles from active methylene ketones and thioureas mediated by NH₄I

• Shang-Feng Yang,
• Pei Li,
• Zi-Lin Fang,
• Sen Liang,
• Hong-Yu Tian,
• Bao-Guo Sun,
• Kun Xu and
• Cheng-Chu Zeng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1249–1255, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.130

• ketones and thiourea via an oxidative cyclization initiated by a radical process and a following condensation reaction (Scheme 1c) [29]. Although these methods are practical, most of these strategies require stoichiometric or excess amounts of halogenating reagents or oxidants, which are toxic, hazardous

Polymer and small molecule mechanochemistry: closer than ever

• José G. Hernández

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1225–1235, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.128

• in the formation of H2 and O2 from the water splitting reaction by donating strain-induced electrons and holes [53]. The piezoelectricity obtained upon ultrasonication of BaTiO3 has also been used to trigger and sustain atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reactions of acrylate monomers by

• -known mechanophore that generates diarylacetonitrile radicals under force. Hence, when TASN derivative 8, bearing diarylurea moieties, was ball milled, the corresponding radical 9 was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Similar treatment proved that 6 was 28 times less prone

• a collision between the ball and a particle of a chitin sample and (b) mechanical treatment of a particle of a lignin sample in a ring-and-puck mill. (a) Ultrasound-induced ATRP using piezoelectric BaTiO3 and (b) mechanochemical atom transfer radical cyclization (ATRC) using BaTiO3 by ball milling

Reductive opening of a cyclopropane ring in the Ni(II) coordination environment: a route to functionalized dehydroalanine and cysteine derivatives

• Oleg A. Levitskiy,
• Olga I. Aglamazova,
• Yuri K. Grishin and
• Tatiana V. Magdesieva

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1166–1176, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.121

• radical anions influenced by substituents in the cyclopropane ring are discussed. Optimization of the reaction conditions opens a route to the non-proteinogenic amino acid derivatives containing an α–β or β–γ double C=C bond in the side chain; the regioselectivity can be tuned by the addition of Lewis

• donor–acceptor substituents contribute to the rich chemistry of these compounds. However, strict requirements for the nature of substituents somewhat narrow the applicability of the method. The electrochemical one-electron opening of a cyclopropane ring results in the formation of an ion-radical species

• stereoselective functionalization has not been probed as yet. Herein, reductive three-membered ring opening in the chiral α,α-cyclopropanated amino acids involved in the Ni(II)–Schiff base coordination environment is reported. Follow-up transformations of thus formed radical anions will be discussed, including

Electro-conversion of cumene into acetophenone using boron-doped diamond electrodes

• Mana Kitano,
• Tsuyoshi Saitoh,
• Shigeru Nishiyama,
• Yasuaki Einaga and
• Takashi Yamamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1154–1158, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.119

• propose a reaction mechanism (Table 2). First, we carried out the electrolysis of 1 in MeCN–MeOH to confirm whether the reaction intermediate is a radical or cationic species (Table 2, entry 1). As a result, methyl cumyl ether, a methoxy adduct to the benzyl position of 1, was obtained as the main product

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

• also important substructures in a variety of non-natural compounds and their pharmacological effects against bacteria [13][14][15][16], inflammation [17][18], viruses [19], radical [20], and cancer [21][22][23][24][25][26] have been proven. It is undoubtedly true that heterocyclic compounds containing

A Streptomyces P450 enzyme dimerizes isoflavones from plants

• Run-Zhou Liu,
• Shanchong Chen and
• Lihan Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1107–1115, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.113

• , Supporting Information File 1). Other plant polyketides, such as anthraquinones 19 and 20 and phenylpropanoids 21–24, failed to be dimerized. The reaction mechanism of P450-mediated phenol dimerization is believed to involve oxidative radical–radical coupling, though other mechanisms, such as radical

• addition, radical cation addition, and electrophilic aromatic addition, have also been proposed [1][10][29]. A proposed mechanism is depicted in Scheme 2: First, the hydroxy group on the A- or B-ring is converted into a radical by a P450-induced single-electron transformation. The resulting radical then

• migrates to the π-system and is stabilized in the ortho- and para-positions, generating diverse carbon radical intermediates. As a result, various dimers are formed via promiscuous coupling of these radical intermediates. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that other P450 enzymes in S. cattleya may

Radical cation Diels–Alder reactions of arylidene cycloalkanes

• Kaii Nakayama,
• Hidehiro Kamiya and
• Yohei Okada

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1100–1106, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.112

• 183-8509, Japan 10.3762/bjoc.18.112 Abstract TiO2 photoelectrochemical and electrochemical radical cation Diels–Alder reactions of arylidene cycloalkanes are described, leading to the construction of spiro ring systems. Although the mechanism remains an open question, arylidene cyclobutanes are found

• to be much more effective in the reaction than other cycloalkanes. Since the reaction is completed with a substoichiometric amount of electricity, a radical cation chain pathway is likely to be involved. Keywords: arylidene cycloalkane; Diels–Alder reaction; radical cation; single-electron transfer

• ; spiro ring system; Introduction Single-electron transfer is one of the simplest modes for small molecule activation, employing a polarity inversion to generate radical ions which have proven to be unique reactive intermediates in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. A radical cation Diels–Alder

Electrochemical formal homocoupling of sec-alcohols

• Kosuke Yamamoto,
• Kazuhisa Arita,
• Masashi Shiota,
• Masami Kuriyama and
• Osamu Onomura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1062–1069, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.108

• from the corresponding vic-1,2-diol. Water may play a role as a proton source to facilitate the formation of the protonated ketyl radical through a concerted proton-electron transfer toward the ketone or smooth protonation of the radical anion species, which readily dimerize to vic-1,2-diol 2a [46][49

Electrochemical vicinal oxyazidation of α-arylvinyl acetates

• Yi-Lun Li,
• Zhaojiang Shi,
• Tao Shen and
• Ke-Yin Ye

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1026–1031, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.103

• diverse α-azidoketones in good yields without the use of a stoichiometric amount of chemical oxidant. A range of functionality is shown to be compatible with this transformation, and further applications are demonstrated. Keywords: azide; azidoketone; electrosynthesis; enol acetate; radical

• have reported a manganese dioxide-catalyzed radical azidation of enol acetates to afford the corresponding azidoketones using dioxygen as the oxidant (Scheme 1A) [14]. The adoption of electrosynthesis in green and sustainable redox transformations has been experiencing a dynamic renaissance [15][16][17

• ). The enol acetate A first undergoes anodic oxidation to form a radical cation intermediate B, which is then intercepted by azidotrimethylsilane to afford the benzyl radical C. Subsequently, this radical is further anodically oxidized to its oxocarbenium ion intermediate D, which finally reacts with

New azodyrecins identified by a genome mining-directed reactivity-based screening

• Atina Rizkiya Choirunnisa,
• Kuga Arima,
• Yo Abe,
• Noritaka Kagaya,
• Kei Kudo,
• Hikaru Suenaga,
• Junko Hashimoto,
• Manabu Fujie,
• Noriyuki Satoh,
• Kazuo Shin-ya,
• Kenichi Matsuda and
• Toshiyuki Wakimoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1017–1025, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.102

• nitrogen radical coupling mechanism in the biosynthesis of azoxymycins [12][13], which are aromatic azoxy natural products. A similar mechanism has been envisioned for the autoxidation and spontaneous dimerization of aliphatic hydroxylamines via the azoxy linkage in malleobactin D biosynthesis [14]. A

Electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of twisted dibenzo[g,p]chrysene derivatives

• Tomoya Imai,
• Ryuhei Akasaka,
• Naruhiro Yoshida,
• Toru Amaya and
• Tetsuo Iwasawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 963–971, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.96

• , dyes, liquid crystals, and light-emitting materials. A number of substituted DBCs have been reported in this context [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. To develop charge-transport materials, Rathore et al. reported on the stability of radical cations of

• groups are introduced in place of the isopropyl groups, which has a 0.06 V higher oxidation potential than that of MeO-DBC-1. This indicates that alkyl substituents in the X position are effective in stabilizing the radical cation, thus making it more susceptible to oxidation. Unlike DBC-H, an

Electroreductive coupling of 2-acylbenzoates with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds: density functional theory study on product selectivity

• Naoki Kise and
• Toshihiko Sakurai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 956–962, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.95

• Scheme 5. The first one is a radical addition of O-trimethylsilyl radical A, which is formed by a one-electron reduction of 1 and subsequent O-trimethylsilylation, to 2a and a following one-electron reduction of the resultant radical B to give enolate anion D (path a). The second one is an anionic

• acrylate (2c) is much less reactive as an acceptor in this reaction as shown in Scheme 6. The main product in this case was the same dimeric phthalide 9 as the product without the acceptor. These results suggest that this reaction proceeds with the radical addition of A to form anion D (path a). Next, the

• Shimadzu IRAffinity-1 infrared spectrometer. HRMS were measured on a Thermo Scientic Exactive FTMS spectrometer. Melting points were uncorrected. Column chromatography was performed on silica gel 60. THF was distilled from sodium benzophenone ketyl radical. TMSCl, TEA, and DMF were distilled from CaH2

Introducing a new 7-ring fused diindenone-dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]thiophene unit as a promising component for organic semiconductor materials

• Valentin H. K. Fell,
• Joseph Cameron,
• Alexander L. Kanibolotsky,
• Eman J. Hussien and
• Peter J. Skabara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 944–955, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.94

• Figure 9, for the generation of a radical cation and dication at half-wave potential values of +0.65 V (ΔEp = 0.05 V) and +0.87 V (ΔEp = 0.06 V), respectively. Two reduction waves, corresponding to the radical anion and dianion, can be seen at the half-wave potentials of −1.51 V (ΔEp = 0.06 V) and −1.64

Synthetic strategies for the preparation of γ-phostams: 1,2-azaphospholidine 2-oxides and 1,2-azaphospholine 2-oxides

• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 889–915, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.90

• with excess PCl5. However, the radical chlorination of 2-methylphenyl(methyl)phosphinic chloride (9) gave the desired 2-chloromethylphenyl(methyl)phosphinic chloride (10) in 65% yield with unreacted starting 9 in 25–30%, and the dichlorinated product 11 in 5–10%. The reaction of 2-chloromethylphenyl

Cathodic generation of reactive (phenylthio)difluoromethyl species and its reactions: mechanistic aspects and synthetic applications

• Sadanobu Iwase,
• Shinsuke Inagi and
• Toshio Fuchigami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 872–880, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.88

• bromodifluoromethyl phenyl sulfide (1) using o-phthalonitrile as a mediator generated the (phenylthio)difluoromethyl radical, which reacted with α-methylstyrene and 1,1-diphenylethylene to provide the corresponding adducts in moderate and high yields, respectively. In contrast, chemical reduction of 1 with SmI2

• ; (phenylthio)difluoromethyl radical; Introduction Organofluorine compounds containing a difluoromethylene group have been of much interest from biological aspects since the difluoromethylene group is isopolar and isosteric with an ether oxygen [1][2]. Particularly, organic molecules bearing a (arylthio

• olefins in moderate yields [5]. Prakash et al. also achieved fluoride-induced nucleophilic (phenylthio)difluoromethylation of carbonyl compounds using PhSCF2SiMe3 [6]. Quite recently, Shen et al., developed various nucleophilic, electrophilic, and radical difluoromethylthiolating reagents [1]. However

Thiophene/selenophene-based S-shaped double helicenes: regioselective synthesis and structures

• Mengjie Wang,
• Lanping Dang,
• Wan Xu,
• Zhiying Ma,
• Liuliu Shao,
• Guangxia Wang,
• Chunli Li and
• Hua Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 809–817, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.81

• (radical)–C(radical) bond and randomly directed annelated products [30]. Moreover, compounds 5a–c bear two C=C bonds, which may lead to more complex photocyclization products. 5-(Trimethylsilyl)dithieno[2,3-b:3′,2′-d]thiophene-2-carbaldehyde (4a) [19], 5-(trimethylsilyl)diseleno[2,3-b:3′,2′-d]thiophene-2