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

• release (82). Numerous cinnamic acid derivatives with electron-withdrawing and -donating groups were converted to the corresponding amides 76–81 in moderate to excellent yields (Scheme 24B) [60]. 2.1.2 Transition-metal catalysis: Several transition metals have been exploited to catalyze O/N-acylations of

• -abundant transition metal, Patel and Patel (2020) utilized a Ni salt of phosphomolybdic acid (NiHPMA) to synthesize methyl cinnamate (44) from cinnamaldehyde (162) via a reactive peroxo species 165 (Scheme 53) [94]. Beyond transition metals, metal-free oxidative esterifications, such as carbene-based

• source to perform the Pd-catalyzed alkyne hydrocarbonylation with CO via 276 to obtain the corresponding cinnamic acids 273–275 in good yields (Scheme 68B) [117]. In addition, a gram scale operation has been carried out. Li and co-workers (2019) employed a non-precious transition metal, ligand-free Fe3

Biobased carbon dots as photoreductants – an investigation by using triarylsulfonium salts

• Valentina Benazzi,
• Arianna Bini,
• Ilaria Bertuol,
• Mariangela Novello,
• Federica Baldi,
• Matteo Hoch,
• Alvise Perosa and
• Stefano Protti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1024–1030, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.84

• + species, a process where transition-metal-based complexes are employed [29], often (in the case of Ru(II)-based derivatives) in the presence of tertiary amines as sacrificial reductants [27][28]. Nonetheless, while this work serves primarily as a preliminary study comparing the reducing power of various

Pd-Catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination with isatin using a P,olefin-type chiral ligand with C–N bond axial chirality

• Natsume Akimoto,
• Kaho Takaya,
• Yoshio Kasashima,
• Kohei Watanabe,
• Yasushi Yoshida and
• Takashi Mino

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1018–1023, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.83

• palladium catalysts with amines as nucleophiles have been reported [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], there have been only a few reports on the N-substitution of isatin using asymmetric methods. Recently, Wolf’s group reported a transition-metal-catalyzed (Pd-catalyzed) asymmetric allylic

Silver(I) triflate-catalyzed post-Ugi synthesis of pyrazolodiazepines

• Muhammad Hasan,
• Anatoly A. Peshkov,
• Syed Anis Ali Shah,
• Andrey Belyaev,
• Chang-Keun Lim,
• Shunyi Wang and
• Vsevolod A. Peshkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 915–925, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.74

• formation of the tricyclic triazolo[1,5-a][1,4]benzodiazepine scaffold 10 (Scheme 1b) [39]. Triple bond-containing Ugi adducts showed a great promise for the assembly of various seven-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic cores through transition-metal-catalyzed alkyne hydroarylations [40][41][42][43

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

• control The precise regulation of product selectivity represents a fundamental challenge in transition-metal-catalyzed organic transformations, with significant implications for complex molecule synthesis. In this context, ligand-modulated divergent catalysis has emerged as a paradigm-shifting strategy

Light-enabled intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition via photoactivation of simple alkenylboronic esters

• Lewis McGhie,
• Hannah M. Kortman,
• Jenna Rumpf,
• Peter H. Seeberger and
• John J. Molloy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 854–863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.69

• cyclobutyldiol. A) Product derivatization and B) transition-metal EnT catalysis. Reaction conditions A): 4d (1 equiv), H2O2 (30 wt % in H2O), aq NaH2PO4, THF, 0 °C; B) 4 (1 equiv), KF (4 equiv), ʟ-tartaric acid (2.1 equiv), MeOH, MeCN, H2O, rt. Probing EnT catalysis of alkenylboronic ester 1a via alkene

Chitosan-supported CuI-catalyzed cascade reaction of 2-halobenzoic acids and amidines for the synthesis of quinazolinones

• Xuhong Zhao,
• Weishuang Li,
• Mengli Yang,
• Bojie Li,
• Yaoyao Zhang,
• Lizhen Huang and
• Lei Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 839–844, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.67

• under optimized conditions (Scheme 4a). The recyclability of heterogeneous catalysts is a critical factor in assessing their practical utility in transition metal-catalyzed reactions. Therefore, the recyclability of CS@CuI was evaluated in the reaction of 2-iodobenzoic acid (1a) with 2a, as illustrated

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

• with diverse functional groups [12][13][14]. Consequently, the development of selective and predictable strategies for the introduction of cyano groups into quaternary carbon frameworks has become necessary in organic synthesis. The transition-metal-catalyzed hydrocyanation of carbon–carbon double

• -system configuration promotes selective functionalization, enabling the synthesis of various complex products through a single transformation [17][18][19]. Therefore, allenes have become versatile intermediates in numerous transition-metal-catalyzed reactions [20][21]. Despite extensive studies on the

Recent advances in the electrochemical synthesis of organophosphorus compounds

• Babak Kaboudin,
• Milad Behroozi,
• Sepideh Sadighi and
• Fatemeh Asgharzadeh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 770–797, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.61

• derivatives of glycine with diarylphosphine oxide (R2P(O)–H) for the synthesis of 1-aminoalkylphosphine oxides without the use of any transition metal catalyst or external oxidant. In this conversion, 1-aminoalkylphosphine oxides were formed in an undivided cell using a carbon electrode as the anode and

• first due to its lowest oxidation potential among the species. In 2024, Zhu et al. [63] reported an electrochemical transition-metal and additive-free synthesis of phosphorylated propargyl alcohols at room temperature. The reaction is carried out in an undivided cell using glassy carbon (GC) as an anode

• another study, Ding and co-workers [69] recently reported an electrochemical method for synthesizing S-heteroaryl phosphorothioates without using any transition metal catalysts and oxidants at 90 °C. This method is compatible with various functional groups and can be easily scaled up to a gram scale. The

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

• Abstract The transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution represents a pivotal methodology in organic synthesis, providing remarkable versatility for complex molecule construction. Particularly, the generation and utilization of chiral secondary alkylcopper species have received considerable

• secondary organocopper; copper-mediated reaction; stereoselectivity; Introduction The transition-metal-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective allylic substitution represents a pivotal methodology in organic synthesis, providing remarkable versatility for complex molecule construction [1][2][3][4]. The

• dialkylzinc reagents as nucleophiles [26]. They subsequently expanded the methodology by successfully employing triorganoaluminum reagents [27]. Recent developments in transition-metal-catalyzed AAA have increasingly turned to organoboron compounds [28][29][30][31]. These reagents offer numerous advantages

Photocatalyzed elaboration of antibody-based bioconjugates

• Marine Le Stum,
• Eugénie Romero and
• Gary A. Molander

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 616–629, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.49

• particularly useful and important tool in which azides and other dipolar species engage with reactive alkenes and alkynes on non-canonical amino acids [20]. Transition-metal-mediated processes, including metathesis reactions, aryl cross-coupling reactions, and conjugate addition reactions with dehydroalanine

• emerged as a transformative approach in the modification of proteins, enabling researchers to achieve selective and efficient conjugation under mild conditions [37]. By utilizing visible light and transition-metal catalysts, this technique allows the generation of reactive intermediates that can

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

• traps the sulfonium ylide (Scheme 16). In an independent work, Mhaske et al. proposed an alternative methodology to furnish β-amino ketone 20a (Scheme 17), using DMSO as a formaldehyde surrogate but with activation via ammonium persulfate (APS), avoiding the use of transition-metal catalysis [51]. In

Deep-blue emitting 9,10-bis(perfluorobenzyl)anthracene

• Long K. San,
• Sebastian Balser,
• Brian J. Reeves,
• Tyler T. Clikeman,
• Yu-Sheng Chen,
• Steven H. Strauss and
• Olga V. Boltalina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 515–525, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.39

• used to achieve higher yields [27]. Even in the absence of a transition-metal-based photosensitizer, a recent study showed that perfluoroalkylation using perfluoroalkyl iodides (RFI) could be carried out by activation of the RF–I bonds by formation of electron donor–electron acceptor complexes with an

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

• enzyme dynamics. The wider history of supramolecular and cavity catalysis [3][13][15][16][17][18][19][21][48][49], and catalysis using confined transition-metal catalysts [50][51][52], dendrimers [53] or synzymes [54], micelles [55] or vesicles [56], catalytic antibodies [57][58][59] or molecularly

• 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

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

• . While transition metals such as copper, palladium, cobalt, and nickel are well-established in catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, J. Cornella et al. have highlighted the reactivity of main-group elements like bismuth, which can mimic transition-metal behavior through oxidative addition. In their recent

• explores how this bismuth(I) complex undergoes oxidative addition with a variety of aryl electrophiles, including diazonium salts, iodonium salts, and challenging aryl iodides and aryl thianthrenium salts, typically requiring transition-metal catalysts (Figure 3). The reactivity of the N,C,N-bismuthinidene

• transition-metal catalysis. As the use of osmium catalysts has already demonstrated scalability in industrial applications [22], the introduction of bismuthinidene complexes presents another step forward in expanding the photoredox catalysis toolkit, potentially paving the way for more sustainable and

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

• electrophiles in various nucleophilic transformations due to their susceptibility to rapid decomposition into the corresponding isocyanates (Scheme 1a) [2][3]. They have attracted increasing interest as electrophilic amide sources in amidation using transition-metal catalysts such as ruthenium, rhodium, and

• potential bioactivity [70][71][72][73]. Despite the development of synthetic approaches for six-membered lactams, including transition-metal-catalyzed transformations, several limitations remain, particularly with regard to regioselectivity and asymmetric C–N bond formation, which are still limited. In 2023

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

• chemistry. Combining electrochemistry with transition-metal catalysis is a promising and rapidly growing methodology for effectively forming challenging C–C and C–heteroatom bonds in complex molecules in a sustainable manner. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the combination of

• electrochemistry and copper catalysis for various organic transformations. Keywords: copper; electrochemistry; radical chemistry; single-electron transfer; sustainable catalysis; Introduction Transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling has emerged as an effective method for forming carbon–carbon (C–C) and carbon

• remains a significant challenge owing to the high energy barrier required for oxidative addition and facile β-hydride elimination [12]. The development of radical approaches facilitated by transition-metal catalysis has provided a promising solution to overcome the limitations of conventional coupling

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

• transition-metal catalysts provides synthetic tools even more advantageously. Copper has also become very interesting in this field, mainly in processes aimed at synthesizing heterocyclic compounds. Among the various catalysts, Cu(OTf)2 stands out in heterocyclic synthesis and ring transformations due to its

Recent advances in organocatalytic atroposelective reactions

• Henrich Szabados and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 55–121, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.6

• purities, solid yields and very good diastereomeric ratios. The hydroxy group present in products 156 and 158 could be transformed to provide axially chiral phosphines that could be utilized as chiral ligands in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. Testing both substrates 156 and 158 for conformational

Facile one-pot reduction of β-nitrostyrenes to phenethylamines using sodium borohydride and copper(II) chloride

• Laura D’Andrea and
• Simon Jademyr

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 39–46, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.4

• limited, since a NaBH4/transition metal salt system is mostly used to reduce nitroarenes [23][24][25][26]. One of the reported methods takes advantage of titanium(IV) isopropoxide as a catalyst to prepare varied β-phenethylamine analogues. Despite its simplicity, the reaction time is quite prolonged (from

Efficient synthesis of fluorinated triphenylenes with enhanced arene–perfluoroarene interactions in columnar mesophases

• Yang Chen,
• Jiao He,
• Hang Lin,
• Hai-Feng Wang,
• Ping Hu,
• Bi-Qin Wang,
• Ke-Qing Zhao and
• Bertrand Donnio

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3263–3273, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.270

• commercial perfluoroarene chemical blocks and reagents, involving catalyzed C–F-bond activation and cross-coupling reactions, usually requiring precious transition-metal catalysts and tedious synthetic routes [28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Therefore, low-cost and facile synthetic strategies are desired to

Intramolecular C–H arylation of pyridine derivatives with a palladium catalyst for the synthesis of multiply fused heteroaromatic compounds

• Yuki Nakanishi,
• Shoichi Sugita,
• Kentaro Okano and
• Atsunori Mori

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3256–3262, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.269

• ; phosphine ligand; pyridine amides; Introduction Transition-metal-catalyzed synthetic reactions have recently attracted much attention in synthetic organic chemistry [1][2]. C–H Arylation reactions catalyzed by a transition metal are of particular interest because these reactions involve rather superior

Germanyl triazoles as a platform for CuAAC diversification and chemoselective orthogonal cross-coupling

• John M. Halford-McGuff,
• Thomas M. Richardson,
• Aidan P. McKay,
• Frederik Peschke,
• Glenn A. Burley and
• Allan J. B. Watson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3198–3204, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.265

• further diversification of the triazole products, including chemoselective transition metal-catalysed cross-coupling reactions using bifunctional boryl/germyl species. Keywords: chemoselectivity; click chemistry; copper; germanium; triazole; Introduction Since its inception, click chemistry has been

• proven useful in various Cu- and Pd-catalysed C–X-bond-forming strategies [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51], including widespread use across several CuAAC methodologies [52][53][54]. Germanium-based functional groups have recently emerged as highly useful components for transition-metal-catalysed

Advances in the use of metal-free tetrapyrrolic macrocycles as catalysts

• Mandeep K. Chahal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3085–3112, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.257

• macrocycles as electrocatalysts Development of efficient renewable technologies is a driving force in the efforts to achieve sustainability with the same or even increasing demands for energy worldwide. In this context, transition-metal complexes of tetraazamacrocycles (N4-macrocycle) such as porphyrins

Cyclodextrin-based rotaxanes for polymer materials: challenge on simultaneous realization of inexpensive production and defined structures

• Yosuke Akae

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3026–3049, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.252

• substitution/addition reactions became the standard for end-capping reactions, although a transition metal–catalyzed cross-coupling reaction has also been used to synthesize CD-based rotaxane. Typically, water-soluble components are prepared, after which the Suzuki coupling reaction in water is used to

• such stimuli. When the rotaxane motif contains cyclophane or a crown ether, stimuli induced by a transition metal or an electrostatic interaction have been widely used. These interactions are easily controlled, and they induce relatively strong coordination interactions among the components, making

• them suitable media for regulating the rotaxane structure. Concurrently, for CD-based rotaxane systems, employing a transition metal or inducing electrostatic interactions encounters more limitations owing to the synthetic shortcoming of integrating high-polar moieties in their dumbbell framework that