Enhancing chemical synthesis planning: automated quantum mechanics-based regioselectivity prediction for C–H activation with directing groups

• Julius Seumer,
• Nicolai Ree and
• Jan H. Jensen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1171–1182, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.94

• molecular architectures in pharmaceuticals, polymers, and agrochemicals. Despite advancements in directing group (DG) methodologies and computational approaches, predicting accurate regioselectivity in C–H activation poses significant difficulties due to the diversity and complexity of organic compounds

• bonds in organic chemicals. Therefore, their selective functionalization is essential for advancing the synthesis of complex molecules like pharmaceuticals, polymers, or agrochemicals [1][2][3]. Advancements in organometallic catalysis have facilitated significant progress in this area through C–H

A multicomponent reaction-initiated synthesis of imidazopyridine-fused isoquinolinones

• Ashutosh Nath,
• John Mark Awad and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1161–1169, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.92

• imidazopyridine-fused isoquinolinones. The Veljkovic group employed methyl 2-formylbenzoate for the GBB reaction to form adducts I which undergoes intramolecular amidation to afford product A (Scheme 1A) [16]. In a patent filed by Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, substituted alkyl isonitriles were used for the GBB

Salen–scandium(III) complex-catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) annulation of aziridines and aldehydes

• Linqiang Wang and
• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1087–1094, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.86

• -containing five-membered saturated heterocycles. They are not only useful building blocks for the synthesis of biologically active compounds [1], for example, side-chain precursor of paclitaxel [2], but also widely exist in some pharmaceuticals [3][4], such as antibacterial agents of Gram-positive organisms

Synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-diones by domino C–N coupling/hydroamination reactions

• Ruben Manuel Figueira de Abreu,
• Robin Tiedemann,
• Peter Ehlers and
• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1010–1017, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.82

• to develop novel pharmaceuticals with improved biological properties. For instance, pemetrexed (F) is administered during palliative chemotherapy for advanced lung cancers [12]. Immucillin H (G) is currently in late clinical phases for the treatment of haematologic diseases, such as acute T-cell

Studies on the syntheses of β-carboline alkaloids brevicarine and brevicolline

• Benedek Batizi,
• Patrik Pollák,
• András Dancsó,
• Péter Keglevich,
• Gyula Simig,
• Balázs Volk and
• Mátyás Milen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 955–963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.79

• Pharmaceuticals Plc., Directorate of Drug Substance Development, P. O. Box 100, Keresztúri út 30-38, H-1475 Budapest, Hungary Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Semmelweis University, Hőgyes Endre utca 7, H-1092 Budapest, Hungary Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development

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

• successfully applied in the synthesis of complex natural products, pharmaceuticals, and functional materials, often streamlining multistep sequences and minimizing protecting-group strategies [50][51]. In 2016, Li and co-workers developed divergent coupling conditions for iminamides 77 with receptor-type diazo

Regioselective formal hydrocyanation of allenes: synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated nitriles with α-all-carbon quaternary centers

• Seeun Lim,
• Teresa Kim and
• Yunmi Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 800–806, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.63

• catalysis; hydrocyanation; regioselectivity; tosyl cyanide; Introduction Acyclic nitriles that incorporate α-all-carbon quaternary centers are highly valuable structural motifs typically found in natural products, biologically active compounds, and synthetic pharmaceuticals [1][2][3][4][5]. These compounds

Recent advances in allylation of chiral secondary alkylcopper species

• Minjae Kim,
• Gwanggyun Kim,
• Doyoon Kim,
• Jun Hee Lee and
• Seung Hwan Cho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 639–658, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.51

• arrangements. The ability to precisely control multiple contiguous stereogenic centers would significantly expand the synthetic utility of such transformations, particularly in the synthesis of complex molecules such as natural products and pharmaceuticals [60]. Furthermore, future efforts could also focus on

Unraveling aromaticity: the dual worlds of pyrazole, pyrazoline, and 3D carborane

• Zahra Noori,
• Miquel Solà,
• Clara Viñas,
• Francesc Teixidor and
• Jordi Poater

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 412–420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.29

• , exceptional thermal and chemical stability, and robust synthetic versatility [16][17] – make carborane derivatives essential components in various fields. These include pharmaceuticals [18][19][20][21][22], boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) [23][24][25][26], organometallic ligands [27], and functional

The effect of neighbouring group participation and possible long range remote group participation in O-glycosylation

• Rituparna Das and
• Balaram Mukhopadhyay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 369–406, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.27

• huge interest in the study of ‘Glycomics’ or ‘Carbohydrate Chemistry.’ These truly elevated the recognition of carbohydrates from being mere building blocks to a frontier research topic towards the development of drugs and pharmaceuticals [12][13], diagnostic tools [14], artificial sweeteners [15

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

• pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals nowadays, largely due to the unique ability of fluorinated groups to influence the physicochemical and biochemical properties of molecules [1][2][3]. Among the various fluorinated functionalities, the difluoromethyl (CF2H) group and its aryl-substituted derivative, the benzylic

Dioxazolones as electrophilic amide sources in copper-catalyzed and -mediated transformations

• Seungmin Lee,
• Minsuk Kim,
• Hyewon Han and
• Jongwoo Son

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 200–216, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.12

• leads to the formation of the N-acyl amidine product 10. 1.4 N-Arylation of dioxazolones Amides bearing N-substituents are key structural motifs in a wide range of polymers [82], natural products [83], and pharmaceuticals [84][85]. Conventional synthetic routes for N-arylamides typically involve the

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

• functionalization of highly complex and diverse molecules, such as those of pharmaceuticals and natural products, has provided new retrosynthetic disconnections for complex compounds, contributing to improved resource efficiency [41][42][43][44][45][46]. Recently, the merging of C–H activation and electrochemistry

• important for more sustainable reactions. Furthermore, the application of electrochemical copper catalysis to complex molecules, such as for the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals or materials and bioorthogonal functionalization of biomacromolecules, is necessary. Further advances in Cu

Nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of 2-fluorobenzofurans with arylboronic acids via aromatic C–F bond activation

• Takeshi Fujita,
• Haruna Yabuki,
• Ryutaro Morioka,
• Kohei Fuchibe and
• Junji Ichikawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 146–154, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.8

• important in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals [41][42][43][44][45][46][47], we expect that this method will provide a novel and efficient approach for producing these valuable compounds. Experimental General: 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 19F NMR, and 31P NMR were recorded on a Bruker Avance 500 or a JEOL ECS-400

Hot shape transformation: the role of PSar dehydration in stomatocyte morphogenesis

• Remi Peters,
• Levy A. Charleston,
• Karinan van Eck,
• Teun van Berlo and
• Daniela A. Wilson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 47–54, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.5

• promises to unlock new avenues in pharmaceuticals and biomedical engineering. The problem here is that PEG-PS is a non-biodegradable material and this poses significant challenges for its use in drug delivery applications, particularly concerning potential accumulation in the body [5]. Recent advancements

Synthesis of acenaphthylene-fused heteroarenes and polyoxygenated benzo[j]fluoranthenes via a Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura/C–H arylation cascade

• Merve Yence,
• Dilgam Ahmadli,
• Damla Surmeli,
• Umut Mert Karacaoğlu,
• Sujit Pal and
• Yunus Emre Türkmen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3290–3298, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.273

• methodology was further examined with (1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-5-yl)boronic acid pinacol ester as the pyrazole ring is one of the most frequently occurring aromatic nitrogen heterocycles among the pharmaceuticals approved by the U.S. FDA between 2013 and 2023 according to a recently-reported analysis [53]. With

Reactivity of hypervalent iodine(III) reagents bearing a benzylamine with sulfenate salts

• Beatriz Dedeiras,
• Catarina S. Caldeira,
• José C. Cunha,
• Clara S. B. Gomes and
• M. Manuel B. Marques

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3281–3289, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.272

• reactivity with in situ-generated sulfenate anions, from β-sulfinyl esters, to achieve S–N bond formation. The importance of establishing this S–N bond results from the widespread presence of sulfonyl-containing bioactive compounds, such as the sulfonamide group which can be found in many pharmaceuticals

Non-covalent organocatalyzed enantioselective cyclization reactions of α,β-unsaturated imines

• Sergio Torres-Oya and
• Mercedes Zurro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3221–3255, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.268

• imines; asymmetric organocatalysis; cyclization; N-heterocycles; inverse electron demand aza-Diels–Alder reaction; Introduction Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are abundant scaffolds present in natural products, biologically active compounds, pharmaceuticals, synthetic agrochemicals, and functional

Synthesis of extended fluorinated tripeptides based on the tetrahydropyridazine scaffold

• Thierry Milcent,
• Pascal Retailleau,
• Benoit Crousse and
• Sandrine Ongeri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3174–3181, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.262

• has become an essential structural motif in medicinal chemistry due to its hydrogen-bond donor capacity, its lipophilic character, and as a bioisostere for alcohol, thiol, or amine groups [16][17][18][19]. Thus, the contribution of fluorinated compounds to pharmaceuticals has been crucial for more

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

• Although less common than fluorine in biologically active compounds, chlorine-containing molecules have interest in drug discovery, with over 250 chloro-containing drugs presently available [43]. The introduction of a chlorine atom into biologically active compounds for use in pharmaceuticals and

gem-Difluorovinyl and trifluorovinyl Michael acceptors in the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated fluorinated and nonfluorinated amides

• Monika Bilska-Markowska,
• Marcin Kaźmierczak,
• Wojciech Jankowski and
• Marcin Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2946–2953, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.247

• nucleophiles to unsaturated compounds with electron-withdrawing groups, is a cornerstone in constructing carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bonds [1]. It is instrumental in synthesizing natural products [2][3][4][5] and pharmaceuticals [6], underlining its significance in organic chemistry. Recent

• using organolithium reagents (Scheme 1), revealing new avenues in fluorinated unsaturated amide synthesis, which are present in numerous natural products, pharmaceuticals, and polymers [34][35][36][37][38]. The obtained α,β-unsaturated amides may represent promising structural motifs for further

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

• heteroaromatic compounds serve as crucial scaffolds in pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the synthesis of N-substituted heteroaromatic derivatives under mild and environmentally friendly conditions is highly valued. The use of electrophilic diaryliodonium salts for nitrogen arylation has been investigated. Working on

• approach providing regioselective access to N2-arylated products along with high yields. The synthetic route could also be applied for the synthesis of N2-arylbenzotriazoles which are promising scaffolds for pharmaceuticals. Subsequently, the impact of the aryl group present in the diaryl iodonium salts on

• reaction that results in the formation of diaryl ethers. Diaryl ethers are important structural motifs in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals due to their diverse biological activities. Since the 1950s, one of the most used methods for the synthesis of diaryl ethers involves the reaction of phenol with

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

• anode and a foamed Ni cathode, at a constant current of 12 mA in DMSO at room temperature under atmospheric conditions. The reaction has been applied to more than 80 examples, including the late-stage functionalization of natural products and pharmaceuticals, as well as the synthesis and radiosynthesis

• bonded to the nitrogen atom of the aniline substrate. The methodology showcases a broad scope for carboxylic acids and demonstrates multiple examples of LSF of pharmaceuticals and natural products. The proposed mechanism begins with the formation of Ru(II) diacetate through ligand exchange between the

Homogeneous continuous flow nitration of O-methylisouronium sulfate and its optimization by kinetic modeling

• Jiapeng Guo,
• Weike Su and
• An Su

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2408–2420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.205

• Jiapeng Guo Weike Su An Su Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory for Green Pharmaceutical Technologies and Related Equipment of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Zhejiang

Tandem diazotization/cyclization approach for the synthesis of a fused 1,2,3-triazinone-furazan/furoxan heterocyclic system

• Yuri A. Sidunets,
• Valeriya G. Melekhina and
• Leonid L. Fershtat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2342–2348, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.200

• , anticancer, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antipsychotic, anxiolytic and in other pharmaceuticals [3][4][5]. Therefore, considering the diversity of biological properties, development of reliable approaches for the synthesis of new nitrogen heterocyclic systems is a highly urgent goal

• is 1,2,3-triazin-4-one. Such compounds exhibit a wide variety of biological activities including antitumor, anticonvulsant, diuretic, anesthetic and sedative effects [33][34][35][36]. Also, several commercially available pharmaceuticals used as herbicidal, antibacterial, fungicidal and insecticidal