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

• afford propargyl halide C. Finally, intermediate C reacts with the secondary amine to give the propargylamine product D. As outlined in the catalytic cycle, the presence of a base plays a dual role: co-activation of the alkynyl C–H bond through deprotonation and trapping of the HCl produced during the

Synthesis of tricarbonylated propargylamine and conversion to 2,5-disubstituted oxazole-4-carboxylates

• Kento Iwai,
• Akari Hikasa,
• Kotaro Yoshioka,
• Shinki Tani,
• Kazuto Umezu and
• Nagatoshi Nishiwaki

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2827–2833, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.238

• heating, acting both as base and acid. This dual role activates the amide moiety and the ethynyl group, respectively. Using larger amounts of ammonium acetate substantially prolongs the reaction time due to its dissociation properties. Consequently, the yield of 5a increased to 92% by increasing the

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

• serves a dual role as a Lewis acid and an oxidizing agent. However, a significant limitation of the method is that it only tolerates aliphatic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, as the reaction with aromatic carbonyl compounds leads to very low yields. Improved yields for the latter can be achieved by isolating

SOMOphilic alkyne vs radical-polar crossover approaches: The full story of the azido-alkynylation of alkenes

• Julien Borrel and
• Jerome Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 701–713, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.64

• Hantzsch ester suppressed the formation of the desired product (Table 1, entries 8 and 9). Carrying out the reaction in the presence of sodium formate, which can play a dual role of H• donor and reductant [48][49], only led to a decreased of Ph-EBX (2) conversion, along with a diminished yield (Table 1

Mechanisms for radical reactions initiating from N-hydroxyphthalimide esters

• Carlos R. Azpilcueta-Nicolas and
• Jean-Philip Lumb

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 346–378, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.35

• conditions, affording product 61 [60]. On the other hand, reaction with 1,7-enyne 62 affords dihydroquinolinone product 63 via a cascade radical addition/cyclization process [61]. In both transformations, HE serves a dual role by activating the NHPI ester through EDA complex formation and providing a

• photoactive catalysts can be achieved by combining simple transition metal (TM) salts with suitable ligands. These TM catalysts are fundamentally distinct from traditional Ru- and Ir-based photoredox catalysts, as they play a dual role, by engaging in photoinduced electron transfer processes with the

Non-noble metal-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenation coupling (CDC) involving ether α-C(sp³)–H to construct C–C bonds

• Hui Yu and
• Feng Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1259–1288, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.94

• of ethers to obtain symmetric and asymmetric 1,1-bis-indolylmethane derivatives (Scheme 23) [84]. The reaction proceeds through the tandem oxidative coupling of the C–O bond and cleavage of the C–H bond. Fe plays a dual role in catalysing the C–C bond coupling and C–O bond cleavage as Lewis acid

Aromatic C–H bond functionalization through organocatalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aza-Friedel–Crafts reaction: a recent update

• Anup Biswas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 956–981, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.72

• various asymmetric chemical transformations. These compounds play a dual role in the catalytic cycle due to their intrinsic Brønsted acidity and the ability to H-bond formation. Organophosphoric acids can perform as both H-bond acceptors and donors. 1,1’-Bi-2-naphthol (BINOL) and 1,1’-spirobiindane-7,7

Clauson–Kaas pyrrole synthesis using diverse catalysts: a transition from conventional to greener approach

• Dileep Kumar Singh and
• Rajesh Kumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 928–955, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.71

•  17a). In this protocol, cyclodextrin (CD) plays a dual role as an acid catalyst as well as a phase-transfer agent that facilitates the smooth conversion of reactants into products. Most importantly, this catalyst can be easily recovered and used again for up to five cycles (Figure 4), with almost no

Light-responsive rotaxane-based materials: inducing motion in the solid state

• Adrian Saura-Sanmartin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 873–880, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.64

• azobenzene and ferrocene motifs (Figure 1a). The azobenzene scaffolds play a dual role, both as the engine transforming photoenergy into mechanical motion via trans/cis photoisomerization upon UV light input and as a modulator of the crystalline packing by varying the para-substituent R1, which leads to

Sulfate radical anion-induced benzylic oxidation of N-(arylsulfonyl)benzylamines to N-arylsulfonylimines

• Joydev K. Laha,
• Pankaj Gupta and
• Amitava Hazra

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 771–777, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.57

• -aryl(benzyl)amines to N-arylimines using K2S2O8 is reported to be problematic, the oxidation of N-(arylsulfonyl)benzylamines to N-arylsulfonylimines using K2S2O8 has been achieved for the first time. The dual role of the sulfate radical anion (SO4·−), including hydrogen atom abstraction (HAT) and

• abstracts the activated NH proton to produce imine 2. The dual role of SO4·− involving HAT and SET is proposed in this plausible mechanism, which requires further investigation. Similarly, a plausible mechanism for the one-pot synthesis of N-heterocycles is shown in Scheme 6. Initially, the N

• -substituted anilines. The key features including the use of a green oxidant, a short reaction time, chromatography-free isolation, and scalability mark a distinction from the contemporary methods. Although we propose a dual role for SO4·− involving both hydrogen atom abstraction (HAT) and single electron

From amines to (form)amides: a simple and successful mechanochemical approach

• Federico Casti,
• Rita Mocci and
• Andrea Porcheddu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1210–1216, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.126

• intermediate was not detected by NMR or GC–MS analysis, possibly due to its instability [64]. Several studies carried out on our reaction crude at different times did not show the presence of compounds traceable to formylimidazole. The imidazole plays a dual role as promoting reagent and solid grinding

Recent advances and perspectives in ruthenium-catalyzed cyanation reactions

• Thaipparambil Aneeja,
• Cheriya Mukkolakkal Abdulla Afsina,
• Padinjare Veetil Saranya and
• Gopinathan Anilkumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 37–52, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.4

• nitriles in moderate to good yields. Zhang and co-workers developed an efficient methodology for the synthesis of cyanated isoxazolines from the corresponding alkenyl oximes under mild reaction conditions (Scheme 25) [48]. The dual role of tert-butyl nitrite as oxidant and as a nitrogen source further

Selective sulfonylation and isonitrilation of para-quinone methides employing TosMIC as a source of sulfonyl group or isonitrile group

• Chuanhua Qu,
• Run Huang,
• Yong Li,
• Tong Liu,
• Yuan Chen and
• Guiting Song

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2822–2831, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.193

• -toluenesulfonylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) by using respectively zinc iodide and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as catalysts were developed. The distinguishing feature of this method is that TosMIC plays a dual role from the same substrates in the reaction: as a sulfonyl source or as an isonitrile source. The

• synthetic utility of this protocol was also demonstrated in the synthesis of difluoroalkylated diarylmethane 5 and diarylmethane ketone derivatives 6 and 7, which are important core structures in natural products and medicines. Keywords: chemoselective reactions; diarylmethyl sulfones; dual role

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

• form the desired product 13 (Scheme 9). In 2019, the same group [56] applied this protocol to the asymmetric cyanofluoroalkylation of alkenes. Under visible-light irradiation, the Cu-based catalyst plays a dual role as both the photosensitizer for the SET and the catalyst for asymmetric control (Scheme

• ester acted as an ideal radical precursor and accepted a single electron from the excited state CuI-acetylide complex. The copper catalyst plays a dual role, namely, as a photoredox catalyst and a cross-coupling catalyst. NHP-type esters inhibited the homodimerization of the alkyl radical and terminal

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

• under visible light irradiation at 35 °C (Scheme 15) [67]. Here, the diaryl ketone photocatalyst played a dual role as hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT) and electron-transfer agent. This C–H arylation protocol provided the diarylmethane derivatives 26 in moderate to good yields. In 2019, the Hashmi group

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

• obtaining diaryl sulfides [117]. Selenides Along with the oxygen insertion, Black et al. also performed the oxidative selenium insertion into the C-7 position of highly electrophilic 2-methylindole derivative 184. The dual role of selenium dioxide consists of activation of the C-7 position giving the

Biochemistry of fluoroprolines: the prospect of making fluorine a bioelement

• Vladimir Kubyshkin,
• Rebecca Davis and
• Nediljko Budisa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 439–460, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.40

• fluoroprolines has shown distinct effects on their activity [110][111][112][113]. 5.4 Intrinsically disordered proteins Proline residues are overrepresented in proteins that are lacking persistent structures, known as intrinsically disordered proteins [114]. Here, proline acts with a dual role: 1) as a breaker

The preparation and properties of 1,1-difluorocyclopropane derivatives

• Kymbat S. Adekenova,
• Peter B. Wyatt and
• Sergazy M. Adekenov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 245–272, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.25

• , Br, Scheme 63) [114]. In this transformation, BX3 played a dual role as both a Lewis acid catalyst and a source of the halide ion nucleophile. This reaction resulted in the generation of the trifluoromethyl ketones 145 and halodifluoromethyl ketones 146 and 147 in high yields. As in the previous

Photocatalyzed syntheses of phenanthrenes and their aza-analogues. A review

• Alessandra Del Tito,
• Havall Othman Abdulla,
• Davide Ravelli,
• Stefano Protti and
• Maurizio Fagnoni

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1476–1488, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.123

• approach, sodium triflinate was adopted as the trifluoromethyl radical source along with diacetyl, that played the dual role of photomediator and reaction medium [60]. The same trifluoromethylated derivatives were obtained from 7.1 in the presence of CF3SO2Cl upon direct UV light irradiation by a Xe arc

One-pot synthesis of 1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithione derivatives via three-component reactions

• Gui-Feng Kang and
• Gang Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1447–1455, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.120

• and orthoformates and provided a rapid entry to a variety of 4-aryl-6-(alkylthio)-3,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine-2(1H)-thiones (29 examples). The synthetic strategy relies on the dual role of thiourea in the cyclization with the aldehydes and the alkylation via an intermediate imidate formation. The

Exploring the scope of DBU-promoted amidations of 7-methoxycarbonylpterin

• Anna R. Bockman and
• Jeffrey M. Pruet

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 509–514, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.46

• relevant pteridine derivatives. Reactions which expedite the development of new pterins are thus of great importance. Through a dual role of diazabicycloundecene (DBU), 7-carboxymethylpterin is converted to the soluble DBU salt, with additional DBU promoting an ester-to-amide transformation. We have

• -bonding substituents like a β-hydroxy group. As such, the DBU amidation of 7-CMP can be viewed as an essential tool for heterocyclic chemists. The dual role of DBU in the amidation of 7-CMP. Role of a β-hydroxy group in aiding the amidation reaction. Pseudo-first order kinetics for representative amines

Microwave-assisted synthesis of 2-substituted 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1,3-thiazepines from 4-aminobutanol

• María C. Mollo,
• Natalia B. Kilimciler,
• Juan A. Bisceglia and
• Liliana R. Orelli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 32–38, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.5

• -toxic and environmentally safe. These reagents play a dual role, as they enhance the electrophilicity of nitriles, carbonyls and carbinols, and can also react irreversibly with water. Unlike PPA, a Brønsted acid incompatible with some acid-sensitive functionalities, PPE and PPSE are aprotic and mild

Synthesis of dihydroquinazolines from 2-aminobenzylamine: N³-aryl derivatives with electron-withdrawing groups

• Nadia Gruber,
• Jimena E. Díaz and
• Liliana R. Orelli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2510–2519, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.227

• involves a nucleophilic attack of the arylamino group on the amide carbonyl followed by H2O elimination (Scheme 3) [90]. In such processes, PPSE would play a dual role, activating the amide towards the nucleophilic attack and acting as water scavenger. However, deactivated arylamino groups such as 2/4

Bi-mediated allylation of aldehydes in [bmim][Br]: a mechanistic investigation

• Mrunesh Koli,
• Sucheta Chatterjee,
• Subrata Chattopadhyay and
• Dibakar Goswami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2198–2203, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.193

• temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), [bmim][Br] has been found to be a superior medium for the Bi-mediated Barbier-type allylation of aldehydes compared to other conventional solvents. It plays the dual role of a solvent and a metal activator enabling higher yields of the products in a shorter reaction time using

Bromide-assisted chemoselective Heck reaction of 3-bromoindazoles under high-speed ball-milling conditions: synthesis of axitinib

• Jingbo Yu,
• Zikun Hong,
• Xinjie Yang,
• Yu Jiang,
• Zhijiang Jiang and
• Weike Su

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 786–795, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.66

• synthesis of 3-vinylindazoles has been developed by sophisticated tuning of the chemical and mechanical parameters under ball-milling conditions. The reaction pathway was comprehensively studied, revealing the bromide salts to play a dual role by not only suppressing the dehalogenation of 3-bromoindazoles