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

• Peng-Xi Luo Jin-Xuan Yang Shao-Min Fu Bo Liu College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Rd., Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China 10.3762/bjoc.21.177 Abstract In recent years, the Norrish–Yang cyclization and related photoredox reactions of dicarbonyls have been extensively utilized in

• natural product synthesis. This review summarizes the latest advancements in these reactions for constructing terpenoids, alkaloids, and antibiotics. Through Norrish–Yang cyclization, dicarbonyls (e.g., 1,2-diketones and α-keto amides) can efficiently construct sterically hindered ring structures, which

• synthesis of natural products but also establish a solid foundation for subsequent pharmaceutical investigations. Keywords: dicarbonyls; natural product; Norrish–Yang cyclization; photoredox; total synthesis; Introduction In the 1930s, Norrish documented the photodecomposition of aldehydes and ketones [1

3-Aryl-2H-azirines as annulation reagents in the Ni(II)-catalyzed synthesis of 1H-benzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]pyrroles

• Julia I. Pavlenko,
• Pavel A. Sakharov,
• Anastasiya V. Agafonova,
• Derenik A. Isadzhanyan,
• Alexander F. Khlebnikov and
• Mikhail S. Novikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1595–1602, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.123

• discussed. Results and Discussion Guided by the known fact that 3-arylazirines in the presence of transition metal compounds are sensitive to the enol form of 1,3-dicarbonyls [5][17][18][19], we chose for our study methyl 3-hydroxybenzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylate (1) as an aromatic substrate having a 1,3

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

• extended enolate 96 to the ketone, cyclisation via addition/elimination and base-catalysed epimerisation towards the thermodynamically more stable diastereomer. In 2019, Nair and co-workers showed that this formal cycloaddition can also be performed with 1,2-dicarbonyls as electrophiles and under an

Hypervalent iodine-mediated intramolecular alkene halocyclisation

• Charu Bansal,
• Oliver Ruggles,
• Albert C. Rowett and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3113–3133, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.258

• unsaturated dicarbonyls 74 (Scheme 39) [57]. Using PhI(OAc)2 as an oxidant and TMSBr as a source of bromine and reaction promoter, a range of bromomethyldihydrofurans 75 were cyclised in good yields. Both 5- and 6-membered rings were formed, with homologation of the unsaturated chain. The authors initially

Copper-catalyzed yne-allylic substitutions: concept and recent developments

• Shuang Yang and
• Xinqiang Fang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2739–2775, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.232

• drug molecules were all suitable nucleophiles (Scheme 4, 5a–k). When R2 is an H atom, the reactions occur at the γ-position, resulting in the formation of 1,4-enynes (Scheme 4, 6a–d). Acyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls could also react with yne-allylic carbonates 1 at the γ-position because of the possible

• reaction. Therefore, they believe that the dearomatization caused by copper vinyl allenylidene intermediate remains a key step in the reaction (Scheme 30). Copper-catalyzed yne-allylic substitution–annulation reactions In the pioneering report [62], Fang et al. found that when cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls such

• structure precludes stable copper-carbonyl interaction, favoring attack from a less hindered site. Later, Qi and Xu et al. [75] achieved highly enantioselective copper-catalyzed [4 + 1] cyclization of yne-allylic esters and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls, achieving remote stereoselective control through copper

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

• undivided cell using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a platinum cathode at constant current, resulting in 1,4-dicarbonyls with yields up to 91% and enantiomeric excesses (ee) greater than 99%. This methodology was demonstrated in the LSF of two complex natural product derivatives: a β-ionone

Visible-light-mediated flow protocol for Achmatowicz rearrangement

• Joachyutharayalu Oja,
• Sanjeev Kumar and
• Srihari Pabbaraja

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2493–2499, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.213

• ; photocatalyst; sunlight; Introduction The furan ring moiety is present in several natural products [1] and serves as a key precursor to 1,4-dicarbonyls [2], cyclopentanones [3], and carboxylic acids [4], in synthetic organic chemistry. Furfuryl alcohols, a family of 2-substituted furan molecules, are

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

• efficiency of these reactions. In particular, traditional multistep syntheses of pyrazoles have considerably been extended by MCR. Progress has been made in the cyclocondensation of 1,3-dielectrophiles that are generated in situ. Limitations in the regioselectivity of cyclocondensation with 1,3-dicarbonyls

Synthesis of 2,2-difluoro-1,3-diketone and 2,2-difluoro-1,3-ketoester derivatives using fluorine gas

• Alexander S. Hampton,
• David R. W. Hodgson,
• Graham McDougald,
• Linhua Wang and
• Graham Sandford

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 460–469, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.41

• sufficiently electrophilic to react with the neutral enol forms of dicarbonyls 1a–i, we believe that N-fluoroammonium ion 6 (Scheme 3) reacts with 1a–i-enol, whereas fluorine does not appear to react with neutral 1a–i-enol to give 2-fluoro products 2a–i. Conversely, fluorine could react directly with the

• two equivalents of quinuclidine. We propose that the fluoride ion, generated in situ, deprotonates enolic forms of 1,3-dicarbonyls and accelerates the rate-limiting enolization of 2-fluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl intermediates. The resulting enolates are nucleophilic and could react with fluorine or in situ

Visible-light-induced nickel-catalyzed α-hydroxytrifluoroethylation of alkyl carboxylic acids: Access to trifluoromethyl alkyl acyloins

• Feng Chen,
• Xiu-Hua Xu,
• Zeng-Hao Chen,
• Yue Chen and
• Feng-Ling Qing

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1372–1378, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.98

• important functional groups such as dicarbonyls [15], diols [16], amino ketones [17] and so on. Recently, the introduction of a trifluoromethyl group into organic molecules has received great attention due to their wide applicability in medicinal [18][19] and materials [20][21] chemistry. The toxicological

On Reuben G. Jones synthesis of 2-hydroxypyrazines

• Pierre Legrand and
• Yves L. Janin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 935–943, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.93

• . Jones disclosed an original synthesis of 2-hydroxypyrazines involving a double condensation between 1,2-dicarbonyls and α-aminoamides upon treatment with sodium hydroxide at low temperature. This discovery turned out to be of importance as even today there are no simple alternatives to this preparation

• reactions to generate libraries of pyrazine derivatives [3][4]. In any case, as depicted in Scheme 1, Reuben G. Jones, working in 1949 in Eli Lilly’s Indianapolis research facilities, reported a sodium hydroxide-promoted condensation between 1,2-dicarbonyls 1 and the free base of α-aminoamides 2 to give the

Synthesis of bis-spirocyclic derivatives of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane via cyclopropene cycloadditions to the stable azomethine ylide derived from Ruhemann's purple

• Alexander S. Filatov,
• Olesya V. Khoroshilova,
• Anna G. Larina,
• Vitali M. Boitsov and
• Alexander V. Stepakov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 769–780, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.77

• reductive amination/cyclization of enantiopure cis-cyclopropane dicarbonyls [26]. The strategy based on azomethine ylide cycloadditions to cyclopropenes enables ready access to a wide range of spiro-fused 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes (Scheme 1a). Inspired by our recent achievements, we have focused on

Iron-catalyzed domino coupling reactions of π-systems

• Austin Pounder and
• William Tam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2848–2893, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.196

• methodology was extended to the carbosilylation of olefins with carbon nucleophiles 108 including indoles, pyrroles, and 1,3-dicarbonyls. The scope of the reaction was broad and could tolerate a variety of functional groups; however, electron-deficient alkenes afforded the products in slightly diminished

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

• of a Lewis acid (LA) to activate 1,3-dicarbonyls through the formation of metallic enolates was recently explored by Schindler’s group for the intramolecular tert-alkylation of prenylated β-keto esters 103 (Scheme 39A

Synthesis of β-triazolylenones via metal-free desulfonylative alkylation of N-tosyl-1,2,3-triazoles

• Soumyaranjan Pati,
• Renata G. Almeida,
• Eufrânio N. da Silva Júnior and
• Irishi N. N. Namboothiri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 762–770, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.66

• ). This might also be attributed to the lower yields obtained in certain cases. It may be noted that the outcome of the reaction is highly dependent on the nature of the 1,3-dicarbonyl compound. In the case of cyclic-1,3-dicarbonyls, cyclopentane-1,3-dione 2b reacts smoothly in almost all cases whereas

• can be explained by taking both hydrogen bonding and steric factors into consideration. In the solid as well as in the solution state, all the three above-mentioned 1,3-dicarbonyls exist in the enol form which are considerably stable and therefore undergo tosylation easily to form the corresponding O

• of dimedone (2d). Unlike cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls, the acyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls possess intramolecular hydrogen bonding and are in rapid equilibrium with their keto-form. In polar solvents, the stability of the enol form is further decreased and, therefore, the keto-enol equilibrium lies more towards

Recent developments in enantioselective photocatalysis

• Callum Prentice,
• James Morrisson,
• Andrew D. Smith and
• Eli Zysman-Colman

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2363–2441, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.197

Iodine-mediated hydration of alkynes on keto-functionalized scaffolds: mechanistic insight and the regiospecific hydration of internal alkynes

• Zachary Lee,
• Brandon R. Jones,
• Nyochembeng Nkengbeza,
• Michael Phillips,
• Kayla Valentine,
• Alexis Stewart,
• Brandon Sellers,
• Nicholas Shuber and
• Karelle S. Aiken

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2747–2752, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.265

• hydration reaction of alkynes serves as a green alternative to metal-catalyzed procedures. Previous work has shown that this method works well with terminal alkynes on keto-functionalized scaffolds, including 1,3-dicarbonyls and their heteroatom analogues. It was hypothesized that the reaction proceeds

A review of asymmetric synthetic organic electrochemistry and electrocatalysis: concepts, applications, recent developments and future directions

• Munmun Ghosh,
• Valmik S. Shinde and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2710–2746, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.264

• towards chiral 1,4-dicarbonyls bearing tertiary and all-carbon quaternary stereocenters via oxidative cross coupling of 2-acylimidazoles 85 with silyl enol ethers 86 (Scheme 32). Chiral Rh complex 87 was exploited as a Lewis acid catalyst for the purpose of activating the substrate towards anodic

5-Aminopyrazole as precursor in design and synthesis of fused pyrazoloazines

• Ranjana Aggarwal and
• Suresh Kumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 203–242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.15

• . Symmetrical 1,5-dicarbonyls reacted efficiently with 5-aminopyrazoles 16 to give the corresponding substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines 132 (Scheme 37). Moreover, the reaction of 1,5-dicarbonyls 131 with 5-amino-3-methylpyrazole 16 provided a mixture of two regioisomeric pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines. Kamal et

Oxidative dehydrogenation of C–C and C–N bonds: A convenient approach to access diverse (dihydro)heteroaromatic compounds

• Santanu Hati,
• Ulrike Holzgrabe and
• Subhabrata Sen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1670–1692, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.162

• benzothiazolines 64 to substituted pyridines 65 and benzothiazoles 66, respectively, in moderate to excellent yields (Scheme 18) [82]. The reaction was performed in methanol at ambient temperature. The optimized procedure also generated 65 and 66 from a one-pot reaction of various dicarbonyls, formaldehyde

Conjugate addition–enantioselective protonation reactions

• James P. Phelan and
• Jonathan A. Ellman

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1203–1228, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.116

• source in the stereodetermining step [27]. In 2012, Glorius and co-workers also reported the addition of aromatic aldehydes to α-carbon substituted acrylates 33 to provide differentiated 1,4-dicarbonyls 34b with good enantioselectivity [26]. When optimizing the catalyst‘s structure, the authors found

Simple two-step synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted pyrroles and 3,5-disubstituted pyrrole-2-carbonitriles from enones

• Murat Kucukdisli,
• Dorota Ferenc,
• Marcel Heinz,
• Christine Wiebe and
• Till Opatz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 466–470, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.44

• the literature. They can be obtained from enones by Michael addition of nitromethane, partial reduction and dehydrogenation of the resulting pyrroline with selenium or sulfur in moderate yields (3 steps) [40][41]. Alternatively, a Nef reaction of the nitromethane adducts gives masked 1,4-dicarbonyls

Mechanistic studies on the CAN-mediated intramolecular cyclization of δ-aryl-β-dicarbonyl compounds

• Brian M. Casey,
• Dhandapani V. Sadasivam and
• Robert A. Flowers II

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 1472–1479, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.167

• radical intermediates. Furthermore, DFT computational studies were used to rationalize the observed site selectivity in the 2-tetralone products. Keywords: CAN oxidation; β-dicarbonyls; free radical; radical arylations; tetralones; Introduction 2-Tetralones are important intermediates or components of

A concise synthesis of 3-(1-alkenyl)isoindolin-1-ones and 5-(1-alkenyl)pyrrol-2-ones by the intermolecular coupling reactions of N-acyliminium ions with unactivated olefins

• Nianhong Lu,
• Lihong Wang,
• Zhanshan Li and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 192–200, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.21

• terminal alkynes to give the doubly alkyl-substituted acetylenes [1][2][3]; the Brønsted acid and Lewis acid catalyzed coupling of alcohols with indoles to give the 3-alkyl-substituted indoles [4][5][6]; and the Brønsted acid and Lewis acid-catalyzed coupling of alcohols with 1,3-dicarbonyls to give the 2

• -alkyl-substituted 1,3-dicarbonyls [7][8][9]. All these reactions generally proceed by the addition of carbon cations to multiple bonds and subsequent deprotonation. In comparison, the reports for the coupling of alcohols with unactivated olefins to give the corresponding alkyl-substituted alkenes are

• . The coupling reactions of N-acyliminium ions with various carbon nucleophiles, such as allylsilanes, alkylmetals, TMSCN, 1,3-dicarbonyls, isonitriles, enol derivatives and aromatics has been studied extensively [15][16][17]. Few reports are found to deal with the intermolecular coupling reactions of N