Chemoenzymatic synthesis of the cardenolide rhodexin A and its aglycone sarmentogenin

• Fuzhen Song,
• Mengmeng Zheng,
• Dongkai Wang,
• Xudong Qu and
• Qianghui Zhou

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2637–2644, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.204

• key C14 β-hydroxylated intermediate 16 in 53% yield, accompanied by the separable C14 α-OH epimer in 27% yield. Later on, we assumed to achieve the deprotection of the sugar motif and the reduction of the C11 carbonyl of 16 simultaneously under Li–NH3(l) conditions, which would directly afford the

• final natural product rhodexin A in one step. Just as expected, when directly subjecting 16 to the abovementioned conditions, rhodexin A was indeed afforded albeit in only 10% yield. The required longer reaction time and elevated temperature to achieve deprotection of the sugar motif resulted in an over

• -reduction of the butenolide motif. The low efficiency of this reaction prompted us to pursue an alternative two-step approach. First, we performed the deprotection to remove all the Bz groups of 16 by NH3/MeOH, furnishing the saccharide 17 in 95% yield. Eventually, the quick stereospecific C11 carbonyl

Efficient solid-phase synthesis and structural characterization of segetalins A–H, J and K

• Liangyu Liu,
• Wanqiu Lu,
• Quanping Guo and
• Zhaoqing Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2612–2617, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.202

• (Scheme 1). Building upon previous work [17][18][19], we focused on optimizing key parameters: resin selection, Fmoc deprotection conditions, coupling reagents for linear assembly, and crucially, the cyclization step. Cost-effectiveness and commercial availability led us to select 2-chlorotrityl chloride

• resin as the solid support, enabling mild cleavage of the partially protected linear peptide precursor [21]. Efficient Fmoc deprotection was achieved using a solution of 1% pyridine and 1% 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) [22]. For the assembly of the linear

• , successful macrocyclization was achieved by employing benzotriazol-1-yloxytripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyBOP) as the coupling reagent in DMF at a concentration of 10−3 M. After cleavage from the resin and global side-chain deprotection, the crude cyclic peptides were purified by preparative

Recent advances in total synthesis of illisimonin A

• Juan Huang and
• Ming Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2571–2583, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.199

• rearrangement of 28 enabled the rearrangement of cis-pentalene to trans-pentalene, delivering intermediate 29, which possesses the same carbon skeleton as the natural product. Further oxidation of the primary alcohol to a carboxylic acid, accompanied by TBS deprotection, afforded hemiketal 30. Finally, a White

• deprotection and oxidation of the secondary alcohol, yielded the cyclization precursor 35. A B(C6F5)3-catalyzed tandem Nazarov/ene cyclization of 35 provided the key spirocyclic intermediate 37. The tertiary alcohol was protected in situ with TESOTf to suppress retro-aldol side reactions. Notably, prior TES

• deprotection of the cyclization precursor was essential, as the TES-protected analogue of 35 failed to deliver the desired spirocycle 38 under the Nazarov cyclization conditions. α-Oxidation of 38 with molecular oxygen afforded 39, which was then converted to 40 via formation of a chloromethyl silyl ether

Total syntheses of highly oxidative Ryania diterpenoids facilitated by innovations in synthetic strategies

• Zhi-Qi Cao,
• Jin-Bao Qiao and
• Yu-Ming Zhao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2553–2570, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.198

• the correct relative configuration undergoes hydrolysis of its spirocyclic lactone moiety under basic conditions to yield 13, establishing the critical C5 chiral center. Under acidic conditions, intermediate 13 undergoes ketal deprotection followed by successive intramolecular aldol reactions

• compound 19. This intermediate is converted to lactone 20 via base-promoted Grob fragmentation followed by acid-mediated MOM deprotection. Epoxidation of the C10–C11 double bond in 20, lactone hydrolysis-promoted epoxide ring opening, and inversion of the C10 hydroxy configuration, yield the key

• )allylium tetrafluoroborate, which was then coupled to the C3 hydroxy group via Yamaguchi esterification. Global deprotection subsequently afforded ryanodine (1) in 10 steps, thus achieving this critical synthetic transformation. Although the interaction of ryanodine with intracellular calcium release

Pentacyclic aromatic heterocycles from Pd-catalyzed annulation of 1,5-diaryl-1,2,3-triazoles

• Kaylen D. Lathrum,
• Emily M. Hanneken,
• Katelyn R. Grzelak and
• James T. Fletcher

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2524–2534, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.194

• tandem deprotection/click chemistry followed by Pd-catalyzed annulation is summarized in Table 1. The alkyne-substituted analogs 1–6 [48][49][50][51][52] used in this study were prepared from commercially available aryl halides using microwave-promoted Sonogashira coupling (Table S1, Supporting

• modification of the base-catalyzed conditions reported by Kwok [53], where a stoichiometric plus additional catalytic amount of tetraethylammonium hydroxide base in DMSO solvent was used to promote tandem trimethylsilyl deprotection and cycloaddition in one preparation (Figure 3). Isolated yields of this

• tandem approach preparing 7–12 ranged from 43–85%, which were similar to running the deprotection and cycloaddition reactions sequentially. Pd-catalyzed annulation using a modification of previously reported reaction conditions [46] under microwave irradiation instead of thermal heating converted 1,5

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

• compound 54 was proposed by the authors [38]. It involves deprotection of the TES group in 54 using tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) to give 55. In the presence of O2 and TBAF, 55 spontaneously oxidized to 56. Intramolecular hemiketalization of 56 resulted in the formation of hemiketal 57, followed by

Synthetic study toward vibralactone

• Liang Shi,
• Jiayi Song,
• Yiqing Li,
• Jia-Chen Li,
• Shuqi Li,
• Li Ren,
• Zhi-Yun Liu and
• Hong-Dong Hao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2376–2382, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.182

• deprotection followed by C–H insertion. However, when attempting to remove the ketal protecting group, only decomposition of the starting material was observed. A plausible explanation for this outcome is that the β-lactone ring, located at the β-position of the methyl ketone, may undergo facile β-elimination

• this key intermediate in hand, β-hydroxy acid 29 was synthesized through deprotection, IBX oxidation, and Pinnick–Lindgren–Kraus oxidation and the β-lactone 13 was subsequently obtained through activation of the carboxylic acid. Although we successfully constructed the molecular scaffold of

Research towards selective inhibition of the CLK3 kinase

• Vinay Kumar Singh,
• Frédéric Justaud,
• Dabbugoddu Brahmaiah,
• Nangunoori Sampath Kumar,
• Blandine Baratte,
• Thomas Robert,
• Stéphane Bach,
• Chada Raji Reddy,
• Nicolas Levoin and
• René L. Grée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2250–2259, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.172

• anilinoquinazoline 3a. Deprotection of the methoxy group by BBr3 gave phenol 4a which was propargylated to intermediate 5a. A final click-type reaction [27][28][29][30][31] with azide 6 gave the first target intermediate 7a. The second key intermediate 7b was prepared in a very similar manner, but starting from 3

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

• hydrazines. Their method involved a three-step process comprising Cu and Pd-catalyzed C–N bond formations followed by a dehydrogenative deprotection step (Figure 1b, top) [42]. This desymmetric approach was further employed by Oestreich and co-workers in 2022, who introduced silicon-masked diazenyl anions in

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

• (Scheme 3) [31][32]. Oxidation state adjustment of 48 led to the ketone 49. Starting from this common intermediate, firstly, base-promoted double bond migration and oxidation at the γ-position gave tertiary alcohol 50. Deprotection of acetyl in 50 followed by selective oxidation delivered (−)-cyrneine B

• , protection of the resultant primary alcohol, and hydrogenation afforded ketone 65. The LaCl3·LiCl-promoted addition of 65 with Grignard reagent followed by TES protection of the resulting secondary alcohol, regioselective deprotection of the TES group and in situ oxidation provided aldehyde 66. Next, 66

• 77 and subsequent deprotection produced tertiary alcohol 78. Starting from this common intermediate, on the one hand, through successive manipulations by diazotization and in situ azide substitution, AgNO3-mediated aza-Cope/Mannich [62] reaction delivered ketone 79. Subsequently, a three-step

Bioinspired total syntheses of natural products: a personal adventure

• Zhengyi Qin,
• Yuting Yang,
• Nuran Yan,
• Xinyu Liang,
• Zhiyu Zhang,
• Yaxuan Duan,
• Huilin Li and
• Xuegong She

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2048–2061, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.160

• approach. This key reaction mimics the plausible biosynthetic pathway and demonstrates great efficiency and sole diastereoselectivity, showcasing the plausibility of the biosynthetic proposal. Further redox manipulations of the last olefin and deprotection ultimately provided chabranol. To clearly confirm

• using chiral compound 40 with an acid-sensitive protecting group MEM on the alcohol as the precursor, the simple Brønsted acid TsOH successfully promoted the deprotection and dehydration to generate oxa-carbenium 41, which subsequently proceeded the Friedel–Crafts cyclization to furnish

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

• was initially investigated (Scheme 3). Chan’s diene (16) was subjected to condensation with freshly distilled aldehyde 17 in THF at room temperature, using a catalytic system comprising Ti(OiPr)4/(S)-BINOL complex (2.0 mol %). Subsequent deprotection with pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate (PPTS) at 0 °C

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

• JohnPhos (6) induced cyclization, yielding bicyclic compound 7 with a 7-membered heterocycle. Final deprotection of the methoxymethyl (MOM) group in 7 afforded (+)-heliannuol D (8). Having successfully applied PPL-catalyzed acetylation to the synthesis of (+)-heliannuol D, the Shishido group subsequently

• 62% ee. A two-step conversion of 34 gave diol 35, which underwent Prins/Friedel–Crafts tandem cyclization to construct tetracyclic compound 36. Final deprotection delivered (+)-brazilin (37). Candida antarctica lipase (CAL) CAL is a type of lipase originating from the yeast Candida antarctica and

• in intramolecular [7-exo] and [8-endo] cyclization, furnishing the 7-membered cyclic ether 40 and 8-membered cyclic ether 41, respectively. Finally, MOM deprotection produced (−)-heliannuol D (42) and (+)-heliannuol A (43). In 2002, Chênevert and co-workers completed the total synthesis of (S)-α

Photoswitches beyond azobenzene: a beginner’s guide

• Michela Marcon,
• Christoph Haag and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1808–1853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.143

• -triazoles 28 can be obtained by click chemistry (Scheme 6B) via one-pot deprotection of 26 and Cu(I)-catalysed reaction with an azide [43][44]. Heteroarylimines 31a,b can be easily obtained by condensation of a (hetero)aromatic aldehyde 30a,b with a (hetero)aromatic amine 29a,b [36][37][38] (Scheme 7). The

• reductive cross-coupling of benzyl halides when substituents prone to reduction (CN, esters) are present (Scheme 12C). The Ullman–Goldberg coupling of 41b with Boc-hydrazine followed by deprotection and oxidation then affords 35 [55]. Asymmetric diazocines can be synthesised by Sonogashira cross-coupling

• bromide 47, followed by Fmoc protection of 56, Boc deprotection of 57, reduction of the NO2 group to NO and intramolecular Mills coupling to form 35h. Removal of the Fmoc protecting group under basic conditions affords the unsubstituted product 35d which, after N-alkylation or acylation affords the

Preparation of a furfural-derived enantioenriched vinyloxazoline building block and exploring its reactivity

• Madara Darzina,
• Anna Lielpetere and
• Aigars Jirgensons

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1737–1741, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.136

• amino alcohols derived from furfural and ʟ- or ᴅ-valinol were subjected to Torii-type ester electrosynthesis to obtain the corresponding unsaturated esters. These served as key intermediates to prepare (S)- and (R)-enantioenriched unsaturated amides by N-Alloc deprotection which induced concomitant

• ][24] (Scheme 1). The proposed strategy relied on the N-deprotection of the intermediate ester 3d inducing O-to-N rearrangement to form amide 5 as a precursor of vinyloxazoline 6. For this purpose, Alloc (allyloxycarbonyl) turned out to be a suitable N-protecting group as it was compatible with the

• electrolysis conditions and its removal was compatible with the double bond and acetal functions in ester 3d (see Supporting Information File 1 for attempts of other protecting groups such as Boc, Troc, and tfa). However, Pd-catalyzed N-Alloc deprotection induced isomerization of the double bond leading to the

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

• -protected malassezione, which upon deprotection yields malassezione in an overall yield of ca. 20%. This is an improvement over the preparation of the isonitrile followed by an Fe hydride initiated isonitrile–olefin intramolecular coupling reaction, which generated malassezione with an overall yield of ca

• advisable to stockpile the penultimate synthetic intermediate 23 and subsequently conduct the deprotection on the smaller scale. Conclusion Overall, we have developed a facile synthesis of the natural product malassezione, utilizing an EDC-mediated coupling of N-Boc-protected indole-3-acetic acid. The use

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

• ]. For the synthesis of macrocycles M2 with two BINOL units, we relied on the monoiodide 12, which was first reacted in a two-fold Suzuki coupling to install the first linker, followed by silyl deprotection and introduction of the second linker via nucleophilic substitution [51]. Both procedures require

Chemical synthesis of glycan motifs from the antitumor agent PI-88 through an orthogonal one-pot glycosylation strategy

• Shaokang Yang,
• Xingchun Sun,
• Hanyingzi Fan and
• Guozhi Xiao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1587–1594, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.122

• all Bz groups with 1 M NaOH (dioxane/MeOH/H2O, room temperature). The monophosphorylated trisaccharide 1 was obtained in 60% overall yield over two steps from 12 after purification over a SephadexTM LH-20 column. It was noted that the switch of deprotection sequences (first Bz groups, second Bn and

• over the following steps: 1) deprotection of the TBDPS group, 2) phosphitylation of the free alcohol with phosphoramidite 11 in the presence of 1H-tetrazole and 4 Å MS, and 3) oxidation of the phosphite by mCPBA. Hydrogenolysis of Bn and Cbz groups in 14 with Pd(OH)2/C and subsequent saponification of

• yield via the switch of the TBDPS group with the phosphate group. First global deprotection of Bn and Cbz groups in 18 with Pd(OH)2/C, followed by saponifications of all Bz groups with 1 M NaOH provided the desired monophosphorylated pentasaccharide 3 in 56% overall yield, which is the major glycan

Heterologous biosynthesis of cotylenol and concise synthesis of fusicoccane diterpenoids

• Ye Yuan,
• Zhenhua Guan,
• Xue-Jie Zhang,
• Nanyu Yao,
• Wenling Yuan,
• Yonghui Zhang,
• Ying Ye and
• Zheng Xiang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1489–1495, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.111

• the presence of chromium trioxide–3,5-dimethylpyrazole complex [41] to provide compound 17 in 76% yield. After deprotection of the TBS and TES groups with TBAF, brassicicene A (7) was obtained in 75% yield. Compound 17 was subjected to α-hydroxylation from the less-hindered convex face using Davis’s

• oxaziridine [25], furnishing intermediate 18 in 72% yield. After deprotection of the TBS and TES groups, brassicicene R (8) was obtained in 70% yield. Therefore, alterbrassicicene E (6) and brassicicenes A (7) and R (8) were synthesized from brassicicene I over 4 or 5 chemical steps. Conclusion In summary

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

Synthetic approach to borrelidin fragments: focus on key intermediates

• Yudhi Dwi Kurniawan,
• Zetryana Puteri Tachrim,
• Teni Ernawati,
• Faris Hermawan,
• Ima Nurasiyah and
• Muhammad Alfin Sulmantara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1135–1160, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.91

• and deprotection steps, functional group transformations, stereocontrolled allylation, cross-metathesis, and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) olefination. This method highlights the power of catalytic stereocontrol, achieving the complex architecture of borrelidin fragments with efficiency and precision

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

• deprotection products, provides an interpretation of the NMR-spectra of (2R,6S)-9 in regard to conformation. This also offers insight into how specific constraints lead to certain conformations in six-membered rings, such as half-chair conformations. Noteworthy, the application of ᴅ-aminoadipic acid as an

• ) deprotection. Overview of reduction and deprotection to the final pipecolic acid derivatives (2R,6S)-5. Screened conditions for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling between bromide 2 and phenylboronic acid (8a). Overview of the relevant compounds with their chemical shifts δ, multiplicity, coupling constants J

Recent total synthesis of natural products leveraging a strategy of enamide cyclization

• Chun-Yu Mi,
• Jia-Yuan Zhai and
• Xiao-Ming Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 999–1009, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.81

• followed by deprotection completed the total synthesis, giving rise to (−)-cephalocyclidin A in 10 steps from known compounds. Conclusion In summary, the perception of enamides as stable chemical entities with limited utilities in organic synthesis has evolved, and these compounds are now widely used in

Orthogonal photoswitching of heterobivalent azobenzene glycoclusters: the effect of glycoligand orientation in bacterial adhesion

• Leon M. Friedrich and
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 736–748, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.57

• and excellent yield of 94% (Scheme 1). A chemoselective deprotection of the mannosyl thioacetate 7 to yield the glycosyl thiol 8 was achieved using 0.95 equivalents of sodium carbonate. The crude product was in turn submitted to a Buchwald–Hartwig–Migita cross-coupling reaction [33] with the

• antenna 17 in 73% over two steps. Subsequent deacetylation quantitatively yielded 6αMan 4 (Scheme 2A). Finally, the third required glycoazobenzene antenna, the 3-(α-ᴅ-mannopyranosyl)mannoside 3αMan 5, was directly obtained from the known mannosyloxyazobenzene mannoside 18 [24] after Zemplén deprotection

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

• peptide carbonyl group. Both moieties result from the glyoxylate compound (Scheme 43). There are many examples in which the ester moiety opens the possibility of a further intramolecular cyclization with a nucleophile (for example, a protected amine in an Ugi/deprotection/cyclization sequence [98][99][100