Silica gel with covalently attached bambusuril macrocycle for dicyanoaurate sorption from water

• Michaela Šusterová and
• Vladimír Šindelář

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2604–2611, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.201

• ]. In the field of anion extraction, there is growing interest in solid-phase substrates functionalized with synthetic macrocyclic receptors. These materials employ a supramolecular approach based on specific host–guest interactions between the immobilized macrocycle and the guest in solution, often

• [10]. Although synthetic anion receptors have attracted increasing attention in the field of supramolecular chemistry, there are still relatively few reports of materials that employ macrocyclic receptors to recognize and selectively bind anionic species specifically in aqueous environments. For

• -sized” molecular box has been used to extract various anions from water [12]. Another family of macrocyclic compounds suitable for anion recognition and binding are bambusurils (BUs). BUs act as very potent anion receptors in both organic solvents and water. Furthermore, their portals can be variously

Synthesis and characterization of a isothiouronium-calix[4]arene derivative: self-assembly and anticancer activity

• Giuseppe Granata,
• Loredana Ferreri,
• Claudia Giovanna Leotta,
• Giovanni Mario Pitari and
• Grazia Maria Letizia Consoli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2535–2541, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.195

• and precise than current treatments. Numerous multivalent constructs have been reported in literature, both as compounds with intrinsic anticancer activity [4] and nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery [5][6]. In the development of multivalent compounds, macrocyclic scaffolds such as cyclodextrins

• [7], cyclic peptides [8], cucurbiturils [9], resorcinarenes [10], pillarenes [11], prismarenes [12], and calix[n]arenes have proven to be particularly valuable. Calix[n]arenes, a family of polyphenolic macrocyclic oligomers, are widely utilized in applications ranging from materials science to life

Conformational effects on iodide binding: a comparative study of flexible and rigid carbazole macrocyclic analogs

• Guang-Wei Zhang,
• Yong Zhang,
• Le Shi,
• Chuang Gao,
• Hong-Yu Li and
• Lei Xue

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2369–2375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.181

• fluorescence quenching efficiency upon iodide binding compared to the rigid WDG (KPBG/KWDG = 22.78), demonstrating its potential as a highly sensitive optical probe and offering a novel strategy for engineering dynamic supramolecular receptors. Two carbazole-based macrocyclic probes, PBG (flexible benzene ring

• ; carbazole macrocycles; conformational selection; induced-fit; supramolecular chemistry; Introduction Macrocyclic compounds have garnered significant attention in supramolecular chemistry and anion recognition owing to their tunable cavity geometries and binding capabilities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8

• towards downfield, with a displacement of 0.6015 ppm to 8.5940 ppm. This phenomenon may be due to the formation of noncovalent bonds between the iodine ions encapsulated inside the macrocyclic and the hydrogen atoms on the macrocyclic framework, which reduces the density of the electron cloud of aromatic

Insoluble methylene-bridged glycoluril dimers as sequestrants for dyes

• Suvenika Perera,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2302–2314, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.176

• , graphene functionalized with β-cyclodextrins [18], a starch-based β-cyclodextrin polymer [19], and pillar[5]arene-based crosslinked polymers have also been investigated as sequestrants for dyes [20]. The Isaacs group has a longstanding interest in the synthesis and mechanism of formation of macrocyclic

• cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n]) molecular containers [21][22]. Macrocyclic CB[n] display ultratight binding toward hydrophobic cations in water which renders them an attractive new class of sequestrants [23][24][25][26]. For example, Buschmann and Jekel demonstrated the use of CB[6] (Figure 1) for the removal of

• reactive dyes from textile wastewater streams [27][28][29]. More recently, our group has synthesized water-soluble acyclic cucurbit[n]urils (e.g., M1, Figure 1) and demonstrated that they retain the essential molecular recognition properties of macrocyclic CB[n] [30]. Acyclic CB[n] are more easily

Pathway economy in cyclization of 1,n-enynes

• Hezhen Han,
• Wenjie Mao,
• Bin Lin,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2260–2282, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.173

• , whereas internal alkynes favored the 8-endo-dig pathway due to steric constraints and carbocation stability. This strategy facilitated efficient and selective synthesis of macrocyclic amines, with precise ring size control via substituent modulation. In 2021, Liu group reported a BiCl3-mediated

Solar thermal fuels: azobenzene as a cyclic photon–heat transduction platform

• Jie Yan,
• Shaodong Sun,
• Minghao Wang and
• Si Wu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2036–2047, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.159

• Azobenzene small-molecule derivatives can be systematically categorized based on molecular structure into monoazobenzene derivatives [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69], multiazobenzene derivatives [70][71][72][73], heteroaromatic azobenzene derivatives [74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81], and macrocyclic

• transition behavior, achieving high gravimetric energy densities (300–400 J/g) with long-term storage stability (Figure 6d). Grossman and Durgun proposed methods for incorporating azobenzenes into macrocyclic structures [82]. Their computational models indicated that the molecular rings connecting the

Synthesis of N-doped chiral macrocycles by regioselective palladium-catalyzed arylation

• Shuhai Qiu and
• Junzhi Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1917–1923, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.149

• that inherently lacks symmetry [8][9]. One of the most typical representatives are calix[4]arenes (Figure 1a), first reported by Böhmer in 1994 [10], where asymmetric substitutions on the macrocyclic rim induce inherent chirality. Subsequent advancements have identified other inherent chiral systems

• design novel macrocyclic frameworks with intrinsic asymmetry. Nitrogen (N)-doped macrocycles are of peculiar interest due to their unique optical, electronic and magnetic properties [16][17][18][19]. Among them, aza[1n]metacyclophanes, in which m-phenylene units are linked via N atoms, serves as N

• introduced. In contrast, when bulky 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl groups were introduced, only inherent chiral macrocyclic products (MC3) were obtained in high yield. Their molecular structures are unambiguously characterized by NMR, mass spectra and X-ray crystallographic characterization. In addition

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of helically chiral, planarly chiral and inherently chiral molecules

• Wei Liu and
• Xiaoyu Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1864–1889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.145

• potential applications in catalytic asymmetric reactions have also been showcased. Planar chirality Planarly chiral cyclophanes, a unique class of macrocyclic compounds featuring planar chirality, can be found in various natural products and are widely utilized in asymmetric catalysis, host–guest chemistry

• and materials science [32]. These macrocycles typically consist of a substituted aromatic ring and a macrocyclic side chain (ansa chain), with the planar chirality arising from the restricted flipping of the substituted aromatic ring caused by steric constraints imposed by the ansa chain. Recent

• enantioselective synthesis of planarly chiral macrocycles through a dynamic kinetic resolution approach [15]. Despite bearing an amino group on the phenyl ring, the configuration of the macrocyclic paracyclophane 32 was found to be unstable at room temperature. Consequently, by employing a CPA-catalyzed asymmetric

Research progress on calixarene/pillararene-based controlled drug release systems

• Liu-Huan Yi,
• Jian Qin,
• Si-Ran Lu,
• Liu-Pan Yang,
• Li-Li Wang and
• Huan Yao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1757–1785, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.139

• processes. For example, supramolecular self-assembly technology enhances the targeting of chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor tissues, reducing systemic adverse reactions. (3) Macrocyclic aromatic supramolecular nano-valves have a pseudo-rotaxane structure with host–guest coordination and the kinetic properties

• technology in the field of hydrophilic functional biomolecules, and is expected to be applied to stimulus-responsive controlled drug transport across membranes in the future. Currently, various artificially synthesized macrocyclic hosts have found extensive applications in drug-controlled release systems

• characteristics, CAs hold potential for applications in drug delivery systems. 1.2 PAs: structure and properties Since Ogoshi et al. first introduced pillar[n]arenes in 2008, these macrocycles have become essential to the synthetic macrocyclic receptor field [74]. Research on PAs and their derivatives has become

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

• highly efficient catalysts, chemosensors, and functional materials. We have recently made strides in developing macrocyclic organocatalysts; however, their synthesis remains challenging. In this work, we aimed to discover a straightforward method for producing a diverse range of chiral macrocycles

• , thereby enabling further exploration in the field of interlocked and macrocyclic organocatalysts. We successfully established optimized synthetic routes for the synthesis of chiral macrocycles containing one or two stereogenic units, featuring varying ring sizes and substituents (21 examples in total

• macrocyclic crown ethers that are attached at the 3,3'-positions via additional phenylene spacers (see Figure 1e) [35][44][45]. Macrocycles M1b with a single BINOL unit were generated from the corresponding diol 2 by attachment of allylated linkers, followed by ring-closing metathesis [46][47][48][49][50

On the aromaticity and photophysics of 1-arylbenzo[a]imidazo[5,1,2-cd]indolizines as bicolor fluorescent molecules for barium tagging in the study of double-beta decay of ¹³⁶Xe

• Eric Iván Velazco-Cabral,
• Fernando Auria-Luna,
• Juan Molina-Canteras,
• Miguel A. Vázquez,
• Iván Rivilla and
• Fernando P. Cossío

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1627–1638, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.126

• further coordination thus giving rise to a relatively strong π–cation interaction with the phenyl group. In the case of complex 17c (n = 3) stemming from 18-crown-6, the barium cation remains within the average molecular plane determined by the macrocyclic moiety. The larger ΔGiso value for 15c results in

Synthesis of an aza[5]helicene-incorporated macrocyclic heteroarene via oxidation of an o-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene icosamer

• Yusuke Matsuo,
• Aoi Nakagawa,
• Shu Seki and
• Takayuki Tanaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1561–1567, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.119

• , Japan 10.3762/bjoc.21.119 Abstract The intramolecular oxidative fusion reaction of macrocyclic heteroaromatic arrays has provided strained polycyclic heteroaromatic macrocycles as promising functional molecules. In this study, we prepared an ortho-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene hybrid icosamer, as the

• in detail. Keywords: cyclophane; fluorescence; heterohelicene; intramolecular oxidative coupling; Introduction Conjugated macrocyclic polyarenes have attracted significant attention due to their stimuli-responsive optoelectronic properties, dynamic structural changes, and host–guest interactions [1

•  1) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Nevertheless, partially fused macrocyclic intermediates are also important as they exhibit structural strain associated with both the polycyclic segments and the inherent strain stemming from the macrocyclic structure. For instance, cyclic chrysenylenes [13][14][15][16

Wittig reaction of cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl

• Taito Moribe,
• Junichiro Hirano,
• Hideaki Takano,
• Hiroshi Shinokubo and
• Norihito Fukui

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1454–1461, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.107

• ruled out. The structures of compounds 3, 4, and 5 were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (Figure 2). Mono-olefin 3 and bis-olefin 5 adopt a bathtub-like chiral macrocyclic structure rather than figure-eight conformation. Both compounds crystallize as a racemic pair of enantiomers with P21/c and

Selective monoformylation of naphthalene-fused propellanes for methylene-alternating copolymers

• Kenichi Kato,
• Tatsuki Hiroi,
• Seina Okada,
• Shunsuke Ohtani and
• Tomoki Ogoshi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1183–1191, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.95

• widely adopted to improve the solubility and modulate the molecular assemblies [4][5][6][7][8][9]. By contrast, the presence of sp3-hybridized atoms in core π-skeletons can lead to three-dimensional (3D) structures with appropriate rigidity, thereby giving macrocyclic arenes [10][11], molecule-based

• interactions between the naphthalene units. The monoformyl products are reduced to corresponding alcohols, which are then reacted under Friedel–Crafts conditions. Amorphous methylene-alternating copolymers are obtained without particular macrocyclic oligomers. Due to the 3D components, the linear copolymers

• . Despite the stereocontrolled substrate, the resonances in the 1H NMR spectrum of the product remained broad. Therefore, we concluded that these systems were difficult to give specific macrocyclic oligomers but instead provided linear polymers composed of fully π-fused propellanes. After the reactions

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

• results were obtained when compound 155b was used. Addition of 5 mol % catalyst produced the expected macrocyclic product and dimer 157 in yields of 24 and 22%, respectively, while a significant amount of unreacted 155b (26%) remained under these conditions. Conclusion In summary, this review has examined

Supramolecular assembly of hypervalent iodine macrocycles and alkali metals

• Krishna Pandey,
• Lucas X. Orton,
• Grayson Venus,
• Waseem A. Hussain,
• Toby Woods,
• Lichang Wang and
• Kyle N. Plunkett

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1095–1103, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.87

• hypervalent iodine-based macrocyclic complex. Furthermore, we have experimentally and computationally compared the association constants of lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate ethyl etherate LiBArF20 and sodium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate NaBArF24 in the phenylalanine HIM system

• projecting outward denoted by an asterisk. Furthermore, the resulting crystal structure reveals that 1 is also a distorted planar macrocyclic system consisting of the amino acids carbonyl oxygens facing inside the ring. All three benzyl groups are located above a single plane (more figures are provided in

• cavity is highlighted by blue color in the chemical structure of phenylalanine HIM as shown in Figure 3 (left) (more figures are provided in Supporting Information File 1). Despite the core's composition of six electron-rich oxygen atoms, we hypothesized that the bowl-like macrocyclic cavity is electron

Recent advances in synthetic approaches for bioactive cinnamic acid derivatives

• Betty A. Kustiana,
• Galuh Widiyarti and
• Teni Ernawati

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1031–1086, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.85

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

• alkyldiamines proceeded with solvent-independent regioselectivity, exclusively furnished [2 + 2] macrocyclic adducts. Strikingly, when 37 was combined with 2,2’-oxybis(ethylamine) (38), the reaction pathway exhibited pronounced solvent dependency. Reactions in methanol, ethanol, or chloroform selectively

Dicarboxylate recognition based on ultracycle hosts through cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions

• Wen-Hui Mi,
• Teng-Yu Huang,
• Xu-Dong Wang,
• Yu-Fei Ao,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• De-Xian Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 884–889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.72

• were synthesized via a one-pot strategy starting from macrocyclic precursors. Host–dicarboxylate binding was investigated using 1H NMR titrations, revealing that B4aH exhibits strong binding affinities toward a series of dicarboxylates, with association constants reaching up to 6896 M−1. The

• than 50 atoms in the macrocyclic skeleton are denoted as ultracycles [1]. These very large macrocycles are prevalent in nature and exhibit unique functions. For instance, the archaeal lipid GDGT-0 enables archaea to thrive in extreme environments [2]; cycloamyloses enhance the stability of drug

• , synthetic ultracycles remain relatively unexplored due to the significant synthetic challenges [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Among these, very large macrocycles constructed from smaller macrocyclic building units are particularly underexplored. Such macrocycle-containing ultracycles are

Acyclic cucurbit[n]uril bearing alkyl sulfate ionic groups

• Christian Akakpo,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 717–726, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.55

• supramolecular chemistry involves the synthesis of macrocyclic hosts and studies of their molecular recognition properties. The most widely studied macrocyclic host systems include those created entirely by covalent bonds (crown ethers, cyclodextrins, calixarenes, cyclophanes, pillararenes, cucurbit[n]urils (CB

• ][22][23][24][25][26]. Within these families of macrocyclic hosts, CB[n] molecular containers have proven particularly versatile because they form high affinity CB[n]–guest complexes in aqueous solution that are responsive to various stimuli (e.g., photochemical, electrochemical, chemical) [27][28][29

• ][30]. For this reason, macrocyclic CB[n] have been used as key elements of separations processes [31][32], sensing systems [33][34], in pharmaceutical applications [35][36][37][38], in bioimaging systems [39][40], and even in household deodorizing products [41]. An important subclass of CB[n] hosts

Photochemically assisted synthesis of phenacenes fluorinated at the terminal benzene rings and their electronic spectra

• Yuuki Ishii,
• Minoru Yamaji,
• Fumito Tani,
• Kenta Goto,
• Yoshihiro Kubozono and
• Hideki Okamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 670–679, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.53

• macrocyclic picenophadiene [51]. As the solid-state fluorescence bands of the F8-phenacenes were observed in the similar wavelength region of the picenophadiene, the solid-state F8-phenacene molecules have excimeric character in the fluorescing state. It is critical to know the crystal packing of the F8

Binding of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides in water by a glucose naphtho crown ether

• Gianpaolo Gallo and
• Bartosz Lewandowski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 541–546, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.42

• binds free tryptophan selectively in aqueous media. Furthermore, it is capable of binding to tryptophan within model tripeptides. The naphthalene functionality in the glucose-derived receptor enables the study of guest binding using fluorescence spectroscopy. Keywords: amino acids; macrocyclic

Beyond symmetric self-assembly and effective molarity: unlocking functional enzyme mimics with robust organic cages

• Keith G. Andrews

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 421–443, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.30

• imprinted polymers (MIPs) [60] has been discussed elsewhere and will not be covered. Perspective Cavity catalysis: current state of the art Functionalized macrocycles Since Cramer’s work with cyclodextrins [61][62][63], there has been significant interest in using macrocyclic confinement to modulate

• combinations of macrocyclic cavities adorned with functional groups (Figure 3A) [97][98]. These grand “set-piece” enzyme models typically showed only modest catalytic enhancements for enzyme-relevant reactions like the hydrolysis of activated esters, and so mostly contributed to the view that enzymes do not

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

• properties of metal complexes. Phthalocyanins, porphyrins, and their derivatives exemplify this, as their rigid macrocyclic structures enable strong absorption in the visible to NIR regions, making them appealing for photoredox catalysis applications. For instance, ruthenium phthalocyanin complexes have

Hydrogen-bonded macrocycle-mediated dimerization for orthogonal supramolecular polymerization

• Wentao Yu,
• Zhiyao Yang,
• Chengkan Yu,
• Xiaowei Li and
• Lihua Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 179–188, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.10

• cucurbituril [18], cyclodextrin [19], and calix[4]pyrrole [20], as well as flexible crown ethers [10][21]. Few two-dimensional (2D) shape-persistent macrocyclic compounds are used for this purpose. One difficulty in realizing 2D macrocycle-based orthogonal assembly is that the construction motif must be

• polymers (Scheme 1). The terpyridyl group and the pyridinium cation in the AB-type monomer G2 each function as a “sticker” to enable supramolecular polymerization in the presence of the macrocyclic component and zinc ions. The driving force for the recognition involves multiple cooperative interactions

• adopted a nonplanar conformation, with one aromatic residue protruding out of the macrocyclic skeleton plane. Adopting such a conformation rendered it possible for the π-electron-rich phenyl ring to interact strongly with π-electron-deficient guest molecules G1 by means of charge–transfer interactions and