Visible-light-driven NHC and organophotoredox dual catalysis for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds

• Vasudevan Dhayalan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2584–2603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.200

• conditions. This visible-light-mediated dual catalytic method permits the efficient acylsilylation of substituted terminal alkenes 11 via NHC catalysis. Remarkably, this method afforded silyl radicals, which are typically difficult to prepare using conventional HAT-based catalytic methods. This method is

Transformation of the cyclohexane ring to the cyclopentane fragment of biologically active compounds

• Natalya Akhmetdinova,
• Ilgiz Biktagirov and
• Liliya Kh. Faizullina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2416–2446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.185

• ] described the first total syntheses of racemic meroterpenes (±)-andrastin D (106), (±)-preterrenoid (107), (±)-terrenoid (108), and (±)-terretonin L (109) using a Co-catalyzed homoallyl-type rearrangement/hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) as ring contraction strategy. Radical hydrochlorination of olefin 110 [57

Recent advances in Norrish–Yang cyclization and dicarbonyl photoredox reactions for natural product synthesis

• Peng-Xi Luo,
• Jin-Xuan Yang,
• Shao-Min Fu and
• Bo Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2315–2333, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.177

• singlet state, which undergoes intersystem crossing (ISC) to form the excited triplet state B. An intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) then ensues, producing the 1,4-diradical C, which can be converted into diverse products such as alkenes and enols (Scheme 1a). Notably, the 1,4-diradical

• conformational preference at C8 that favors 1,5-HAT occurring at C9. (2) In terms of stereoselectivity, the steric hindrance between the spin center at C14 and the axial methyl group at C10 restricts the rotation around the C13–C14 bond, thereby enabling the diradical to undergo coupling stereoselectively. As a

• C5–C6 bond) was subjected to Norrish–Yang cyclization conditions (Scheme 5b), the two methyl groups at C4 initially underwent non-selective 1,5-HAT, resulting in a loss of both regio- and stereoselectivity. In both cases, the functional groups on the ring E likely exert a significant influence on the

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• has been largely supplanted by greener methods employing less-toxic reagents. Using alternative methods, radicals can be generated by hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), resulting in the homolytic cleavage of a carbon–hydrogen bond. Other approaches for radical generation in modern radical transformations

• transferred to the radical. Important processes of this kind are hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and halogen atom abstraction. An intramolecular group transfer reaction can result in the net migration of a functional group. Addition of a radical to a π-bond (carbon–carbon or carbon–heteroatom) is another common

• preparation of chiral β-aminoalcohols [63]. Chiral copper(I) complexes convert imidate radicals, formed transiently through energy-transfer catalysis, to oxazolines. The transformation includes a regioselective and enantioselective HAT process. Upon blue LED irradiation, oxime imidates (derived from alcohols

The application of desymmetric enantioselective reduction of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the total synthesis of terpenoid and alkaloid natural products

• Dong-Xing Tan and
• Fu-She Han

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2085–2102, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.164

• and aldehyde 37, which was prepared with 9 steps from commercially available (+)-citronellol, underwent a Reformatsky-type radical addition under the conditions of Et3B/air/Bu3SnH to deliver aldol product [16]. Dehydration of the secondary alcohol gave (E)-38. The HAT radical cyclization [17] of 38 in

• -catalyzed intermolecular Diels–Alder reaction of 106 with methacrolein 107 afforded the common intermediate 108 in high yield. Sequential Grignard reagent addition and acid-promoted ethoxy elimination provided the separable planar diene 109 (dr = 1:1), which underwent a Mn-catalyzed HAT hydrogenation to

• intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction generated tricyclo[3.2.1.02,7]-octene 113. A two-step transformation including HAT hydrogenation and acetal C–H oxidation with RuCl3/NaIO4, 113 was converted into ketoester 114. The TFA-mediated C13–C15 bond cleavage of 114 proceed smoothly to give ring-opening products, which

Photochemical reduction of acylimidazolium salts

• Michael Jakob,
• Nick Bechler,
• Hassan Abdelwahab,
• Fabian Weber,
• Janos Wasternack,
• Leonardo Kleebauer,
• Jan P. Götze and
• Matthew N. Hopkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1973–1983, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.153

• photocatalyst radical anion ([PC]·−) and the DIPEA radical cation D (Scheme 1). Single-electron transfer from [PC]·− to the benzoylazolium species 1 would then regenerate the ground-state photocatalyst and afford the Breslow radical anion C, which could in turn react with D in a hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT

• electron to compound 3 could explain the formation of the fully reduced species 2. In this case, subsequent mesolysis would generate the benzyl radical cation G, which would deliver 2 following a HAT step with the DIPEA radical cation D. To confirm whether O-benzoylated species is indeed an intermediate in

• transfer between these species affording zwitterionic radical E is thermodynamically feasible (for details, see Supporting Information File 1). In an alternative pathway, direct hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from the silane to the oxygen atom of excited 1* could occur. A similar HAT-step from 1* was very

Asymmetric total synthesis of tricyclic prostaglandin D2 metabolite methyl ester via oxidative radical cyclization

• Miao Xiao,
• Liuyang Pu,
• Qiaoli Shang,
• Lei Zhu and
• Jun Huang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1964–1972, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.152

• -triisopropylbenzenethiol (TRIPSH) through a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process to afford intermediate 30 [39], which then cyclized to yield product 21. To install the allyl group at C8 with the desired stereochemistry, we treated compound 21 with p-TSA in EtOH at room temperature, and ketal 31 was obtained in 87% yield

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

• diastereoselectivity. Compound 288 was then treated with Co(acac)2, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), and O2 in degassed iPrOH, undergoing a hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT)-initiated redox radical cascade to give pentacyclic alcohol 289, which was converted to C18/19 diol 290 in two steps. To differentiate the two

Photocatalysis and photochemistry in organic synthesis

• Timothy Noël and
• Bartholomäus Pieber

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1645–1647, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.128

• of alkenylboronic esters using energy transfer catalysis [26]. Gualandi and co-workers leveraged a combination of photoredox and HAT catalysis to realize the intramolecular nucleophilic amidation of alkenes with β-lactams [27]. Further, Luridiana and colleagues developed a method for the alkylation

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

• polysubstituted oxetanes 64 (Scheme 18) [57]. The mechanism is based on a 1,5-HAT/radical recombination sequence where the H-atom transfer is triggered by an S0 → T1 excitation of the starting allyl ether 63 using an iridium photosensitiser and blue light for irradiation. The method employs mild reaction

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

• transfer (HAT) in photocatalytic reactions. These radicals display exceptional selectivity and efficiency in abstracting hydrogen atoms from C–H, Si–H, B–H, and Ge–H, positioning them as invaluable tools in synthetic chemistry. This review summarizes the latest advancements in the photocatalyzed generation

• of amidyl radicals as HAT reagents, with a particular emphasis on their role in the intermolecular HAT process. We highlight key developments, mechanistic insights, and emerging strategies that harness the unique reactivity of amidyl radicals in the selective functionalization of a variety of

• substrates. Keywords: amidyl radicals; C–H; HAT reagents; hydrogen-atom-transfer; late-stage functionalization; Introduction C–H bonds are the predominant chemical bonds in organic compounds, and their direct conversion can rapidly and efficiently increase the complexity and functionality of organic

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

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

• hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)/chiral copper dual catalytic system that achieved regiodivergent and enantioselective C(sp3)–C(sp3) and C(sp3)–N oxidative cross-couplings between N-arylglycine ester/amide derivatives and abundant hydrocarbon C(sp3)–H feedstocks (Scheme 6) [24]. This methodology also

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

• involving π–π-stacking [75]. The resulting radical anion releases NO also yielding the anion 63. Electron transfer to the radical cation of the photocatalyst regenerates it. In this step, the neutral radical 64 is also formed. Hydrogen abstraction (hydrogen atom transfer, HAT) yields compound 65. NO and the

Recent advances in electrochemical copper catalysis for modern organic synthesis

• Yemin Kim and
• Won Jun Jang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 155–178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.9

• products with high enantioselectivity. The catalytic cycle is depicted in Figure 7. The photoexcited photocatalyst anthraquinone (AQ*) acts as a hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) acceptor and transforms the alkylarene 20 into benzylic radical intermediate 23 together with reduced [AQ–H]•. The benzylic radical

• group across alkenes 27. This reaction is applicable not only to a wide range of terminal styrenes but also to internal alkenylarenes, enynes, and allenes, providing enantioenriched products in good yields with high enantioselectivities. This reaction involves Co-catalyzed HAT and Cu-catalyzed

• enantioselective radical cyanation. In the proposed catalytic cycle, Co(III)–H species 92 are initially formed from the anodically oxidized Co(III) complex 91 and hydrosilane 88 (Figure 15). Subsequently, the HAT between the Co(III)–H catalyst 92 and the alkene 27 generates a carbon-centered radical species 93

Giese-type alkylation of dehydroalanine derivatives via silane-mediated alkyl bromide activation

• Perry van der Heide,
• Michele Retini,
• Fabiola Fanini,
• Giovanni Piersanti,
• Francesco Secci,
• Daniele Mazzarella,
• Timothy Noël and
• Alberto Luridiana

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3274–3280, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.271

• pathway for the functionalization of an electron-deficient olefin is the Giese reaction (Figure 1) [6][7]. This reaction involves the hydroalkylation of the olefin via radical addition (RA), followed by either hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) or single-electron transfer (SET) and protonation. Traditionally

• photocatalytic activation (Figure 1b) [17][18][19][20][21]. A photocatalytic HAT or SET generates the corresponding boryl, α-amino or silyl radical, which can abstract a halogen atom from alkyl halides to form the corresponding alkyl radical. However, the use of TTMS as a XAT reagent had already been established

• slight increase in chemical yield. Giese reaction: Radical addition on olefins with an electron-withdrawing group (EWG) followed by a HAT or SET and protonation; halogen-atom transfer: (a) tin-mediated XAT, (b) XAT initiated by a photocatalyst (PC) and mediated by boranes (B), silanes (Si) or alkylamines

Advances in radical peroxidation with hydroperoxides

• Oleg V. Bityukov,
• Pavel Yu. Serdyuchenko,
• Andrey S. Kirillov,
• Gennady I. Nikishin,
• Vera A. Vil’ and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2959–3006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.249

• functional groups can be functionalized for any synthetic need via HAT or β-scission with subsequent C-centered radical formation [10][11][12][13]. Also, peroxy radicals play a key role in the chemistry of the Earth's lower atmosphere [14][15][16]. The traditional approaches to organic peroxide synthesis

• tendency to recombine with C-centered radicals and add to unsaturated bonds with the formation of new carbon–oxygen bonds. However, alkoxy radicals, which are always present in such systems, are involved not only in the formation of ROO radicals but also in hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) processes and β

• generate the nucleophilic carbon radical B. The intramolecular 1,5-HAT of B provided the alkyl radical C, which then cross-coupled with the in situ-generated high-valent Mnn+1OO-t-Bu species to form the 1,6-difunctionalized product 42 via peroxy-ligand transfer. The remote trifluoromethylthiolation

A review of recent advances in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical late-stage functionalization classified by anodic oxidation, cathodic reduction, and paired electrolysis

• Nian Li,
• Ruzal Sitdikov,
• Ajit Prabhakar Kale,
• Joost Steverlynck,
• Bo Li and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2500–2566, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.214

• method for the hydrolysis of hydrosilanes to silanols using N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as the hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT) mediator [38]. To demonstrate the potential of their approach, they showcased the LSF of natural products such as (−)-borneol and (+)-fenchol, as well as pharmaceutical drugs

• including ibuprofen, febuxostat, and gemfibrozil, achieving moderate to good yields. The proposed mechanism involves the oxidation and deprotonation of NHPI at the cathode to form phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) radicals. These PINO radicals act as HAT reagents, abstracting a hydrogen atom from the Si–H bond of

• authors, the reaction proceeds via hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) at the benzylic position, mediated by DDQ (2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone). The proposed mechanism includes two possible pathways: In path A, the benzylic position undergoes HAT to form a benzyl radical, which is then oxidized by

Photoredox-catalyzed intramolecular nucleophilic amidation of alkenes with β-lactams

• Valentina Giraldi,
• Giandomenico Magagnano,
• Daria Giacomini,
• Pier Giorgio Cozzi and
• Andrea Gualandi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2461–2468, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.210

• the linked alkene moiety, followed by hydrogen transfer from the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalyst. This process was used to successfully prepare 2-alkylated clavam derivatives. Keywords: β-lactam; acridinium photocatalyst; alkenes; amides; intramolecular radical reaction; photoredox catalysis

• -amidyl radicals uses activated N–O amide derivatives capable of generating amidyl radicals through fragmentation [18][19]. The direct formation of amidyl radicals in the presence of a carbon alkyl chain could lead to a competitive 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) [20][21][22], limiting the direct

• ) [23][24][25]. The nucleophilic attack of the nitrogen atom on the oxidized C=C double bond results in the formation of a radical intermediate after deprotonation. This radical intermediate can proceed through various pathways (e.g., HAT, oxidation) to yield the desired final product. In the

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of chiral homoallylic amines

• Nikolay S. Kondratyev and
• Andrei V. Malkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2349–2377, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.201

• deracemisation of an unsaturated amine 144 was reported by Li Dang and Xin-Yuan Liu (Scheme 30) [45]. They used CF3-radical-induced remote CH-activation, combined with Brønsted acid-catalysed chiral hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). In this reaction, triphenylphosphine first mediated the addition of the CF3-radical

Efficacy of radical reactions of isocyanides with heteroatom radicals in organic synthesis

• Akiya Ogawa and
• Yuki Yamamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2114–2128, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.182

• reaction into B–H or B–B bonds has been reported, but the reactions by a radical mechanism are largely unknown. Very recently, Turlik and Schuppe reported a novel generation of nucleophilic boryl radicals using hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and photoredox catalysis. Furthermore, its reaction with

Multicomponent syntheses of pyrazoles via (3 + 2)-cyclocondensation and (3 + 2)-cycloaddition key steps

• Ignaz Betcke,
• Alissa C. Götzinger,
• Maryna M. Kornet and
• Thomas J. J. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2024–2077, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.178

• hydrolactite catalysts (C-Mg-Al HAT-3) [90]. With β-ketoesters, the method can be extended to a four-component synthesis. Initially, β-ketoesters react with hydrazine to form pyrazolones, while a Knoevenagel reaction between malononitrile and aldehyde simultaneously generates a Michael system. Both

Ring opening of photogenerated azetidinols as a strategy for the synthesis of aminodioxolanes

• Henning Maag,
• Daniel J. Lemcke and
• Johannes M. Wahl

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1671–1676, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.148

• synthesis of azetidinols. Mechanistically, the Norrish–Yang cyclization involves a 1,5-hydrogen abstraction (HAT) step followed by ring closure to forge the azetidine scaffold (Scheme 2a, 1 → 3, via 1,4-biradical 2) [26]. The respective α-aminoacetophenones 1 were synthesized using a modular approach

Benzylic C(sp³)–H fluorination

• Alexander P. Atkins,
• Alice C. Dean and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1527–1547, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.137

• benzylic fluorination method that employed unprotected amino acids as radical precursors, Figure 12 [50]. Oxidation of glycine by Ag(II) promotes decarboxylation and results in the α-amino radical, which performs a HAT on the benzylic substrate to furnish the benzylic radical. This subsequently undergoes

• mechanism. Excess NFSI functioned as both a fluorine source and HAT reagent precursor (Figure 13) [20]. Fluorine abstraction from NFSI by copper(I) generates an N-centred radical that is selective for benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds [52][53], affording the benzylic radical via HAT. Subsequent FAT with the in situ

• detailed metal-free radical C(sp3)–H fluorinations suitable for benzylic substrates. These typically involve the generation of a HAT reagent that is selective for benzylic C–H bonds and facilitates the generation of a benzylic radical. Subsequent FAT, from a fluorinating reagent, yields the desired benzyl

Generation of alkyl and acyl radicals by visible-light photoredox catalysis: direct activation of C–O bonds in organic transformations

• Mithu Roy,
• Bitan Sardar,
• Itu Mallick and
• Dipankar Srimani

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1348–1375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.119

• phosphoranyl radical intermediate then undergoes β-cleavage, giving rise to a benzylic radical and triphenylphosphine oxide. A terminal hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), facilitated by an aryl thiol, results in the formation of the desired product with concurrent formation of the thiyl radical. The reduction of

•  21). Styrenes selectively reacted with vinyl ethers in the presence of an acridinium photocatalyst and a diphenyl disulfide HAT catalyst to produce the aldehyde product when exposed to blue LED light. Differently substituted styrenes were examined using this protocol, which produced the aldehyde

• breakdown of ethyl vinyl ether and trapping of ethanol, yielding radical 84. To regenerate the photocatalyst, PhSSPh functioned as an oxidant. After protonation upon the β-elimination step, PhS− contributed a hydrogen atom to both 83 and 84, alongside regeneration of the HAT catalyst. Lastly, the acetal