Knoevenagel condensation of 4,5- and 1,8-diazafluorenes

• Darya S. Cheshkina,
• Christina S. Becker,
• Alina A. Sonina and
• Maxim S. Kazantsev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 803–812, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.62

• with ketones resulted in unique di(pyridin-2-yl)methylene)-9H-diazafluorenes being electron-deficient ligands and functional materials. Keywords: acidic conditions; diazafluorene; diazafluorenylidene; Knoevenagel condensation; protonation; Introduction Diazafluorenylidene derivatives were reported to

• found that acidic conditions allow the preparation of both 4,5- and 1,8-diazafluorenylidenes in yields up to 85%. The basicity of the diazafluorenes was demonstrated to be different and the reaction of 1,8-diazafluorene is impeded because of electrostatic repulsion of the protonated tautomer and the

• is effectively solvating ions via the formation of hydrogen bonds [24], thus promoting the dissociation of the ion pair and increasing the nucleophilicity of the diazafluorenyl anion, which becomes capable of interacting with less active aldehydes. Acidic conditions As the reaction yields under basic

Melifoliox B, a novel phloroglucin derivative isolated from Melicope barbigera (Rutaceae) and synthesis of new oxidation products from melifoliones A and B

• Horst Weber,
• Kim-Thao Tran-Cong,
• Bernhard Mayer,
• Guido J. Reiss,
• Iryna S. Konovalova,
• Marc S. Appelhans,
• Kenneth R. Wood and
• Claus M. Passreiter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 535–546, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.39

• chromene 5, which is a strong phenol. It is therefore easily separable as a nearly pure compound from the complex reaction mixture by extraction of the ether solution with NaOH. According to the literature, 5 should be converted into melifolione B (2) under acidic conditions [6]. Numerous attempts were

Modern synthetic pathways towards eribulin and its subunits

• Sebastian Dominik Graf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 495–526, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.37

• route shown in Scheme 18 was intercepted at 176. Instead of the previous radical cyclization, here, a reductive Ni(II)-induced cyclization afforded 188 (Scheme 20). Oxidation and ozonolysis with subsequent addition of NaBH4 yielded diol 190, whose TBDPS-group was cleaved under acidic conditions, before

• coupling. The Prins-cyclization via 311 proceeded upon addition of BF3·OEt2 and methoxyacetic acid. From 312, Tsuji-reduction and, again, defunctionalization with SmI2 led to the formation of 314. Desilylation followed by ketalization under acidic conditions furnished diol 316. The final transformation

• esterification with EtI were conducted to form 318. TBDPS-protection and reduction yielded alcohol 319 in 58%, which was further oxidized to the respective aldehyde and olefinated leading to a 4:1 (Z/E) mixture of 320. The isomers were separated via chromatography, then, (Z)-320 was deprotected under acidic

Synthesis and uranyl(VI) extraction performance of a calix[4]pyrrole–tetrahydroxamic acid receptor

• Sara Karnib,
• Rana Baydoun,
• Wissam Zaidan,
• Nancy AlHaddad,
• Omar El Samad,
• Bilal Nsouli,
• Francine Cazier-Dennin and
• Pierre-Edouard Danjou

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 486–494, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.36

• efficiencies, 83–95%, across the studied pH range (Table 1), indicating that it maintains strong affinity toward uranyl under moderately acidic conditions. In particular, high extraction efficiencies were observed at pH 2–3, reaching up to 95% at pH 3 (Figure 2). Although a slight increase is observed between

• window. For instance, calix[4]arene-based 8-hydroxyquinoline ligands showed nearly quantitative extraction of uranyl between pH 4 and 9, with efficiency decreasing under more acidic conditions [67]. Likewise, phosphoramide-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles showed high uranyl adsorption (80–95

• extraction under weakly acidic conditions, while others perform better at higher pH values. For instance, an octa-functionalized calix[4]resorcinarenehydroxamic acid exhibits quantitative extraction of uranyl into ethyl acetate solution at pH value of 8 [34]. On the other hand, calix[4]arenes and calix[6

Cone p-aminocalix[4]arenes enriched with ‘clickable’ alkyne or azide functionalities

• Ilia Korniltsev,
• Vasily Bazhenov,
• Alexander Gorbunov,
• Dmitry Cheshkov,
• Stanislav Bezzubov,
• Vladimir Kovalev and
• Ivan Vatsouro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 399–415, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.28

• in acidic conditions, so the amino groups in calixarenes 18–20 must be deactivated prior to the cycloaddition. Following the above reasons, a two-step replacement of protecting groups in calixarenes 18–20 was performed. First, the amino groups were acylated with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (Boc2O) and

• propargylated calix[4]arene tetraamines 18–20, proceeds under acidic conditions, but it has limited applicability as a complete removal of a large amount of inorganic by-products could only be achieved using alkaline solutions. This causes the unwanted self-conversions of free tetraamines 31 and 32. Reduction

Recent advances in the cleavage of non-activated amides

• Eun-Sol Choi and
• Hyo-Jun Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 352–369, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.23

• electrophilic benzylating reagent (Scheme 7) [55]. DPT-BM functions as an O-benzylating reagent that generates benzyl cation equivalents upon dissolution in the solvent under non-acidic conditions. Thus, the reaction of an amide with DPT-BM is proposed to form a benzyl imidate salt J, which subsequently

Ring contraction and ring expansion reactions in terpenoid biosynthesis and their application to total synthesis

• Nicolas Kratena,
• Nicolas Heinzig and
• Peter Gärtner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 289–343, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.21

Total synthesis of natural products based on hydrogenation of aromatic rings

• Haoxiang Wu and
• Xiangbing Qi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 88–122, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.4

• , Johnson–Claisen rearrangement, enol ester formation, and methylation afforded 140. Finally, hydrogenation of 140 via PtO2/H2 generated the target molecule (±)-corynoxine, and under acidic conditions, (±)-corynoxine could be isomerized to (±)-corynoxine B (Scheme 19). Total synthesis of (+)-serratezomine E

• the cyano group to an amide (162) under acidic conditions, which then allowed successful Pd/C-mediated hydrogenation to 163. Subsequent dehydration with POCl3 and chiral resolution using ᴅ-DBTA provided the optically enriched compound 165 (Scheme 22). While this approach rendered catalytic

Total synthesis of asperdinones B, C, D, E and terezine D

• Ravi Devarajappa and
• Stephen Hanessian

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2730–2738, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.210

• corresponding bromoindoles (Scheme 3) [43][55]. Grubbs cross-coupling [56] afforded the corresponding prenylindoles 14–17 in excellent yields. Prior to initiating a synthesis toward our intended target molecules 1–4 (Figure 1), we tested the stability of prenylindoles under acidic conditions. Not surprisingly

• amino acid reagent that could be removed under non-acidic conditions after the cross-coupling reaction. To this end, we prepared iodo N-Fmoc-ᴅ-alanyl anthranilamide methyl ester 29 from ᴅ-serine. Treatment of prenylindoles 14–17 with iodine and KOH followed by acetylation afforded the corresponding

Competitive cyclization of ethyl trifluoroacetoacetate and methyl ketones with 1,3-diamino-2-propanol into hydrogenated oxazolo- and pyrimido-condensed pyridones

• Svetlana O. Kushch,
• Marina V. Goryaeva,
• Yanina V. Burgart,
• Marina A. Ezhikova,
• Mikhail I. Kodess,
• Pavel A. Slepukhin,
• Alexandrina S. Volobueva,
• Vladimir V. Zarubaev and
• Victor I. Saloutin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2716–2729, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.209

• -1-yl)ethane-1,2-dione [57], or 4-(4-phenyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)oxazolidin-2-yl)butanoic acid under acidic conditions [58], and condensation of 6,6,6-trifluoro-5-oxohexanoic acid with (S)-(+)-phenylglycine [59]. The data on the multicomponent synthesis of fluoroalkyl-containing pyrido[1,2-a

Tandem hydrothiocyanation/cyclization of CF₃-iminopropargyl alcohols with NaSCN in the presence of AcOH

• Ruslan S. Shulgin,
• Ol’ga G. Volostnykh,
• Anton V. Stepanov,
• Igor’ A. Ushakov,
• Alexander V. Vashchenko and
• Olesya A. Shemyakina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2694–2702, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.207

• having electron-withdrawing groups at the triple bond can easily undergo prototropic isomerization to form corresponding unstable allene structures, particularly in acidic conditions. When N-n-Bu CF3-iminopropargyl alcohol 1h was introduced to the reaction, product 2h was obtained in a slightly lower

Recent advances in total synthesis of illisimonin A

• Juan Huang and
• Ming Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2571–2583, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.199

• rearrangement only under Lewis acidic conditions to furnish 47. Selective TES deprotection with HF afforded Rychnovsky’s intermediate 29. (−)-Illisimonin A was obtained in 13% yield over the same 4-step sequence as reported by Rychnovsky’s group. An alternative 4-step endgame starting from 47 was also developed

• intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction, affording 102 and 103 in 91% yield with a 1:6 ratio. The major product 103 was selected to investigate the tandem retro-Claisen/aldol reaction. Hydrolysis of the enol methyl ether in 103 under acidic conditions delivered triketone 104. Subsequent treatment of 104 with aqueous

Total syntheses of highly oxidative Ryania diterpenoids facilitated by innovations in synthetic strategies

• Zhi-Qi Cao,
• Jin-Bao Qiao and
• Yu-Ming Zhao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2553–2570, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.198

• the correct relative configuration undergoes hydrolysis of its spirocyclic lactone moiety under basic conditions to yield 13, establishing the critical C5 chiral center. Under acidic conditions, intermediate 13 undergoes ketal deprotection followed by successive intramolecular aldol reactions

Ni-promoted reductive cyclization cascade enables a total synthesis of (+)-aglacin B

• Si-Chen Yao,
• Jing-Si Cao,
• Jian Xiao,
• Ya-Wen Wang and
• Yu Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2548–2552, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.197

• cyclization, and a subsequent acetal reduction under acidic conditions then can complete the total synthesis of this molecule. The cyclization precursor 5 could be prepared from the primary alcohol 6 through transforming functional groups of the alkyl chain and installing an allyl group. It was envisioned

An Fe(II)-catalyzed synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidine] derivatives

• Elizaveta V. Gradova,
• Nikita A. Ozhegov,
• Roman O. Shcherbakov,
• Alexander G. Tkachenko,
• Larisa Y. Nesterova,
• Elena Y. Mendogralo and
• Maxim G. Uchuskin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2383–2388, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.183

• resulted in extensive decomposition and tarring, a common issue with α-unsubstituted pyrroles under acidic conditions. These results indicate that substrates featuring strongly electron-withdrawing groups or acid-sensitive motifs are not compatible with the developed protocol. Next, we synthesized the

Comparative analysis of complanadine A total syntheses

• Reem Al-Ahmad and
• Mingji Dai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2334–2344, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.178

• underwent ketone release and amine-ketone condensation to form iminium ion 27. Under the same acidic conditions, enamide 26 underwent hydrolysis and tautomerization to form enol 28. Conjugate addition of enol 28 to iminium ion 27 gave 29 for the subsequent intramolecular Mannich cyclization to deliver 30

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

• isomerization and hydrogenation (Scheme 70, route b2). The accepted mechanism of the rehydration of HMF under acidic conditions leading to the formation of levulinic acid and formic acid proposed by Horvat [224] is depicted in Scheme 71. Levulinic acid can be converted into various derivatives, such as esters

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

• –Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) olefination with β-ketophosphonate 176 to produce trans-enone 177 as the sole product. Ester 178, prepared in three steps from 177, first underwent cyclization via hydrogenation to generate spiroketals as a 1:1 mixture. This intermediate was then isomerized under acidic conditions to

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

• be synthesised through oxidation of aminoheteroarenes 12 (Scheme 4A) or reduction of nitroheteroarenes 13 (B). Bayer–Mills coupling (Scheme 4C) is suitable for both symmetric and asymmetric targets, usually in acidic conditions. Basic conditions [14] are more effective with very electron-poor

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

• of supramolecular vesicles using WP6 and pyridine derivatives (G1) (Figure 4). This supramolecular system achieves controllable assembly and disassembly through pH responsiveness: under acidic conditions (pH 6.0), protonation of the WP6 carboxyl groups leads to vesicle disassembly; whereas in a

• interactions, with the assembly process driven by both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The vesicles can efficiently encapsulate drug molecules such as calcein and DOX, and trigger their release under acidic

Approaches to stereoselective 1,1'-glycosylation

• Daniele Zucchetta and
• Alla Zamyatina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1700–1718, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.133

• involving TMS-glycoside acceptors require consistently acidic conditions, which places special demands on the acid stability of the protecting groups employed. This approach enabled the synthesis of β,α-1,1'-linked β-mannosyl-α-glucoside 62 and its 2-azido-2-deoxy-derivative 64, using the 4,6-O-benzylidene

• -protected lactols with a defined anomeric configuration for use as glycosyl acceptors, with the limitation that the protecting groups had to be stable under acidic conditions, therefore, benzyl or 2-naphthylmethyl ethers were used. Glycosylation of the thioglycoside donor 152 with the TMS-protected α-lactol

Influence of the cation in hypophosphite-mediated catalyst-free reductive amination

• Natalia Lebedeva,
• Fedor Kliuev,
• Olesya Zvereva,
• Klim Biriukov,
• Evgeniya Podyacheva,
• Maria Godovikova,
• Oleg I. Afanasyev and
• Denis Chusov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1661–1670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.130

• alkali metals, such as Li, K, Rb, and Cs was studied in the reductive amination for the first time. The reactivity was strongly influenced by acidity and the nature of the alkali metal cation: under neutral conditions, the yield decreased from Na to Cs, while acidic conditions with H3PO2 reversed this

pH-Controlled isomerization kinetics of ortho-disubstituted benzamidines: E/Z isomerism and axial chirality

• Ryota Kimura,
• Satoshi Ichikawa and
• Akira Katsuyama

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1568–1576, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.120

• that the pH dependence was relatively smaller in the case of amidine 7 (X = NMe2). This fact could be rationalized by the existence of different protonation states of amidine 7 (Figure 7b). In the case of amidine 7, both the amidine moiety and the NMe2 group could be protonated under acidic conditions

• , and the NMe2-protonated species has a similar double-bond nature for the C–N bond as the molecular form. Thus, it can be assumed that the presence of the NMe2-protonated species reduced the apparent population of the protonated amidine under acidic conditions, resulting in a decrease in the inhibitory

Advances in nitrogen-containing helicenes: synthesis, chiroptical properties, and optoelectronic applications

• Meng Qiu,
• Jing Du,
• Nai-Te Yao,
• Xin-Yue Wang and
• Han-Yuan Gong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1422–1453, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.106

• ), pronounced chiroptical activity (|gabs| = 0.0054–0.0056), and substantial ΦF of 0.21–0.32 under both neutral and acidic conditions. This work exemplifies the power of transition-metal catalysis for constructing enantioenriched helicenes with tunable photophysical properties. These contributions from 2021

Recent advances and future challenges in the bottom-up synthesis of azulene-embedded nanographenes

• Bartłomiej Pigulski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1272–1305, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.99

• optical absorption. The UV–vis absorption spectra, fluorescence properties and 1H NMR spectroscopy, indicate that 150 and 151 can be protonated to form the corresponding tropylium cation and consecutive dication under acidic conditions, with reversible protonation−deprotonation capabilities. Additionally