Synthetic strategies toward 1,3-oxathiolane nucleoside analogues

• Umesh P. Aher,
• Dhananjai Srivastava,
• Girij P. Singh and
• Jayashree B. S

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2680–2715, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.182

• introduction on important classical approaches and older yet creative methods to provide the reader with a historical context. For comparison, this will be followed by a discussion of more modern techniques, including chiral auxiliaries for neighboring group participation and transition metal-catalyzed

Synthesis of highly substituted fluorenones via metal-free TBHP-promoted oxidative cyclization of 2-(aminomethyl)biphenyls. Application to the total synthesis of nobilone

• Ilya A. P. Jourjine,
• Lukas Zeisel,
• Jürgen Krauß and
• Franz Bracher

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2668–2679, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.181

• radical cyclizations [22], Pschorr reactions [23], and diverse cycloaddition protocols [24][25]. Especially transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions starting from benzophenones, benzoic acids, dihalogenated benzene building blocks and others have emerged as new approaches in recent years [26

• ][27][28]. Various approaches starting from functionalized biaryls have hereby attracted considerable interest, since the precursors are readily available by established cross-coupling reactions. Beyond transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, acid-mediated cyclizations of biphenylcarboxylic acids and

• group (Scheme 2) [33]. In contrast to transition-metal-mediated approaches [27], metal-free oxidative methods are attractive not only from an ecological point of view, but also due to the typically low cost of the applied oxidants. Biarylcarboxaldehydes were cyclized to fluorenones using K2S2O8 [34

AlBr₃-Promoted stereoselective anti-hydroarylation of the acetylene bond in 3-arylpropynenitriles by electron-rich arenes: synthesis of 3,3-diarylpropenenitriles

• Yelizaveta Gorbunova,
• Dmitry S. Ryabukhin and
• Aleksander V. Vasilyev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2663–2667, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.180

• nitriles 1. At the last step of the reaction, a proton substitutes AlBr3, and final hydrolysis of the reaction mixture gives rise to nitriles 2. It should be noted that this AlBr3-promoted hydroarylation of acetylene nitriles 1 (Scheme 1) is a novel transition-metal (Pd, Pt, Rh, etc.)-free stereoselective

• [17]. Conclusion We have developed a novel transition-metal (Pd, Pt, Rh, etc.)-free procedure for the regio- and stereoselective hydroarylation of the carbon–carbon triple bond in 3-arylpropynenitriles by arenes under electrophilic activation by aluminum bromide AlBr3. The obtained 3,3

Electrocatalytic C(sp³)–H/C(sp)–H cross-coupling in continuous flow through TEMPO/copper relay catalysis

• Bin Guo and
• Hai-Chao Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2650–2656, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.178

• transition-metal electrocatalysis [33][34][35][36][37][38][39], transition-metal electrocatalysis in continuous flow remains underexplored [40]. With our continued interests in transition-metal electrocatalysis [41][42] and continuous-flow electrosynthesis [43][44][45][46][47][48], we report herein the

• electrochemical microreactors can be a viable tool for developing efficient transition-metal electrocatalysis. C(sp3)–H alkynylation of tetrahydroisoquinolines. L* = chiral ligand. TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl. DDQ = 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone. BPO = benzoyl peroxide. Substrate

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

• ; however, they suffer from relatively poor photostability [14][15][16]. Transition-metal-photoredox catalysts, such as ruthenium and iridium polypyridyl complexes, exhibit high redox potentials, long excited state lifetimes, and strong absorption [17][18][19][20]. However, high cost and their scarcity

Direct C(sp³)–H allylation of 2-alkylpyridines with Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates via a tandem nucleophilic substitution/aza-Cope rearrangement

• Siyu Wang,
• Lianyou Zheng,
• Shutao Wang,
• Shulin Ning,
• Zhuoqi Zhang and
• Jinbao Xiang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2505–2510, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.167

• acetamides and acetates catalyzed synergistically by a metal acyclic iridium complex and a chiral Cu(I) complex [19]. Besides transition-metal-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions, Lewis-base-catalyzed allylic functionalizations using Morita−Baylis−Hillman (MBH) adducts as electrophilic allylic

• demonstrated a direct C(sp3)–H allylic alkylation reaction of 2-alkylpyridines with MBH carbonates with mild and simple operation. The process does not need either a base or a transition metal catalyst. The mechanism of this reaction was envisioned involving a tandem SN2’ type nucleophilic substitution

Copper-catalyzed monoselective C–H amination of ferrocenes with alkylamines

• Zhen-Sheng Jia,
• Qiang Yue,
• Ya Li,
• Xue-Tao Xu,
• Kun Zhang and
• Bing-Feng Shi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2488–2495, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.165

• ][10][11][12]. However, the above protocols generally proceeded under harsh conditions that led to poor functional group tolerance and generated stoichiometric amounts of waste. Thus far, the transition-metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization strategy has innovated the way to producing ferrocene

• preparation of ferrocene–drug conjugates effectively. Mechanistic studies indicated that the C–H activation step was the rate-determining step. 3d-Transition-metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization to access functionalized ferrocenes. Scope of ferrocenes with morpholine. Scope of various amines with 1a

Recent advances in the tandem annulation of 1,3-enynes to functionalized pyridine and pyrrole derivatives

• Yi Liu,
• Puying Luo,
• Yang Fu,
• Tianxin Hao,
• Xuan Liu,
• Qiuping Ding and
• Yiyuan Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2462–2476, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.163

• condensation of α-halogenated carbonyl compounds, β-dicarbonyl compounds and amines; and iv) the latest developed multicomponent tandem reactions and transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]. Recently, substantial achievements have been made using azides as a

• synthesis [47]. Further, the Liu group reviewed the synthesis of allenes via transition metal-catalyzed 1,4-functionalizations of unactivated 1,3-enynes [48]. In this review, we will highlight the recent advances in the tandem annulation reactions of 1,3-enyne structural motifs for the construction of

Advances in mercury(II)-salt-mediated cyclization reactions of unsaturated bonds

• Sumana Mandal,
• Raju D. Chaudhari and
• Goutam Biswas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2348–2376, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.153

• chemists. Many transition-metal-salt-mediated cyclizations are reported in literature. Hg(II) salts have been successfully employed in cyclizations to form complex heterocyclic and carbocyclic structures that are impossible to synthesize with other transition metal salts. In this review, we have summarized

• transition metal reagents has found considerable applications in organic synthesis [1][2][3][4] and has radically changed the realm of chemical science. It also provides a powerful tool for the construction of complex molecular frameworks [5][6][7]. A plethora of reviews involving transition metals such as

• establishing this fact [26][27][28][29]. However, the main drawback of Hg(II) salts, as compared to other transition metal salts, is their increased toxicity [30][31]. Hg(II) salts on the other hand, are very cheap in comparison to other transition metal salts (Table 1) and one of the soft Lewis acids of the

Synthesis of phenanthridines via a novel photochemically-mediated cyclization and application to the synthesis of triphaeridine

• Songeziwe Ntsimango,
• Kennedy J. Ngwira,
• Moira L. Bode and
• Charles B. de Koning

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2340–2347, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.152

• , such as ionic liquid- and transition metal-catalyzed and other metal-free transformations [1]. A strategically diverse route to phenanthridines involves intramolecular cyclization of biaryl oximes, allowing for the formation of a new C–N bond. Such a strategy was explored by Deb and Yoshikai in the Fe

A visible-light-induced, metal-free bis-arylation of 2,5-dichlorobenzoquinone

• Pieterjan Winant and
• Wim Dehaen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2315–2320, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.149

• precursor, potentially leading to both regioisomers and unwanted side products, complicating purification. As a result, accounts of bis-arylation using radical chemistry are scarce and report very low yields [29][30][31][32]. While transition-metal catalysis is a viable strategy, it is often based on

Photoredox catalysis in nickel-catalyzed C–H functionalization

• Lusina Mantry,
• Rajaram Maayuri,
• Vikash Kumar and
• Parthasarathy Gandeepan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2209–2259, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.143

• developments in the field of photoredox nickel-catalyzed C‒H functionalization reactions with a range of applications until summer 2021. Keywords: C–H activation; functionalization; nickel; photocatalysts; photoredox; visible light; Introduction During the last decades, transition-metal-catalyzed

• transformations have become one of the most reliable and basic tools for designing and manufacturing biologically relevant molecules and functional materials [1][2][3][4]. The formation of highly chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective products with excellent yields is the key reason for transition-metal catalysis as

• transition-metal-catalyzed direct allylation of unactivated C–H bonds is considered as the prevalent strategy in organic synthesis. Despite significant advances were accomplished in the allylation of (hetero)aromatic and alkenyl C(sp2)‒H bonds [109], related reactions of C(sp3)–H are less explored [110][111

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

• of their important biological and fluorescent uses. To summarize the main syntheses of these studies: in particular, transition metal-catalyzed cascade benzylation–cyclization [17], cyclization of polycyclic aryl triflate esters [18], reaction of β-naphthol and aldehydes [19][20] or inter- or

• organometallic chemistry and using transition metal catalysts, which need expensive and toxic chemicals. With the increasing interest in these methods, new organocatalysts and reagents that are less toxic, easier to use, readily accessible, and cheap have been developed [37]. In particular, the synthesis of

• arenes using the FCA methods with π-activated alcohols and organocatalysts has begun to be preferred over using conventional reagents, such as organohalogens and transition metal catalysts, which are toxic and require working under harsher conditions [38]. After these developments, the intramolecular FCA

Catalyzed and uncatalyzed procedures for the syntheses of isomeric covalent multi-indolyl hetero non-metallides: an account

• Ranadeep Talukdar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2102–2122, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.137

• could be attributed to the facile orbital interactions of the σ* orbital of silicon and the π* orbital of the butadiene unit, which overall lowers the energy of the LUMO [51][52]. Known previously with expensive transition-metal catalyst (Ru) [53], Grubbs demonstrated the first KOt-Bu-catalyzed C2–H

• only, thus stating the requirement of acid for this Fischer indole synthesis. Elemental sulfur has also been utilized in preparing bis(indol-3-yl)sulfides under transition-metal compound catalyzed spontaneous oxidation of the central chalcogen atom. Such reactions were carried out by Shibahara (2014

• with 5-iodoindole (182) in the presence of thiourea and a recyclable CuO nanoparticle catalyst (Scheme 26) [116]. This heterogeneous catalysis strategy bypasses the use of unpleasant aryl thiols, which are generally coupled with other aryl halides in the presence of transition-metal catalysts for

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

• synthesis of biologically relevant coumarins in aqueous medium [21]. Catalysis is one of the fundamental pillars of green chemistry [22], and the transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of coumarins has been reviewed by Sharma et al. [23]. More recently, Kanchana et al. published an account on the palladium

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

• twentieth most abundant element and the sixth most abundant transition metal in Earth’s crust. Rarely encountered in its metallic form, vanadium exists in oxidation states ranging from +5 to −3, including the four adjacent states +2 to +5 in aqueous solutions, and usually presents 4, 5 or 6 coordination

• in a cheaper way leading to an easier access of currently expensive treatments to the general population. Chromium-catalyzed C–H activation Chromium is a relatively abundant transition metal that has been used for oxidative reactions, including cross-coupling and carbon–carbon bond formation

• could help expanding the currently available methods in organic synthesis. Manganese-catalyzed C–H activation Manganese is the twelfth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and the third most abundant transition metal after iron and titanium [126]. The valence electron configuration of elemental

Sustainable manganese catalysis for late-stage C–H functionalization of bioactive structural motifs

• Jongwoo Son

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1733–1751, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.122

• biologically active small molecules and complex peptides. Keywords: bioactive molecules; 3d transition metals; late-stage functionalization; manganese catalyst; sustainable catalysis; Introduction Manganese, a 3d transition metal, allows for a potentially ideal sustainable catalytic system because of the

• ® (antiplatelet), Gleevec® (anticancer), and augmentin (antibiotic), also contain the benzylic amine motif. Therefore, C–H amination is synthetically important for the diversification of biologically active molecules. Transition metal catalysis has set the stage for C–H amination processes in organic syntheses

• [49]. To date, there are several examples of late-stage C–H amination methods that utilize iron and manganese as 3d transition metal catalysts [50][51][52]. However, intermolecular benzylic C–H amination has rarely been explored due to the challenges associated with selectivity and reactivity. In 2018

Cerium-photocatalyzed aerobic oxidation of benzylic alcohols to aldehydes and ketones

• Girish Suresh Yedase,
• Sumit Kumar,
• Jessica Stahl,
• Burkhard König and
• Veera Reddy Yatham

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1727–1732, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.121

• reported methods require either specific nanoparticle catalysts [39][40][41][42] or the catalytic method is limited to electron-rich or electron-neutral benzylic alcohols [56]. An operationally simple method avoiding waste and potentially toxic transition-metal catalysts that is able to convert any

Copper-mediated oxidative C−H/N−H activations with alkynes by removable hydrazides

• Feng Xiong,
• Bo Li,
• Chenrui Yang,
• Liang Zou,
• Wenbo Ma,
• Linghui Gu,
• Ruhuai Mei and
• Lutz Ackermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1591–1599, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.113

• -catalyzed C−H activations with the MHP auxiliary [41][42][43][44]. In continuation of studies on sustainable 3d transition metal-catalyzed C−H activation [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], we have now discovered a robust copper-promoted oxidative C−H/N−H functionalization with terminal alkynes (Figure 1d

• (Cq), 129.3 (CH), 128.7 (CH), 127.3 (CH), 127.3 (CH), 126.5 (Cq), 123.8 (CH), 119.8 (CH), 114.3 (CH), 107.8 (CH), 106.4 (CH), 36.7 (CH3); HRESIMS (m∕z): [M + H]+ calcd for C21H18N3O, 328.1444; found, 328.1439. Assembly of 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-one via 3d transition metal-mediated/catalyzed oxidative

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

• , numerous hydroalkylation methodologies have emerged that have explored the diverse reactivity patterns of the olefin double bond. This review presents examples of olefins acting as electrophilic partners when coordinated with electrophilic transition-metal complexes or, in more recent approaches, when used

• nucleophiles, along with transition-metal catalysis, in olefin alkylation reactions [18][19][20][21]. Apart from the early examples of olefin functionalization with transition metals, such as the well-known ethylene oxidation catalyzed by Pd(II) (the Wacker reaction) [23][24], the use of carbon nucleophiles in

• olefin hydroalkylation reactions using catalytic amounts of a transition metal was reported for the first time in 2001, about 42 years after the introduction of the Wacker reaction, in the seminal work by Widenhoefer [25]. Since then, more sophisticated strategies have been developed, and systems other

Synthesis of 1-indolyl-3,5,8-substituted γ-carbolines: one-pot solvent-free protocol and biological evaluation

• Premansh Dudhe,
• Mena Asha Krishnan,
• Kratika Yadav,
• Diptendu Roy,
• Krishnan Venkatasubbaiah,
• Biswarup Pathak and
• Venkatesh Chelvam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1453–1463, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.101

• extreme thermal conditions with the use of corrosive reagents. Much later, Larock and co-workers developed a Pd/Cu-catalyzed imino-annulation of internal alkynes [15], which paved the way for transition-metal-catalyzed cyclizations as easy access to these scaffolds. Notably, the gold-catalyzed tandem

Heterogeneous photocatalytic cyanomethylarylation of alkenes with acetonitrile: synthesis of diverse nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds

• Guanglong Pan,
• Qian Yang,
• Wentao Wang,
• Yurong Tang and
• Yunfei Cai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1171–1180, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.89

• radical initiator under mild conditions. A wide range of structurally diverse nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds including indolines, oxindoles, isoquinolinones, and isoquinolinediones have been accessed in high yields. This heterogeneous protocol features base- and transition metal-free, good catalyst

• byproduct 15 after deprotonation. Conclusion We have demonstrated the application of a heterogeneous CN-K semiconducting photocatalyst in the cyanomethylarylation of alkenes with acetonitrile utilizing a readily available NHPI ester as radical initiator. This transition metal-free protocol tolerates a broad

Recent advances in palladium-catalysed asymmetric 1,4–additions of arylboronic acids to conjugated enones and chromones

• Jan Bartáček,
• Jan Svoboda,
• Martin Kocúrik,
• Jaroslav Pochobradský,
• Alexander Čegan,
• Miloš Sedlák and
• Jiří Váňa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1048–1085, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.84

• Sciences, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic 10.3762/bjoc.17.84 Abstract The transition metal (palladium)-catalysed asymmetric 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to conjugated enones belong to the most important and emerging strategies

• ]. Evaluation of current state and outlook Asymmetric addition reactions to enones have so far been described in the literature in connection with catalysis. The catalyst is usually a complex of a transition metal with a suitable ligand. However, metal-free catalysis is also known [64]. Among the most

• successful transition-metal catalysts are those based on rhodium, as evidenced by the number of reports that deal with the issue. The rhodium-catalysed addition of various boronic acids to conjugated cyclic enones (the so-called Hayashi–Miyaura reaction) is a well-established method for 3-unsubstituted

Synthetic accesses to biguanide compounds

• Oleksandr Grytsai,
• Cyril Ronco and
• Rachid Benhida

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1001–1040, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.82

• on this feature to isolate biguanide as a copper complex. Interestingly, transition metal-biguanide complexes often present vivid colors because of a strong absorption in the visible range. Biguanides have been used in chemistry as versatile starting materials in organic synthesis, catalysts [5

Synthesis of 10-O-aryl-substituted berberine derivatives by Chan–Evans–Lam coupling and investigation of their DNA-binding properties

• Peter Jonas Wickhorst,
• Mathilda Blachnik,
• Denisa Lagumdzija and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 991–1000, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.81

• berberrubine (1b), which has been shown to give no products in an Ullmann reaction [31]. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the isoquinolinium unit towards alkaline conditions and redox-active transition metal ions, especially under aerobic conditions, may also cause the low yields [35][36][37]. Unfortunately