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

• (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), or dioxane to achieve high yields. The assumed mechanism is initiated by activation of the C–H bond of the terminal alkyne by a metal catalyst. The resulting metal acetylide reacts with the imine/enamine through a nucleophilic addition. Because imines/enamines are

• , 5 mol %) [63], indium (as In2O3 nanoparticles, 5 mol %) [64], iron (as FeCl3, 20 mol %) [65], cobalt (as CoBr2, 10 mol %) [66], and nickel (as Ni(py)4Cl2, 15 mol %) [67] can act as metal catalyst for the 3CC reaction. In all these cases, the temperature was lower (usually between 60–80 °C) compared

• between 60–95% for all metal catalysis conditions. The most widely accepted mechanism is as follows: the alkynyl C–H bond is activated by the metal catalyst (Scheme 23). The metal can be added in its proper oxidation state (such as Cu(I)) or generated in situ (as in the case of Au(I), Co(I), Fe(II) and Ni

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

• host catalysis – (i) using the host as a “protecting group” to direct reactivity external to the host [187][346], and (ii) confinement of a transition-metal catalyst to take advantage of the restricted environment of the host [51][52] – neither of which resembles the enzyme-like possibility of a true

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

• CF2HCO2H or PhCF2COOH, along with benzimidazoles bearing unactivated alkenes and PhI(OAc)2 as substrates, and proceeded without the need of any base, metal catalyst, photocatalyst or additive. In total, 24 examples were examined, and all of them successfully underwent cyclization reaction to produce the

• with CF2HCOOH or PhCF2COOH, and PIDA under additive-, base-, and metal catalyst-free conditions (Scheme 1b). Results and Discussion Initially, 1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (1a), CF2HCOOH, and PIDA were chosen as the template substrates for this radical difluoromethylation and cyclization

• tricyclic and bicyclic imidazoles under additive-, base-, and metal catalyst-free conditions utilizing difluoroacetic acid and α,α-difluorobenzeneacetic acid as the readily available fluorine sources. The significant advantages of this approach, including its environmental friendliness and cost

Recent advances in electrochemical copper catalysis for modern organic synthesis

• Yemin Kim and
• Won Jun Jang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 155–178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.9

• electron transfer to the metal catalyst without the need for chemical redox agents, thus providing milder and more sustainable reaction conditions (Figure 2) [32]. Electrochemical reactions can be performed at low potentials, thereby suppressing side reactions, and chemoselectivity and reactivity can be

• an alkene to generate a radical intermediate, followed by oxidation, which enables radical-polar crossover (RPC) and the subsequent nucleophilic attack of the cationic intermediate [67]. Alternatively, the initial radical intermediate can be trapped by a transition-metal catalyst, followed by a cross

Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed multicomponent reactions

• Sara Colombo,
• Camilla Loro,
• Egle M. Beccalli,
• Gianluigi Broggini and
• Marta Papis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 122–145, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.7

• dual activity as a metal catalyst as well as a Lewis acid [8][9][10][11]. However, in many cases, the role of copper is not clear and both activities often work synergistically. In all other cases, copper’s activity is due to the coordination/complexation with unsaturated systems, but it is rarely

• behavior or reactivity properties. The ambiguity related to the role of Cu(OTf)2 is particularly relevant for cycloaddition reactions, where it is even more difficult to justify the activation of the copper species as a Lewis acid or metal catalyst [12][13][14]. The reaction mechanism involved can be ionic

Enantioselective regiospecific addition of propargyltrichlorosilane to aldehydes catalyzed by biisoquinoline N,N’-dioxide

• Noble Brako,
• Sreerag Moorkkannur Narayanan,
• Amber Burns,
• Layla Auter,
• Valentino Cesiliano,
• Rajeev Prabhakar and
• Norito Takenaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3069–3076, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.255

• enantioenriched form [11][12]. However, such metal/metalloid reagents and the corresponding metal catalyst-bound intermediates often equilibrate between possible regioisomeric forms and can undergo both, SE2 and SE2’ addition reactions, resulting in a mixture of homopropargylic alcohols and α-allenic alcohols [14

Advances in radical peroxidation with hydroperoxides

• Oleg V. Bityukov,
• Pavel Yu. Serdyuchenko,
• Andrey S. Kirillov,
• Gennady I. Nikishin,
• Vera A. Vil’ and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2959–3006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.249

• of radical particles D and E, respectively. Further, recombination of D and E with radicals B and C results in the formation of the target difunctionalization product 101. Alkylation–peroxidation of coumarins 102 also was realized without metal catalyst (Scheme 36) [93]. Firstly, the tert-butoxy

Recent advances in transition-metal-free arylation reactions involving hypervalent iodine salts

• Ritu Mamgain,
• Kokila Sakthivel and
• Fateh V. Singh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2891–2920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.243

• concentrate on various arylation reactions involving carbon and other heteroatoms, encompassing rearrangement reactions in the absence of any metal catalyst, and summarize advancements made in the last five years. Keywords: arylation reaction; diaryliodonium salts; electrophilic arylation reagent; metal-free

• formation of the Nu–Ar product and aryl iodide [21]. Second, the arylation can take place in the presence of a metal catalyst via oxidative addition, followed by reduction elimination [48][49]. Thirdly, it proceeds through a ligand-coupled arylation which involves a five-membered transition state to yield

• , C–C bond formation was reported by Chen and colleagues in 2020 via the arylation of vinyl pinacol boronates 23 by using diaryliodonium salts 16 to yield trans-arylvinylboronates 24 in the absence of a metal catalyst [62]. The optimized reaction conditions involve the reaction of substituted

C–C Coupling in sterically demanding porphyrin environments

• Liam Cribbin,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Nicolae Buga,
• John E. O’ Brien,
• Raphael Bühler,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Mathias O. Senge

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2784–2798, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.234

• further substitution directly on the meso- or a meso-phenyl ortho/meta/para positions of a porphyrin, is the introduction of C–C bond forming chemistry. This is typically achieved using palladium and/or another transition-metal catalyst [20]. Sonagashira [21], Suzuki–Miyaura [22], Heck [23], Stille [24

• . Conclusion When considering sterically demanding systems with haloaryl and boronic acids as substrates for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling, many may consider 2,6-alkyl-disubstituted phenyl rings as a model sterically demanding system to test the robust nature of both metal catalyst and ligand, for example, much

Computational design for enantioselective CO₂ capture: asymmetric frustrated Lewis pairs in epoxide transformations

• Maxime Ferrer,
• Iñigo Iribarren,
• Tim Renningholtz,
• Ibon Alkorta and
• Cristina Trujillo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2668–2681, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.224

• studies, but the stereochemical aspects of this reaction, particularly through the use of FLP catalysts, have been largely overlooked, despite the prevalence of racemic epoxide solutions. Only one study has addressed the asymmetric insertion of CO2 into propylene oxide (PO) using a transition-metal

• catalyst [23][24][25]. Therefore, the stereochemical aspects of CO2 insertion into PO enabled by FLP catalysts should be investigated. To the best of our knowledge, only one paper has proposed an asymmetric approach to this reaction using a metal-based catalyst [23]. However, our approach differs

Transition-metal-free decarbonylation–oxidation of 3-arylbenzofuran-2(3H)-ones: access to 2-hydroxybenzophenones

• Bhaskar B. Dhotare,
• Seema V. Kanojia,
• Chahna K. Sakhiya,
• Amey Wadawale and
• Dibakar Goswami

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2655–2667, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.223

• (3H)-ones to 2-hydroxybenzophenones via decarbonylation–oxidation quickly and without the need of a transition-metal catalyst. Herein, a novel decarbonylation–oxidation method for 3-arylbenzofuran-2(3H)-ones has been developed for the synthesis of 2-hydroxybenzophenones via a transition-metal-free

• catalyst was essential for this reaction to happen at a higher temperature, and the products were obtained in negligible yields without the catalyst. Our protocol established that the reaction proceeds without the need for a transition-metal catalyst, as well as at a lower temperature. Additionally, the

• . However, it must be noted that the yields recorded in Table 1 are isolated yields. For the sake of eliminating errors in isolation, we have carried out every reaction in triplicate, and have considered the average yield as the isolated yield. Earlier, Qui et al. reported [2] that a transition-metal

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

• method eliminates the need for a metal catalyst or a chemical oxidizer and demonstrates broad compatibility with a variety of heteroarenes as well as activated and non-activated C(sp3)–H donors (Scheme 48). This valuable approach highlights the potential of combining photoelectrochemical techniques to

Development of a flow photochemical process for a π-Lewis acidic metal-catalyzed cyclization/radical addition sequence: in situ-generated 2-benzopyrylium as photoredox catalyst and reactive intermediate

• Masahiro Terada,
• Zen Iwasaki,
• Ryohei Yazaki,
• Shigenobu Umemiya and
• Jun Kikuchi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1973–1980, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.173

• generated in the flow reaction system through the intramolecular cyclization of ortho-carbonyl alkynylbenzene derivatives by the π-Lewis acidic metal catalyst AgNTf2 and the subsequent proto-demetalation with trifluoroacetic acid. The 2-benzopyrylium intermediates underwent further photoreactions with

• catalytic cycles). In catalytic cycle I, the key cationic components, 2-benzopyrylium intermediates A, are generated in situ by the activation of the alkyne moiety of ortho-carbonyl alkynylbenzene derivatives 1 in the presence of the π-Lewis acidic metal catalyst [M]X [AgNTf2 or Cu(NTf2)2] and subsequent

• reaction system to improve the yield of the present sequential transformation. Results and Discussion At the outset of our studies to optimize the flow reaction conditions, we employed AgNTf2 as the π-Lewis acidic metal catalyst because of its high solubility in 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) [58] and

1,2-Difluoroethylene (HFO-1132): synthesis and chemistry

• Liubov V. Sokolenko,
• Taras M. Sokolenko and
• Yurii L. Yagupolskii

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1955–1966, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.171

• -based catalysts (Fe, Mg, Ca, Ni, Zn, Pd, Li, Na [57] or Pd, Ru [61]). Unsaturated compounds were also applied as starting materials for 1,2-difluoroethylene preparation. Thus, chlorine atoms in 1,2-dichloro-1,2-difluoroethylene (CFO-1112) could be removed through the action of hydrogen and metal

• catalyst (Pd, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Ni/Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cr, Co, Scheme 5) [62][63]. Further, 1,2-Dichloroethylene was reacted with hydrogen fluoride in the presence of metal fluorides or transition metals (Cr, Al, Co, Mn, Ni, Fe) to form 1,2-difluoroethylene (Scheme 6) [56][58]. In patents [59][60], an exotic

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

• also in the work reported by Shankar et al. [10], already mentioned in chapter 1. The authors established a solvent-catalyzed GBB-3CR to synthesize glycosylated imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines 33 starting from 1-formyl glycals 32; using HFIP as the solvent, the addition of any metal catalyst was not needed

Synthetic applications of the Cannizzaro reaction

• Bhaskar Chatterjee,
• Dhananjoy Mondal and
• Smritilekha Bera

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1376–1395, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.120

• transformation of the aryl glyoxals is outlined below (Scheme 4), which depicts the coordination of the hemiacetal B with the metal catalyst to give C, followed by hydride transfer to form the metal-coordinated Cannizzaro product D. Another intramolecular asymmetric Cannizzaro reaction was reported by Wu et al

Transition-metal-catalyst-free electroreductive alkene hydroarylation with aryl halides under visible-light irradiation

• Kosuke Yamamoto,
• Kazuhisa Arita,
• Masami Kuriyama and
• Osamu Onomura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1327–1333, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.116

• high regioselectivity. Herein, we report the electroreductive hydroarylation of electron-deficient alkenes and styrene derivatives using (hetero)aryl halides under mild reaction conditions. Notably, the present hydroarylation proceeded with high efficiency under transition-metal-catalyst-free

• by preventing overreduction [39]. While the metal-catalyst-free radical cyclization of alkene-tethered aryl halides has been well documented in the literature [40][41][42][43], the efficient intermolecular hydroarylation of alkenes still relies on the use of transition-metal catalysts, including Pd

• [44], Ni [45], and Co [46] (Scheme 1a). The pioneering work by Savéant et al. demonstrated that electron-deficient (hetero)aromatics acted as efficient mediators for the metal-catalyst-free electroreductive hydroarylation of alkenes with some activated chloro-, bromo-, and iodoarenes, but the use of a

Carbonylative synthesis and functionalization of indoles

• Alex De Salvo,
• Raffaella Mancuso and
• Xiao-Feng Wu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 973–1000, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.87

• recent achievements on the synthesis and functionalization of indole derivatives via carbonylative approaches. Keywords: carbonylation; functionalization; indole; metal catalyst; organometallic chemistry; Introduction Indole is a heterocyclic compound consisting of a benzene ring fused with a pyrrole

• interesting method toward indole-3-yl aryl ketones was reported by Zhang et al. Considering the ability of the aryldiazonium salts to act as aryl radical source, in presence of the suitable metal catalyst or taking advantage of photocatalysis, they decided to perform a direct carbonylation of indoles with

• . Synthesis of N-methylindole-3-carboxylates from N-methylindoles and phenols through metal-catalyst-free reaction (top) and its hypothesized mechanism (bottom). Synthesis of indol-3-α-ketoamides (top) and indol-3-amides (bottom) via direct double- and monoaminocarbonylation of indole derivatives with

Synthesis and properties of 6-alkynyl-5-aryluracils

• Ruben Manuel Figueira de Abreu,
• Till Brockmann,
• Alexander Villinger,
• Peter Ehlers and
• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 898–911, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.80

• be activated, and the 5-position deactivated for the nucleophilic attack that occurs during the oxidative addition of the metal catalyst. This may explain the formation of only the 6-substituted product during the Sonogashira reaction. As mentioned above, new reaction conditions had to be chosen to

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel–Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

• Periklis X. Kolagkis,
• Eirini M. Galathri and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 379–426, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.36

Nucleophilic functionalization of thianthrenium salts under basic conditions

• Xinting Fan,
• Duo Zhang,
• Xiangchuan Xiu,
• Bin Xu,
• Yu Yuan,
• Feng Chen and
• Pan Gao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 257–263, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.26

• of a metal catalyst [46]. Results and Discussion With these considerations in mind, we investigated the possibility of the thioetherification between alkylthianthrenium salts and thiophenols. After extensive screening of the reaction parameters, the desired thioetherification product 3aa was obtained

• using nucleophiles directly, without the need for an external metal catalyst. Synthetic application of thianthrenium salts. Substrate scope. Reaction conditions: alkylthianthrenium salts 1 (0.3 mmol), thiophenols 2 (0.2 mmol), DIPEA (0.4 mmol) in 2.0 mL of MeCN at room temperature for 16 h under air

Metal-catalyzed coupling/carbonylative cyclizations for accessing dibenzodiazepinones: an expedient route to clozapine and other drugs

• Amina Moutayakine and
• Anthony J. Burke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 193–204, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.19

• was via the Chan–Lam amination (milder conditions, cheaper, earth-abundant catalyst, no expensive ligand requirement) as the Buchwald–Hartwig amination required harsher conditions and an expensive metal catalyst, and also gave an unwanted phenazine side product. The sequential stepwise Chan–Lam

N-Sulfenylsuccinimide/phthalimide: an alternative sulfenylating reagent in organic transformations

• Fatemeh Doraghi,
• Seyedeh Pegah Aledavoud,
• Mehdi Ghanbarlou,
• Bagher Larijani and
• Mohammad Mahdavi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1471–1502, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.106

• -bromoalkenes 72 was also investigated in the presence of Cs2CO3 without the need of a metal catalyst. The synthetic applicability of the procedure was demonstrated by a gram-scale synthesis of the 1,2-thiosulfonylethene product. A possible mechanism for the formation of 1,2-thiosulfonylethenes is shown in

• , respectively. It should be noted that the use of a palladium catalyst was essential for the cross-coupling reaction between 1’’’ and 74. Also, the presence of ZnCl2 could facilitate the cleavage of the N–S bond. In the case of amines and thiols, there was no need for a metal catalyst for the formation of S–N

• research team disclosed a new protocol for 1,2-thiofunctionalization of arylalkenes 160 with N-arylthiophthalimide 14 and various nucleophiles, including aryl ethers, carboxylic acids, indoles, and pyrroles in the presence of HCl (Scheme 69) [99]. The procedure utilized no toxic metal catalyst, or additive

α-(Aminomethyl)acrylates as acceptors in radical–polar crossover 1,4-additions of dialkylzincs: insights into enolate formation and trapping

• Angel Palillero-Cisneros,
• Paola G. Gordillo-Guerra,
• Fernando García-Alvarez,
• Olivier Jackowski,
• Franck Ferreira,
• Fabrice Chemla,
• Joel L. Terán and
• Alejandro Perez-Luna

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1443–1451, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.103

• carbonyl compounds to provide the corresponding zinc enolates (Scheme 1) [1][2]. While simple, this reaction offers attractive features: 1) it proceeds under mild conditions in the absence of any transition-metal catalyst; 2) the 1,4-addition step can be combined with condensation reactions of the zinc

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