Visible-light-promoted radical cyclisation of unactivated alkenes in benzimidazoles: synthesis of difluoromethyl- and aryldifluoromethyl-substituted polycyclic imidazoles

• Yujun Pang,
• Jinglan Yan,
• Nawaf Al-Maharik,
• Qian Zhang,
• Zeguo Fang and
• Dong Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 234–241, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.15

• , Palestine 10.3762/bjoc.21.15 Abstract An efficient and eco-friendly approach for synthesizing difluoromethyl- and aryldifluoromethyl-substituted polycyclic imidazoles was established via a visible-light-promoted radical cyclization reaction. This method employed the readily accessible and inexpensive

• broader applicability in drug design to some extent. Besides, the incorporation of the PhCF2 group into tricyclic imidazoles has never been reported according to our best knowledge. Therefore, it is essential to explore environmentally friendly, cost-effective synthetic approaches for the construction of

• of our ongoing interest in radical cyclization reactions [22][23][24][25][26], we report here a sustainable and efficient protocol for synthesizing difluoromethylated and aryldifluoromethylated polycyclic imidazoles via visible-light-promoted cyclization of unactivated alkene-containing imidazoles

Synthesis and antimycotic activity of new derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines

• Dmitriy Yu. Vandyshev,
• Daria A. Mangusheva,
• Khidmet S. Shikhaliev,
• Kirill A. Scherbakov,
• Oleg N. Burov,
• Alexander D. Zagrebaev,
• Tatiana N. Khmelevskaya,
• Alexey S. Trenin and
• Fedor I. Zubkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2806–2817, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.236

• imidazole nucleophilic center not involved in the first step. This process leads to the formation of alternative final products: imidazo[1,2-a]imidazoles 10 and 12, imidazo[1,5-a]pyrimidines 4, 5, 11 and 14, and imidazo[1,2-a]diazines 13 and 15. The analysis of the spectral data (1H and 13C NMR, 2D NMR

• -spectrum antifungal agents. Among the many drugs and hits, the azole-based systems (including triazoles and imidazoles) are of particular importance in this context. Their mechanism of action is the inhibition of the activity of the enzyme lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51), which is encoded by the CYP51

Negishi-coupling-enabled synthesis of α-heteroaryl-α-amino acid building blocks for DNA-encoded chemical library applications

• Matteo Gasparetto,
• Balázs Fődi and
• Gellért Sipos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1922–1932, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.168

• Supporting Information File 1). We decided to explore the potential of this methodology for the formation of α-heteroarylacetates. In particular, we were curious to see whether this methodology translates well for five-membered heteroarene substrates (e.g., thiazoles, pyrazoles, imidazoles) which are usually

• Negishi reaction (Supporting Information File 1). Preliminary experiments were carried out with and without blue light irradiation in the PhotoCubeTM photoreactor [45]. These experiments revealed that while the conversion of imidazoles and pyrazoles benefits from irradiation, thiazoles seem to be largely

• , showing that N-protection is not mandatory for this transformation. 3-Bromo- and 3-chloroindazoles offered moderate yields (39% and 48% for 2p and 2q, respectively), while 5-substituted 2r was isolated with 82% yield. In contrast to pyrazoles and indazoles, benzimidazoles and imidazoles required the

2-Heteroarylethylamines in medicinal chemistry: a review of 2-phenethylamine satellite chemical space

• Carlos Nieto,
• Alejandro Manchado,
• Ángel García-González,
• David Díez and
• Narciso M. Garrido

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1880–1893, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.163

• obesity, oncology, CNS disorders, etc. Following these overwhelming features, these are not included in this work as capturing an adequate group of representatives, even selecting only the most prominent ones, would mask other heteroaromatic structures. Imidazoles: Probably, the pinnacle of the 2

The Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction in its maturity: innovation and improvements since its 21st birthday (2019–2023)

• Cristina Martini,
• Muhammad Idham Darussalam Mardjan and
• Andrea Basso

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1839–1879, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.162

• use of triflic acid (TfOH) resulted also in the cleavage of the alkyl group derived from the isocyanide, with formation of 47 (Scheme 18). Kanizsai et al. [51] have reported the synthesis of 4,5-disubstituted 2-amino-1H-imidazoles and their further modification through the GBB-3CR. The 2

• derivative because the base properties of the reagent could hinder AcOH from catalyzing the reaction. Smith et al. [54] explored the potential of acyclic amidines 54 in the synthesis of substituted-imidazoles via the GBB reaction under MW heating (Scheme 21). The resulting 5-aminoimidazoles 55 were in situ

• and the nitrogen atom in imidazoles 65. This interaction increased the steric hindrance around C-2 and allowed the Pictet–Spengler reaction to occur at position of C-4. Indole-4-carbaldehydes were also compatible with this transformation, while indole-2-carbaldehyde (70) surprisingly led to the

Polymer degrading marine Microbulbifer bacteria: an un(der)utilized source of chemical and biocatalytic novelty

• Weimao Zhong and
• Vinayak Agarwal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1635–1651, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.146

• from this bacterium by comparison of their 1H NMR and MS data with those reported in literature (Figure 7). Alkaloids Three new alkanoyl imidazoles 21–23 (Figure 8) were isolated from a culture extract of a Microbulbifer bacterium isolated from a scleractinian coral [15]. Their structures were

Generation of multimillion chemical space based on the parallel Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction

• Evgen V. Govor,
• Vasyl Naumchyk,
• Ihor Nestorak,
• Dmytro S. Radchenko,
• Dmytro Dudenko,
• Yurii S. Moroz,
• Olexiy D. Kachkovsky and
• Oleksandr O. Grygorenko

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1604–1613, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.143

• showed biological activity according to the ChEMBL database. Keywords: fused rings; heterocycles; imidazoles; isonitrile; multicomponent reactions; Introduction Multicomponent reactions are widely recognized as a powerful source of biologically active compounds, in particular, for drug discovery

• reaction is a three-component condensation of an α-amino heterocycle (e.g., 2-aminopyridine) 1, an aldehyde 2, and an isonitrile 3 providing the corresponding fused imidazoles (e.g., imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines) of general formula 4 (Scheme 1) [18][19][20][21]. Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and related heterocycles

Synthesis and physical properties of tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids based on 1-aryl-4,5-dimethylimidazolium cations

• Stefan Fritsch and
• Thomas Strassner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1278–1285, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.110

• scalability [38][39][40][41][42]. The substituted imidazoles 1–9 were synthesized using a condensation reaction between the corresponding aniline and diacetyl monoxime (Scheme 1), since the condensation using diacetyl was not successful for electron-poor aniline derivatives. This reaction leads to the

• formation of N-oxides, which were then reduced using iron powder. The imidazoles were synthesized in a one-pot procedure on a scale of up to 400 mmol. Quaternization of the imidazoles using bromoalkanes with different chain lengths provided the bromide salts 10–36. Conversion to the NTf2 ionic liquids 37–63

• shows the influence of the electronegative fluorine atoms on the electrostatic potential of the cation. Conclusion Based on the synthesis of nine different 1-aryl-4,5-dimethyl substituted imidazoles we report a new class of ionic liquids with electron-donating and -withdrawing substituents, three

Beyond n-dopants for organic semiconductors: use of bibenzo[d]imidazoles in UV-promoted dehalogenation reactions of organic halides

• Kan Tang,
• Megan R. Brown,
• Chad Risko,
• Melissa K. Gish,
• Garry Rumbles,
• Phuc H. Pham,
• Oana R. Luca,
• Stephen Barlow and
• Seth R. Marder

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1912–1922, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.142

• and photocatalysts used, and (c) schematic for the present approach, along with structures of 1,1',3,3'-tetramethyl-2,2',3,3'-tetrahydro-2,2'-bibenzo[d]imidazoles, (Y-DMBI)2, and the corresponding monomer cations, specifically the first reported in the literature and those used in this work. (a) A

Benzoimidazolium-derived dimeric and hydride n-dopants for organic electron-transport materials: impact of substitution on structures, electrochemistry, and reactivity

• Swagat K. Mohapatra,
• Khaled Al Kurdi,
• Samik Jhulki,
• Georgii Bogdanov,
• John Bacsa,
• Maxwell Conte,
• Tatiana V. Timofeeva,
• Seth R. Marder and
• Stephen Barlow

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1651–1663, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.121

• States National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Chemistry and Nanoscience Center, Golden, Colorado, 80401, United States 10.3762/bjoc.19.121 Abstract 1,3-Dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[d]imidazoles, 1H, and 1,1',3,3'-tetramethyl-2,2',3,3'-tetrahydro-2,2'-bibenzo[d]imidazoles, 12, are of interest as n-dopants

• increasing its ease of storage and handling. Arguably, the most widely investigated air-inert n-dopants are 1,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[d]imidazoles (DMBI-H, 1H, Figure 1); these species have been known for decades (e.g., 1aH, one of the simplest such derivatives, was first reported in 1954 [6]), but were

Metal catalyst-free N-allylation/alkylation of imidazole and benzimidazole with Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) alcohols and acetates

• Olfa Mhasni,
• Jalloul Bouajila and
• Farhat Rezgui

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1251–1258, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.93

• , such alcohols were in situ converted into the corresponding O-allyl carbamates as leaving groups, followed by their reaction with imidazoles, affording the SN2’ products 3 (Scheme 1, reaction 1, iii). Correlatively, we have previously reported a direct amination of cyclic MBH alcohols 4 with morpholine

• substitution of MBH adducts [23][24][25][26], we disclose in this work a simple and efficient procedure for the synthesis of N-substituted imidazoles 6–8. The products were obtained either through direct conversions of the corresponding cyclic MBH alcohols 4 as well as acetates 5 in the presence of imidazoles

• ). Similarly, the five-membered acetate 5b reacted under the same conditions and gave the N-allyl-substituted imidazole 6b in 65% yield (Table 1, entry 2). Furthermore, treatment of the available secondary acetates 5c,d (R = Me) with imidazoles 2a and 2b (2 equiv) in refluxing toluene afforded the N

Asymmetric tandem conjugate addition and reaction with carbocations on acylimidazole Michael acceptors

• Brigita Mudráková,
• Renata Marcia de Figueiredo,
• Jean-Marc Campagne and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 881–888, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.65

• a tandem reaction comprising the Cu–NHC-catalyzed addition of dialkylzinc reagents to enoyl imidazoles followed by a trapping reaction with various onium compounds (Scheme 1). In this work we show the development of this methodology and its application to a range of acylimidazoles and carbocations

Synthesis and reactivity of azole-based iodazinium salts

• Thomas J. Kuczmera,
• Annalena Dietz,
• Andreas Boelke and
• Boris J. Nachtsheim

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 317–324, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.27

• . Next, the iodonium center was stabilized through an additional N-coordination via ortho-pyrazole substitution, giving the iodonium salts 5ba and 5bb in 88% and 50% yield. When replacing imidazoles by indazoles the oxidation was not as efficient giving the products 5bc and 5bd with only 24% and 44

Functionalization of imidazole N-oxide: a recent discovery in organic transformations

• Koustav Singha,
• Imran Habib and
• Mossaraf Hossain

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1575–1588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.168

• –elimination pathway (SNHAE), where deoxygenation of imidazole 1-oxide resulted in the formation of perfluoroarylated 2H-imidazoles; and (B) addition–oxidation pathway (SNHAO), where without affecting the N–O bond of imidazole 1-oxides, perfluoroarylated 2H-imidazole 1-oxides were obtained as final products

• nucleophilic acylation catalyst in THF as solvent for 1 h. In this reaction, the yield for the transformation of 2-chloro-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazole (19a) was 80% when 1.0 equiv TsCl was used. 2-Chloro-1H-imidazoles 20b,c and the corresponding brominated products 21a–c using TsBr were also

One-pot synthesis of 2-arylated and 2-alkylated benzoxazoles and benzimidazoles based on triphenylbismuth dichloride-promoted desulfurization of thioamides

• Arisu Koyanagi,
• Yuki Murata,
• Shiori Hayakawa,
• Mio Matsumura and
• Shuji Yasuike

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1479–1487, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.155

• , and achieved the syntheses of 2-aryl- and 2-alkylbenzazoles, such as oxazoles, imidazoles, and thiazole, in satisfactory yields. The protocol was successfully applied to the synthesis of tafamidis, a clinically used drug for transthyretin amyloid inhibition. The reaction is simple, can be performed in

Scope of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines in CuAAC reactions for the synthesis of triazoloquinoxalines, imidazoloquinoxalines, and rhenium complexes thereof

• Laura Holzhauer,
• Chloé Liagre,
• Olaf Fuhr,
• Nicole Jung and
• Stefan Bräse

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1088–1099, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.111

• desired product 16 whereas addition of zinc powder seems to have different effects depending on the derivative (see Supporting Information File 1). We could then show that the conversion of tetrazoles to both triazoles and imidazoles can occur together in the same molecule. When bis(tetrazolo)[1,5-a:5',1

Cs₂CO₃-Promoted reaction of tertiary bromopropargylic alcohols and phenols in DMF: a novel approach to α-phenoxyketones

• Ol'ga G. Volostnykh,
• Olesya A. Shemyakina,
• Anton V. Stepanov and
• Igor' A. Ushakov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 420–428, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.44

• transformations. For example, bromoacetylenes were demonstrated to add imidazoles, imidazolines [12], and benzimidazoles [13][14] to give vinyl bromides. Sulfonamides reacted with bromoacetylenes to deliver N-bromovinyl-p-toluenesulfonamides that under Heck reaction conditions afforded N-(p-toluenesulfonyl

• )pyrroles [15]. The CsF-promoted nucleophilic addition of isocyanides to bromoacetylenes furnished the functionalized bromovinyl amides followed by Pd-catalyzed formation of 5-iminopyrrolone [16]. Sequential nucleophilic addition/intramolecular cyclization of amidine with bromoacetylenes led to imidazoles

Multi-faceted reactivity of N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) under mechanochemical conditions: fluorination, fluorodemethylation, sulfonylation, and amidation reactions

• José G. Hernández,
• Karen J. Ardila-Fierro,
• Dajana Barišić and
• Hervé Geneste

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 182–189, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.20

• functionalizations [22][23]. In particular, efficient fluorination protocols are long sought after in several areas of science, including medicinal chemistry [24]. Next to fluorination, in this work, we also have investigated NFSI as a source for mechanochemical sulfonylation of imidazoles and amidation reactions

Asymmetric organocatalytic Michael addition of cyclopentane-1,2-dione to alkylidene oxindole

• Estelle Silm,
• Ivar Järving and
• Tõnis Kanger

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 167–173, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.18

• , 2-oxobut-3-enoates [10]. A 1,2-dicarbonyl moiety is also an important structural fragment present in various natural products and biologically active compounds [11]. 1,2-Diketones have been used for the synthesis of photosensitive polymers [12] and substituted imidazoles [13][14] and have been used

One-step synthesis of imidazoles from Asmic (anisylsulfanylmethyl isocyanide)

• Louis G. Mueller,
• Allen Chao,
• Embarek AlWedi and
• Fraser F. Fleming

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1499–1502, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.106

• Substituted imidazoles are readily prepared by condensing the versatile isocyanide Asmic, anisylsulfanylmethylisocyanide, with nitrogenous π-electrophiles. Deprotonating Asmic with lithium hexamethyldisilazide effectively generates a potent nucleophile that efficiently intercepts nitrile and imine

• electrophiles to afford imidazoles. In situ cyclization to the imidazole is promoted by the conjugate acid, hexamethyldisilazane, which facilitates the requisite series of proton transfers. The rapid formation of imidazoles and the interchange of the anisylsulfanyl for hydrogen with Raney nickel make the method

• a valuable route to mono- and disubstituted imidazoles. Keywords: Asmic; cyclization; imidazoles; isocyanides; nitriles; Introduction The imidazole core is the seventh most prevalent heterocycle among nitrogen-containing pharmaceuticals [1]. The privileged efficacy of imidazoles emanates from the

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

• precursors in denitrogenative transannulation reactions under metal-catalysed conditions to form other heterocycles such as functionalized pyrroles, imidazoles and pyridines (Scheme 1b) [11][12][13]. The traditional method for the synthesis of triazole unit is the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between

Synthesis of N-perfluoroalkyl-3,4-disubstituted pyrroles by rhodium-catalyzed transannulation of N-fluoroalkyl-1,2,3-triazoles with terminal alkynes

• Olga Bakhanovich,
• Viktor Khutorianskyi,
• Vladimir Motornov and
• Petr Beier

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 504–510, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.44

• -sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles (Scheme 1) [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. We have recently reported that N-perfluoroalkyl-1,2,3-triazoles [18] undergo rhodium-catalyzed transannulation reactions leading to various nitrogen heterocycles, such as imidazoles, pyrrolones, imidazolones, oxazoles, azepines [19][20][21

Synthesis of purines and adenines containing the hexafluoroisopropyl group

• Viacheslav Petrov,
• Rebecca J. Dooley,
• Alexander A. Marchione,
• Elizabeth L. Diaz,
• Brittany S. Clem and
• William Marshall

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2739–2748, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.224

• for the introduction of a hexafluoroisopropyl group based on the reaction of tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dithietane (1) with the corresponding azoles [17]. Since this methodology is simple and works for a wide variety of imidazoles, including benzimidazole, we decided to explore the applicability of

• this method to the modification of biologically active imidazoles, such as adenine and purine derivatives. The results of this study are reported in this article. Results and Discussion Despite the presence of two electron-withdrawing nitrogen atoms in the aromatic ring, purine (2) was found to react

Nocarimidazoles C and D, antimicrobial alkanoylimidazoles from a coral-derived actinomycete Kocuria sp.: application of ¹J_C,H coupling constants for the unequivocal determination of substituted imidazoles and stereochemical diversity of anteisoalkyl chains in microbial metabolites

• Md. Rokon Ul Karim,
• Enjuro Harunari,
• Amit Raj Sharma,
• Naoya Oku,
• Kazuaki Akasaka,
• Daisuke Urabe,
• Mada Triandala Sibero and
• Yasuhiro Igarashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2719–2727, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.222

• those of synthetically prepared model imidazoles. The absolute configurations of the anteisoalkanoyl group present in 1, 4, and 5 were determined by low-temperature HPLC analysis of the degradation products labeled with a chiral anthracene reagent, which revealed that 1 is a mixture of the R- and S

• 1 and 4 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells, with an IC50 of 38 and 33 μM, respectively. Conclusion Alkanoylimidazoles, 4-acylated imidazoles of varying chain length and terminal branching, with occasional substitution at C-5 by an amino group, are an emerging class of

Access to highly substituted oxazoles by the reaction of α-azidochalcone with potassium thiocyanate

• Mysore Bhyrappa Harisha,
• Pandi Dhanalakshmi,
• Rajendran Suresh,
• Raju Ranjith Kumar and
• Shanmugam Muthusubramanian

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2108–2118, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.178

• precursor for nitrogen heterocycles. As a part of our synthetic design towards the construction of five-membered heterocycles, we have previously reported the synthesis of highly substituted imidazoles [6], indoles [7] and pyrroles [8] starting from different azidochalcones. In continuation, employing α

• have reported the TMSOTf-catalyzed synthesis of highly substituted imidazoles from α-azidochalcones under mild conditions [65]. As a sequel, the synthesis of oxazoles with an arylimino substituent has been accomplished in this work. The biologically important arylimino group [66][67][68][69] integrated