Synthetic study toward vibralactone

• Liang Shi,
• Jiayi Song,
• Yiqing Li,
• Jia-Chen Li,
• Shuqi Li,
• Li Ren,
• Zhi-Yun Liu and
• Hong-Dong Hao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2376–2382, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.182

• ketal moiety was removed and the resulting intermediate underwent Wittig olefination to yield vinyl chloride 20. Subsequent hydrolysis and intramolecular esterification furnished intermediate 21, which was then subjected to C–H insertion [42][43][44]. To our disappointment, this ring closure still did

A chiral LC–MS strategy for stereochemical assignment of natural products sharing a 3-methylpent-4-en-2-ol moiety in their terminal structures

• Rei Suo,
• Raku Irie,
• Hinako Nakayama,
• Yuta Ishimaru,
• Yuya Akama,
• Masato Oikawa and
• Shiro Itoi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2243–2249, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.171

• Discussion Our degradation strategy of natural products bearing an MPO moiety includes (1) acylation of hydroxy group, (2) oxidative cleavage of olefin to generate 3-acyloxy-2-methylbutanoic acid, and (3) its methyl esterification (Scheme 1A). We initially investigated derivatization strategies to enable LC

• obtained suffered from co-evaporation during solvent removal under reduced pressure, which led us to consider that degradation of the natural product to obtain the corresponding fragment would be challenging. Accordingly, esterification of the hydroxy group at C3 in 3, and suitable acyl groups were then

• that at C8–C9, and (3) methyl esterification (Scheme 2). The resulting C9–C12 fragment 7 was successfully detected at m/z 304.1 [M + Na]+ by LC–MS, as expected (see Figure 2b for the chromatogram). We then proceeded with the stereoselective synthesis of four diastereomers; 4-methoxy-3-methyl-4-oxobutan

C2 to C6 biobased carbonyl platforms for fine chemistry

• Jingjing Jiang,
• Muhammad Noman Haider Tariq,
• Florence Popowycz,
• Yanlong Gu and
• Yves Queneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2103–2172, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.165

• solvent and Pd as catalyst played a vital role for achieving a high yield. Efficient subsequent esterification and quaternarization to diesterquat fabric softeners demonstrated that high-value chemicals could be produced fully biobased from GCA as the starting platform (Scheme 2). GCA can also be used as

• irradiation was proven to be thermally, chemically and sunlight stable. The esterification of trans-3-(2-furyl)acrylic acid with ethanol, provided (1α,2α,3β,4β)-2,4-di(furan-2-yl)cyclobutane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (CBDA-5) via a solvent-free [2 + 2] photodimerization from ethyl 2-furanacrylate and subsequent

• , amides, lactones, acrylic acid, etc. (Scheme 72) and is therefore a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other specialty chemicals. Levulinate esters, used as a solvent or as biofuels, are obtained by esterification under acid catalysis, e.g., with a sulfuric acid

The application of desymmetric enantioselective reduction of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the total synthesis of terpenoid and alkaloid natural products

• Dong-Xing Tan and
• Fu-She Han

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2085–2102, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.164

• underwent the 1,2-addition of isopropenyllithium reagent (prepared from n-BuLi/tetraisopropenyltin (67) [55]) and DMP oxidation to afford ketone 68. A three-step transformation including RCM, Mukaiyama hydration, and esterification, 68 was converted to methyl oxalate 69. Irradiation of the reaction mixture

Measuring the stereogenic remoteness in non-central chirality: a stereocontrol connectivity index for asymmetric reactions

• Ivan Keng Wee On,
• Yu Kun Choo,
• Sambhav Baid and
• Ye Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1995–2006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.155

• the other hand, if the bond formation/cleavage is within the macrocycle, the stereochemical differentiation atoms are traced to the stereogenic arene. Therefore, the CALB-mediated esterification to cyclophenes [21] is [53], regardless of the length of the linkage (CH2)n (Scheme 5D). In recent years

Enantioselective desymmetrization strategy of prochiral 1,3-diols in natural product synthesis

• Lihua Wei,
• Rui Yang,
• Zhifeng Shi and
• Zhiqiang Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1932–1963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.151

• . Lipases commonly share typical sequences of α-helices and β-strands and possess a catalytic triad consisting of serine (Ser), histidine (His), and aspartate (Asp) or glutamate (Glu). These three amino residues function as a nucleophile-base–acid catalytic system to facilitate esterification, and the

• general mechanism of a reaction catalyzed by lipases is illustrated in Scheme 1. Additionally, the diverse three-dimensional structures of lipases confer enantioselectivity in lipase-catalyzed esterification [24][25]. Moreover, their commercial availability makes lipases an attractive option for preparing

• 103 in two steps. With the fragments 100 and 106 in hand, the synthesis of (−)-rasfonin proceeded via Yamaguchi esterification between the two fragments to obtain lactone 107 (Scheme 15c). A subsequent two-step transformation yielded compound 108, which underwent Stille coupling with (E)-2-bromobutene

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

• acid substrates 43 which, upon treatment with ynamide 44, yielded the vinyl acetate intermediate INT-A (Scheme 13). Subsequently, the one-pot CPA-catalyzed intramolecular esterification of this intermediate afforded the planarly chiral macrocycles 45 with good yield and high enantioselectivity

Photoswitches beyond azobenzene: a beginner’s guide

• Michela Marcon,
• Christoph Haag and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1808–1853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.143

Calcium waste as a catalyst in the transesterification for demanding esters: scalability perspective

• Anton N. Potorochenko and
• Konstantin S. Rodygin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1520–1527, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.114

• of δ-valerolactone (4e) successfully led to the opening of the ring structure of the lactone and the formation of methyl 5-hydroxypentanoate (5e) in 91% yield at a catalyst loading of 1 wt % and for 3 h. The transesterification of triglycerides obtained from the esterification of linear saturated C5

High-pressure activation for the solvent- and catalyst-free syntheses of heterocycles, pharmaceuticals and esters

• Kelsey Plasse,
• Valerie Wright,
• Guoshu Xie,
• R. Bernadett Vlocskó,
• Alexander Lazarev and
• Béla Török

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1374–1387, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.102

• hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was found to be an efficient activation method in several catalyst- and solvent-free reactions and has found application for the syntheses of heterocycles and the preparation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via acylation and acid- and solvent-free esterification. The

• Mannich reactions [20], lipase-catalyzed esterification [21], nitro-aldol [22], Michael [23], and aza-Michael reactions [24][25], Diels–Alder reactions [26][27] and Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles [28]. Many high pressure reactions were applied in natural product synthesis [29]. The high pressure

• of important heterocycles, the synthesis of well-known APIs, such as acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid, a variety of esterification reactions and the successful scale up (up to 100 g scale) of the Paal–Knorr reaction. The use of HHP appears to provide several advantages, for example, resulting

Oxetanes: formation, reactivity and total syntheses of natural products

• Peter Gabko,
• Martin Kalník and
• Maroš Bella

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1324–1373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.101

• potentially reactive functional groups such as alkenes, alkynes, halides or azides. In 2023, Coote et al. developed a synthetic approach to functionalised spirocyclic oxetanes 83 by combining a Paternò–Büchi reaction with succinic anhydride opening and esterification (Scheme 22) [63]. The key intermediates 82

Recent advances in oxidative radical difunctionalization of N-arylacrylamides enabled by carbon radical reagents

• Jiangfei Chen,
• Yi-Lin Qu,
• Ming Yuan,
• Xiang-Mei Wu,
• Heng-Pei Jiang,
• Ying Fu and
• Shengrong Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1207–1271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.98

A versatile route towards 6-arylpipecolic acids

• Erich Gebel,
• Cornelia Göcke,
• Carolin Gruner and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1104–1115, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.88

• acid (7-ACA) from cephalosporin C by cephalosporin C acylase [37], was used as a chiral starting material. After esterification of both carboxylic acid functions followed by cyclization to the lactam [38][39], the six-membered ring structure was established as (R)-methyl 6-oxopipecolate (7) with a high

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

• amidation in 5 min reaction time via the formation of the isolable enol ester intermediate 23 (Scheme 8A). Similarly, Feng and co-workers (2019) studied one-pot two-step esterification of cinnamic acid (7) by applying electrophilic sp carbon center of methyl propiolate (25) as the coupling reagent via in

• stoichiometric amine–BH3 reagent via triacyloxyborane–amine complex 33 to obtain the corresponding amides 31 and 32 in good yields (Scheme 11) [43]. Moreover, acid halides are widely applied for esterification and amidation. For example, Pattarawarapan and co-workers (2020) reported the amidation of cinnamic

• -acylbenzotriazole 97 via the Ni(II)-nitrene species 98 to afford its corresponding amide 47 in moderate yield (Scheme 30) [66]. Shimizu and co-workers (2019) reported a CeO2-catalyzed esterification of unactivated cinnamamide (99) and phenol in solvent-free conditions to afford the corresponding amide 24 in good

Semisynthetic derivatives of massarilactone D with cytotoxic and nematicidal activities

• Rémy B. Teponno,
• Sara R. Noumeur and
• Marc Stadler

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 607–615, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.48

• -carbonyl group was linked through an ester bond and the only hydroxy group available for this esterification was the one at C-7. This compound was finally elucidated as massarilactone D 3,4-di-O-methacryloyl-7-O-(6-chloro-3,4-dihydro-2,5-dimethyl-2H-pyran-2-carbonyl). For the formation of compound 2, an

• oxa-Diels–Alder reaction between two methacryloyl chloride molecules could have taken place to yield 6-chloro-3,4-dihydro-2,5-dimethyl-2H-pyran-2-carbonyl chloride as previously described [18] before esterification of the hydroxy group at C-7. Compounds 3 (6% yield) and 4 (90% yield) were obtained

Cryptophycin unit B analogues

• Thomas Schachtsiek,
• Jona Voss,
• Maren Hamsen,
• Beate Neumann,
• Hans-Georg Stammler and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 526–532, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.40

• macrolactamisation [21]. The syntheses of required unit A [28], C [29][30], and D [31] building blocks were accomplished as described previously. tert-Butyl-protected leucic acid 14 and Fmoc-β-aminopivalic acid (15) were connected by Steglich esterification (Scheme 2) and after cleavage of the tert-butyl ester group

• coupled to either one of the two unit A precursors 18 and 19 by Yamaguchi esterification. CDA fragments 20 and 21 were connected to unit B derivatives 11 and 13 through amidation which provided seco-cryptophycins 22 and 23 in yields of 49% and 38%, respectively. Starting from seco-cryptophycin 22

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

• ][383][384][385], and do not require metal parameterization [140][386][387]. Catalysis: Stable, soluble organic cages finally open the possibility of organocatalysis in confined spaces: organization and polarization. Hexapyridyl cage 2 was shown to accelerate acyl transfer esterification reactions by

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

The charge transport properties of dicyanomethylene-functionalised violanthrone derivatives

• Sondos A. J. Almahmoud,
• Joseph Cameron,
• Dylan Wilkinson,
• Michele Cariello,
• Claire Wilson,
• Alan A. Wiles,
• Peter J. Skabara and
• Graeme Cooke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2921–2930, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.244

• properties. Due to the low solubility of violanthrone in the majority of organic solvents, special attention has been drawn to its dihydroxy derivative (Figure 1), which allows further modification to the materials via etherification or esterification [29][30]. There has been a report on the structural

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

• include arylation, iodination, alkynylation, thiophenolation, amination, and esterification, were carried out. Among these reactions, esterification was achieved in moderate yield under metal-free conditions by reacting the synthesized naproxen methyl ester (2-methoxyphenyl)iodonium

• bis(4-methoxyphenyl)iodonium diacetate (70) or ArI(OH)OTs highly regioselective gemfibrozil methyl ester derived iodonium salts 71 were obtained in moderate to good yield. These salts were then used for various modifications like alkynylation, arylation, esterification, etherification, fluorination

The scent gland composition of the Mangshan pit viper, Protobothrops mangshanensis

• Jonas Holste,
• Paul Weldon,
• Donald Boyer and
• Stefan Schulz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2644–2654, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.222

• -dimethylalk-5-enoates in a homologous series from C11–C16, were characterized by GC–MS and GC–IR analysis and various microderivatization reactions including hydrogenation and esterification leading to methyl and pyridylmethyl esters. In addition, dimethyloxazoline formation helped to localize the double bond

• ]. Synthesis of pyridylmethyl esters: For esterification with 3-pyridinemethanol, freshly distilled oxalyl chloride (20 µL) was added to the gland extract (100 µL). After one day, excess oxalyl chloride and the solvent were evaporated under N2 and the sample was redissolved in DCM. For esterification

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

Metal-free double azide addition to strained alkynes of an octadehydrodibenzo[12]annulene derivative with electron-withdrawing substituents

• Naoki Takeda,
• Shuichi Akasaka,
• Susumu Kawauchi and
• Tsuyoshi Michinobu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2234–2241, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.191

• 5 was prepared from phthalimide (1, Scheme 1). Iodination followed by hydrolysis afforded 4,5-diiodophthalic acid (2) in 46.7% yield. Esterification with 1-hexanol yielded compound 3 in 56.8% yield and the subsequent Sonogashira coupling with trimethylsilylacetylene provided compound 4 in 80.0

Natural resorcylic lactones derived from alternariol

• Joachim Podlech

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2171–2207, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.187

Factors influencing the performance of organocatalysts immobilised on solid supports: A review

• Zsuzsanna Fehér,
• Dóra Richter,
• Gyula Dargó and
• József Kupai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2129–2142, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.183

• was studied and compared in the esterification of methanol or glycerol with oleic acid (1). It was observed that substrate conversion and product yield also depended on the particle morphology. Rope-type propylsulfonic SBA-15 mesoporous silica gel showed the highest catalytic activity in both studied

• esterification reactions (Scheme 1). By adjusting the pore size of the support, the catalyst selectivity can be influenced. To counteract the decrease in selectivity caused by catalyst immobilisation, the concept of “confinement” was introduced [62], which involves forcing the catalytic moieties into confined

• , contributing to more sustainable and efficient catalytic processes. Esterification of oleic acid (1) with propylsulfonic acid (Pr-SO3H)-functionalised mesoporous silica catalyst 4. Using confinement of organocatalytic units for improving the enantioselectivity of silica-supported organocatalysts in the Michael