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

• cross-electrophile coupling of alkyl halides and nitroalkanes [76]. Yang and co-workers reported photoenzymatic asymmetric C(sp3)–C(sp3) oxidative cross-couplings between organoboron reagents and amino acids (Scheme 9) [37]. The authors used a synergistic system consisting of an engineered threonine

• engineered thiamine diphosphate-dependent lyase) working together with an organic dye (eosin Y) that served as a photoredox catalyst [77]. Highly diastereo- and enantioselective three-component couplings were catalyzed by an evolved pyridoxal decarboxylase and a small-molecule photoredox catalyst (rose

Pd-catalyzed dehydrogenative arylation of arylhydrazines to access non-symmetric azobenzenes, including tetra-ortho derivatives

• Loris Geminiani,
• Kathrin Junge,
• Matthias Beller and
• Jean-François Soulé

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2234–2242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.170

• rely on nitroso-aniline couplings, provide a route for the synthesis of non-symmetric azobenzenes, but their substrate specificity and use of hazardous precursors limit their practical applicability [25][26][27][28]. An alternative approach involves the SEAr reaction, which utilizes potentially

• contrast to classic Buchwald–Hartwig couplings – aryl bromides with substituents at the ortho-position (3a and 3c–g) are more reactive than those with substituents at the para-position (3b and 3h–l). This difference might be explained by steric repulsion, which may favor C–N-bond coupling with the terminal

Understanding the origin of stereoselectivity in the photochemical denitrogenation of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene and its derivatives with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics

• Leticia A. Gomes and
• Steven A. Lopez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2007–2020, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.156

• couplings at each 0.5 fs timestep. Our results indicate that the retained stereochemistry of housane is generated in the ground state via thermal conversion from inverted housane/diradical. Computational Details Single reference methods We used density functional theory (DFT) to optimize the ground-state

Convenient alternative synthesis of the Malassezia-derived virulence factor malassezione and related compounds

• Karu Ramesh and
• Stephen L. Bearne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1730–1736, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.135

• fully consistent with those published previously [20]. The observation of 19 carbon atoms in 1 (HRESIMS) and 10 carbon signals in the 13C NMR spectrum is in accord with the molecule being symmetric. The structure of di-indole 1 was further supported by 2D NMR. The 1H-1H COSY spectrum showed couplings

• the connectivities of these groups were supported from the 1H-13C HMBC spectrum. Couplings between the H8 and C9 (or H8′ and C9) atoms are consistent with the C8 and C8′ atoms linked to the carbonyl carbon (C9). In addition, couplings between the H8 and the C2, C3, C3a, and C8 carbon atoms, as well as

• between the H2 and the C3, C7a, and C8 carbon atoms, were observed. These couplings are consistent with the C8 and C8′ atoms being attached to the C3 and C3′ carbon atoms of the two indole groups, respectively. Furthermore, the 1H-13C HMBC spectrum showed couplings in the aromatic region consistent with

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

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

• thematic issue that visible light increases the reaction rate of palladium-catalyzed Negishi cross-couplings [34]. The integration of enabling technologies has also contributed to the success of photocatalytic organic synthesis [35]. Automated reaction platforms, high-throughput experimentation techniques

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

• reaction mixtures to increase the reaction rate only favoured the iododesilylation pathway. 1.1.2 Cu-catalysed intramolecular cross-couplings: In 2007, Li and Fang published a versatile Cu-catalysed intramolecular O-vinylation of γ-bromohomoallylic alcohols 54 yielding 2-alkylideneoxetanes 55 (Scheme 14

• -mediated intramolecular cross-couplings, 2-alkylideneoxetanes can also be accessed by formal [2 + 2] cycloadditions, which are discussed in chapter 1.3.2. 1.2 C–C Bond-forming cyclisations This relatively uncommon strategy is usually based on an ionic mechanism in which an SN2 substitution takes place

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

A versatile route towards 6-arylpipecolic acids

• Erich Gebel,
• Cornelia Göcke,
• Carolin Gruner and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1104–1115, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.88

• slightly distorted gauche couplings with torsion angles of approximately 60° and −60°, respectively. By analogy to a cyclohexane ring, the carboxylate of (2R,6R)-9 would be expected to adopt an equatorial position rather than an axial one. However, it is known from N-acyl pipecolic acid derivatives, that

• adopts a chair with only gauche couplings for H2 [3J(H2,H3,pro-S) = 5.7 Hz and 3J(H2,H3,pro-R) = 3.6 Hz]. Similarly, the configuration at C6 becomes evident by gauche couplings only between H6 and H5 [3J(H6,H5,pro-S) = 3J(H6,H5,pro-R) = 5.1 Hz] with an axial position for the aryl substituent at C6 as

• (2R,6S)-11, with only one set of 1H NMR signals, and, hence, one conformer. In addition, for the unprotected (2R,6S)-11 the coupling constants 3J(H6,H5,pro-R) = 12.8 Hz for proton H6 and 3J(H2,H3,pro-R) = 12.9 Hz for proton H2 indicate diaxial couplings, which in return confirms a flip to the more

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

Cu–Bpin-mediated dimerization of 4,4-dichloro-2-butenoic acid derivatives enables the synthesis of densely functionalized cyclopropanes

• Patricia Gómez-Roibás,
• Andrea Chaves-Pouso and
• Martín Fañanás-Mastral

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 877–883, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.71

• functionalized cyclopropane scaffolds depending on the nature of the carboxylic acid derivative. Chemodivergent reactivity observed in copper-catalyzed borylative couplings of allylic gem-dichlorides. Cu-Bpin-mediated dimerization of 4,4-dichoro-2-butenoic acid derivatives. Control experiments. Proposed

Formaldehyde surrogates in multicomponent reactions

• Cecilia I. Attorresi,
• Javier A. Ramírez and
• Bernhard Westermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 564–595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.45

• to the AAA coupling, except for iron, where the temperature must be increased to 100 °C. This can be explained in terms of the activation of both the C–H and C–X bonds by metal catalysis, which is not the case in AAA couplings, where only the C–H bond is activated, making the last step (nucleophilic

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

• [Os(tpy)2]2+/red-light irradiation system well-suited for large-scale manufacturing. In this way, the authors have also tested different osmium complexes in various well-established photocatalyzed reactions such as copper, palladium, cobalt, and nickel metallophotoredox couplings using red light

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

• systems combining copper catalysis with electrocatalysis have been developed to avoid the use of chemical oxidants. Thus, the substrate scope was expanded to include electron-deficient arylboronic acids. In 2019, Gale-Day et al. developed electrocatalytic Chan–Lam couplings of arylboronic acids with

Emerging trends in the optimization of organic synthesis through high-throughput tools and machine learning

• Pablo Quijano Velasco,
• Kedar Hippalgaonkar and
• Balamurugan Ramalingam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 10–38, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.3

• of stereoselective Suzuki–Miyaura couplings, offering precise control over both categorical and continuous variables (Figure 2a) [15]. The integrated robotic system containing a four-needle dispense head facilitated the delivery of reagents in low volume and slurries, ensuring the accuracy and

• Buchwald–Hartwig aminations [16][17][18][19], Suzuki couplings [16][17][20], N-alkylations [21], hydroxylations [22], and photochemical reactions [23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. The versatility to handle multiple reagents and the widespread availability of 96-well plates have facilitated the extensive

Germanyl triazoles as a platform for CuAAC diversification and chemoselective orthogonal cross-coupling

• John M. Halford-McGuff,
• Thomas M. Richardson,
• Aidan P. McKay,
• Frederik Peschke,
• Glenn A. Burley and
• Allan J. B. Watson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3198–3204, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.265

• cross-couplings. Schoenebeck and co-workers have shown that Ge-based compounds are versatile reagents within chemoselective cross-coupling processes for the formation of a variety of C–C and C–X bonds [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]. Importantly, these transformations can take place in the presence

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

• the radical Kharasch-type functionalization of organic molecules with OOR fragment including free-component radical couplings. The discussion has been structured by the type of the substrate of radical peroxidation: C(sp3)–H substrates; aromatic systems; compounds with unsaturated C–C or C–Het bonds

Recent advances in transition-metal-free arylation reactions involving hypervalent iodine salts

• Ritu Mamgain,
• Kokila Sakthivel and
• Fateh V. Singh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2891–2920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.243

• -arylations utilizing diaryliodonium salts, marked by significant contributions, notably from research teams led by Sanford [53] and Gaunt [54]. The synthesis of carbon–carbon bonds through metal-free approaches serves as a valuable complement to transition-metal-catalyzed couplings. This is particularly

Multicomponent synthesis of α-branched amines using organozinc reagents generated from alkyl bromides

• Baptiste Leroux,
• Alexis Beaufils,
• Federico Banchini,
• Olivier Jackowski,
• Alejandro Perez-Luna,
• Fabrice Chemla,
• Marc Presset and
• Erwan Le Gall

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2834–2839, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.239

• organometallic Mannich couplings involving nonstabilized organometallics are uncommon and mostly limited to dialkylzinc reagents, likely due to their commercial availability, their significant reactivity, and their functional-group tolerance [7][8][9][10]. However, the molecular diversity accessible with these

• species 2 were collected using a syringe and allowed to react with an amine 3 and an aldehyde 4 under moderate heating (Scheme 2). The multicomponent couplings proceeded smoothly, with an acceptable yield of the α-branched amine being obtained after 3 h at 50 °C. A range of secondary amines as well as

C–C Coupling in sterically demanding porphyrin environments

• Liam Cribbin,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Nicolae Buga,
• John E. O’ Brien,
• Raphael Bühler,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Mathias O. Senge

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2784–2798, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.234

• coupling reactions, Suzuki–Miyaura couplings are known to be a robust tool when functionalizing porphyrins [29][30]. Many complex porphyrinoid architectures have been synthesized in this manner, from functional porphyrin arrays [31][32][33] to sterically challenging meso-substituted aryl bis-pocket

5th International Symposium on Synthesis and Catalysis (ISySyCat2023)

• Anthony J. Burke and
• Elisabete P. Carreiro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2704–2707, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.227

• Suzuki couplings and the reduction of the thiazole moiety to 2,3-dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridines, a crucial intermediate, using BH3⋅NH3 and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane as a Lewis acid, followed by treatment with formic acid. Gillie et al. reported the synthesis of a laterally fused N-heterocyclic

Synthesis of fluoroalkenes and fluoroenynes via cross-coupling reactions using novel multihalogenated vinyl ethers

• Yukiko Karuo,
• Keita Hirata,
• Atsushi Tarui,
• Kazuyuki Sato,
• Kentaro Kawai and
• Masaaki Omote

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2691–2703, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.226

• chlorine atoms as reported by Hosoya and Niwa et al. In this study, we investigated the synthesis of fluoroalkenes 2 or fluoroenynes 3 by Suzuki–Miyaura or Sonogashira cross-couplings with a key building block 1 (Scheme 1D). Results and Discussion Optimization of the conditions of cross-coupling reactions

• cross-coupling between 1e, derived from m-aminophenol, and 4a proceeded in only 15% yield (Table 3, entries 17 and 18). We performed Sonogashira cross-couplings between 1 and a variety of alkynes 5 (Table 4). Arylacetylenes, which have electron-donating substituents on the aromatic ring (5b–f), and 2

• fluoroalkenes could be synthesized by applying other cross-couplings to 2. In addition, enynes 3 could be converted into derivatives, such as fluorine-containing alkynylalcohols [47], allene compounds [48][49][50], and heterocycles [51][52]. However, further experiments are required to expand the abilities of 2

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

Synthesis and conformational analysis of pyran inter-halide analogues of ᴅ-talose

• Olivier Lessard,
• Mathilde Grosset-Magagne,
• Paul A. Johnson and
• Denis Giguère

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2442–2454, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.208

• Kohn–Sham orbitals produced from DFT are localized to describe the system as one dominant resonance structure. As the Fock matrix is not diagonal in terms of the NBOs, coupling between orbitals can be quantified with second order perturbation theory. These couplings represent donation from an occupied

Catalysing (organo-)catalysis: Trends in the application of machine learning to enantioselective organocatalysis

• Stefan P. Schmid,
• Leon Schlosser,
• Frank Glorius and
• Kjell Jorner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2280–2304, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.196

• catalysts’. While the concept of generality was recently explored in a closed-loop fashion for Suzuki–Miyaura cross couplings to find the most general catalyst and reaction conditions [131], the application of this concept in the context of ML has found comparatively less attention in organocatalysis