Visible-light-driven NHC and organophotoredox dual catalysis for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds

• Vasudevan Dhayalan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2584–2603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.200

• of single-electron NHC catalysis by incorporating oxidatively generated aryloxymethyl radicals A as a key intermediate. A variety of γ-aryloxy ketones 12 were successfully prepared in the presence of NHC (15 mol %), photocatalyst (2 mol %), using 467 nm LED and a combination of alkene 11, amide 9

• for 18 h (Scheme 6) [56]. Gao, Ye, and co-workers reported the iminoacylation of alkenes 17 via photoredox NHC dual catalysis in the presence of NHC (20 mol %), photocatalyst (5 mol %), with Na2CO3 (1.2 equiv) using a 36 W blue LED. In this method, the alkene-attached iminyl radicals A and the NHC

• -attached ketyl radical B are generated under photoredox NHC catalysis under visible-light irradiation. The 5-exo-trig radical cyclization of the alkene-tethered iminyl radicals A furnished a dihydropyrrole-derived radical coupled with the NHC group attached ketyl radical B. This approach features readily

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

• [5.2.1.01,5]decane core with a cis-pentalene unit. The product was further processed into rearrangement precursor 46 (as an inseparable mixture, dr = 1:1.6) by TBS protection of the primary alcohol and epoxidation of the alkene with m-CPBA. Unlike Rychnovsky’s substrate, epoxy alcohol 46 underwent

• reaction of 87 was employed, generating both the kinetic product 88 and the desired thermodynamic product 89. Heating 88 promoted a retro-Diels–Alder/Diels–Alder equilibrium, favoring the more stable isomer 89. Palladium-catalyzed hydrogenation of the 1,2-disubstituted alkene in 89, followed by Mo(CO)6

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

• , provided compound 78. Finally, a sequence comprising terminal alkene reduction, epoxidation of the tetrasubstituted alkene, and LiDBB-promoted intramolecular reductive cyclization and deprotection completed the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-ryanodine (1) in 17 steps. Notably, the additive used in the

• , terminal alkene reduction, and intramolecular reductive cyclization culminated in the completion of the first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-20-deoxyspiganthine (2) in 19 steps. Micalizio’s formal total synthesis of ryanodol (4) In 2020, the Micalizio group at the University of California, San Diego

• epoxidation of the tetrasubstituted alkene followed by Grieco elimination yielded diene 92. Subsequent oxidation of the hemiacetal, saponification of the lactone, intramolecular epoxide opening, and Hoveyda–Grubbs (II)-catalyzed RCM afforded tetracyclic compounds 94 and its transesterification product 93

Rapid access to the core of malayamycin A by intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition

• Yilin Liu,
• Yuchen Yang,
• Chen Yang,
• Sha-Hua Huang,
• Jian Jin and
• Ran Hong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2542–2547, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.196

• functionality strategy employing oxazoline to unmask the 1,2-hydroxyamine moiety proves feasible, eliminating the need for alkene functionalization required in previous endeavours. This current strategy provides a reliable platform for accessing diverse uracil nucleosides and their derivatives, facilitating the

• three contiguous stereogenic centers (Scheme 1A). The pyran ring was constructed by a RCM reaction [16]. Subsequent functionalization of the alkene to install the 1,2-cis-hydroxy amine required 6 steps from the sterically more demanding side. In continuing our recent interest in accessing unusual

• position. Therefore, dihydroxylation [37] readily converted alkene 11 to diol 12 as a mixture of inseparable isomers. Without purification, oxidative cleavage with NaIO4 resulted in a compound with strong UV absorption, which was eventually identified as enone 14 (Scheme 3). It is assumed that the

Synthesis of the tetracyclic skeleton of Aspidosperma alkaloids via PET-initiated cationic radical-derived interrupted [2 + 2]/retro-Mannich reaction

• Ru-Dong Liu,
• Jian-Yu Long,
• Zhi-Lin Song,
• Zhen Yang and
• Zhong-Chao Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2470–2478, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.189

• leads to ketene D, which can undergo cycloaddition with an alkene to yield E. This fragmentation pathway dominates under various conditions (e.g., transition-metal catalysis, nucleophilic addition) and is driven by ring-strain release [11]. PET, an alternative to direct excitation and EnT, enables the

Recent advances in Norrish–Yang cyclization and dicarbonyl photoredox reactions for natural product synthesis

• Peng-Xi Luo,
• Jin-Xuan Yang,
• Shao-Min Fu and
• Bo Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2315–2333, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.177

• , followed by diastereoselective α-alkylation, produced 38. A Wittig reaction and subsequent deketalization converted the ketone in 38 to the terminal alkene 39, allowing for subsequent sequential chemoselective hydrogenations: first, hydrogenation of the exo-olefin using Wilkinson’s catalyst proceeded with

• known two-step sequence to 61, followed by Mitsunobu reaction, ester reduction, thioether oxidation, and silylation of the primary alcohol to furnish sulfone 64. The two key fragments – aldehyde 60 and sulfone 64 – were merged via Julia–Kocienski olefination to construct alkene 65. Treatment of 65 with

• (C6F5)3B triggered a Meinwald rearrangement, generating aldehyde 66. Nucleophilic addition, oxidation of the resulting alcohol, and base-promoted epimerization at C6 of 67' delivered 67. Subsequent dihydroxylation of the alkene in 67 and protection of the resulting 1,2-diol as a cyclic carbonate

Halogenated butyrolactones from the biomass-derived synthon levoglucosenone

• Johannes Puschnig,
• Martyn Jevric and
• Ben W. Greatrex

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2297–2301, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.175

• low, the synthesis of 7c via this method represents a substantial improvement on previous approaches to this material [24]. The Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of 7c was uneventful and the fluorinated alkene 17 was isolated in 50% yield. The α-trifluoromethylation of ketones and aldehydes can be performed

• cascade to give enone 21 in 42% yield. Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of this highly activated alkene promoted an epoxidation/Baeyer–Villiger oxidation cascade to yield lactone 22 in 67% yield (dr 2:1). The low diastereoselectivity suggested that the epoxidation happened subsequent to the ring contraction, as

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• -trig cyclization and HAT furnished the enantioenriched products with up to 97:3 er. In addition to intramolecular radical reactions, intermolecular radical transformations have also been achieved using photoenzymatic catalysis, such as the addition of fluoroalkyl radicals to alkene substrates [36] and

Pathway economy in cyclization of 1,n-enynes

• Hezhen Han,
• Wenjie Mao,
• Bin Lin,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2260–2282, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.173

• dichloromethane (DCM), gold(I)-catalyzed alkyne activation initiated 6-endo-dig cyclization of the conjugated alkene. Subsequent alkyl migration formed four-membered ring intermediate 9, which underwent fragmentation and rearrangement to yield phenanthrene derivative 10 (Scheme 3, path a). When tetrahydrofuran

• dihydrochromenone skeleton 24 (Scheme 6, path a). When DMSO was employed instead, the strongly coordinating solvent diverted the reaction towards 5-exo-dig cyclization, furnishing a Z-configured tetrasubstituted alkene product 26 (Scheme 6, path b). The isocoumarin-fused dihydrochromenones prepared by this strategy

• delivered tricyclic indole derivative 59 featuring an exocyclic Z-alkene (Scheme 13, path a). When the terminal substituent of the alkyne was an aryl group, C3-selective cyclization was triggered under BiCl3 catalysis to generate tricyclic iminium 60. Subsequent aryl-assisted Mannich cyclization efficiently

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

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

• operation including azide–alkene dipolar cycloaddition, irradiation of the resulting triazoline to aziridine 80 and in situ ring opening followed by deacetylation achieved the first total synthesis of (−)-hunterine A (14). On the other hand, aza-Cope/Mannich reaction of 78 produced imine intermediate 81

• underwent dehydration with Martin′s sulfurane to afford the known intermediate 115 [83] and terminal alkene 116 (C12–C13 bond-cleaved byproduct). Thus, the formal total synthesis of (−)-platencin (24) was achieved. On the other hand, epoxidation of 113 followed by acid-mediated regioselective ring-opening

Asymmetric total synthesis of tricyclic prostaglandin D2 metabolite methyl ester via oxidative radical cyclization

• Miao Xiao,
• Liuyang Pu,
• Qiaoli Shang,
• Lei Zhu and
• Jun Huang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1964–1972, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.152

• used as a powerful method for synthesizing complex natural products [20][21]. We envisaged that the A-ring in 4 could be constructed from the alkene-substituted β-keto ester precursor A via a bioinspired oxidative radical cyclization (Scheme 1D). Herein, we report the full details of our efforts to

• connection of C8 and C12 in compound 21 could be realized through a photoredox-catalyzed radical cyclization of unactivated alkene-substituted β-ketoester 27. This reaction was expected to involve a 5-exo-trig radical cyclization via transition state TS-3 [38], in which the diastereoselectivity could be

• proposed mechanism to 21 involved the formation of an electron-deficient, resonance-stabilized radical species, followed by intramolecular alkylation of the unactivated alkene to generate radical 29 via a diastereoselective 5-exo-trig cyclization step. Radical intermediate 29 was trapped by 2,4,6

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

• reaction can also be used to prepare precursors for the Ullman–Goldberg coupling (Scheme 12B and 12C); however, in the presence of halogens, an alternative reduction pathway of the alkene with tosylhydrazine and NaOAc must be used [55]. Hetereodiazocines 35b and 35c are synthesised by coupling of o

Fe-catalyzed efficient synthesis of 2,4- and 4-substituted quinolines via C(sp²)–C(sp²) bond scission of styrenes

• Prafull A. Jagtap,
• Manish M. Petkar,
• Vaishnavi R. Sawant and
• Bhalchandra M. Bhanage

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1799–1807, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.142

• the FeIII species. An alternative mechanism involving a concerted [4 + 2] cycloaddition between the aza-butadiene moiety in II and the alkene, leading to intermediate IV, cannot be ruled out. Conclusion In summary, we have successfully developed a highly efficient method for the oxidative C–C bond

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

• an important role in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry [23][24][25] (Scheme 1a). Sodium hypophosphite exhibited good chemoselectivity – it selectively reduced imines while leaving other functional groups intact, e.g., nitro (NO₂), cyano (CN), alkene (C=C), and benzyloxy (OBn) groups. In contrast

Catalytic asymmetric reactions of isocyanides for constructing non-central chirality

• Jia-Yu Liao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1648–1660, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.129

• reaction between alkene 43 and 2,2′-dienone 44. The corresponding spirooxindole 45 was obtained in >19:1 dr, 63% yield, and 89% ee. Dynamic kinetic resolution of configurationally labile bridged biaryls The catalytic asymmetric dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of configurationally labile bridged biaryls

Transition-state aromaticity and its relationship with reactivity in pericyclic reactions

• Israel Fernández

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1613–1626, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.125

• resembles the trends found for Diels–Alder reactions discussed above. For the parent Alder–ene reaction, which involves an alkene as the enophile, we previously reported that the corresponding six-membered transition state can be considered as in-plane aromatic in view of its highly negative NICS(3, +1

• the destabilizing 4-electron interaction with the C–C double bond of the alkene partner, dramatically reducing the barrier of the process. Other non-catalyzed pericyclic reactions Double group transfer reactions Double group transfer reactions (DGTRs) are a particular type of pericyclic reaction

General method for the synthesis of enaminones via photocatalysis

• Paula Pérez-Ramos,
• Raquel G. Soengas and
• Humberto Rodríguez-Solla

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1535–1543, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.116

• -bromochromones via a Michael reaction of an amine with an electron-deficient alkene moiety and subsequent photocatalyzed debromination. With this dual catalytic system, a range of structurally diverse enaminone derivatives have been achieved in good yields with total trans selectivity. Mechanistic studies

Wittig reaction of cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl

• Taito Moribe,
• Junichiro Hirano,
• Hideaki Takano,
• Hiroshi Shinokubo and
• Norihito Fukui

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1454–1461, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.107

• formation between carbonyl and alkene units. Keywords: bathtub; chirality; cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl; figure-eight; Wittig reaction; Introduction Figure-eight π-conjugated molecules represent chiral macrocycles with a twisted crossover structure [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15

• conformation (Sa,Sa)-A is feasible with a small activation barrier of 9.9 kcal mol−1. The figure-eight conformer (M,M)-B untwists to adopt an achiral conformation C with the exo-alkene units rotated inwards in opposite directions. These conformational changes are almost identical to those of CBBC 1. However

• conditions. Mono-olefin 3 undergoes a reductive carbon–carbon-bond formation between carbonyl and alkene units upon treatment with TiCl4. The current study demonstrates that the transformation of the carbonyl groups of CBBC results in products with altered physical and chemical properties which may be

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

• of the resulting alkene [36]. In addition, this intramolecular etherification corresponds to the 4-exo-tet cyclisation which, in terms of kinetics, is the least favoured n-exo-tet cyclisation mode where n ≤ 7 [37]. Nevertheless, the Williamson etherification still remains one of the most common

• /RPC mechanism starts with a single-electron oxidation of the cobalt catalyst followed by a reaction with the siloxane to generate a cobalt–hydride complex. Subsequent hydride transfer to the alkene produces radical pair 23 which collapses to alkylcobalt intermediate 24. Another single-electron

• butyraldehyde in a mercury vapour illuminator and since then, the reaction has become known as the Paternò–Büchi reaction. Throughout the years after the report, investigations in this field were focused on identifying new reactive alkene and carbonyl components, developing photosensitisers that would allow

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

• subsequently adds to the activated alkene of N-arylacrylamide, followed by intramolecular cyclization, ultimately leading to the formation of the hydroxy-containing oxindole via the loss of a hydrogen radical. In 2016, Han and colleagues developed a novel methodology in which TBHP served dual roles as both

• to generate t-BuO and OH radicals. The t-BuO radical then abstracts a hydrogen atom from the β,γ-unsaturated ketoxime, forming the iminoxyl radical 10. This is followed by a 5-exo-trig cyclization, yielding a C-centered radical 11, which then adds to the alkene moiety of the N-arylacrylamide, forming

• from N-cyanamide alkenes (Scheme 27) [16]. This approach is notable for its alignment with the principles of green chemistry, utilizing the metal-free photocatalyst 4CzIPN under visible light conditions. In this system, N-cyanamide alkene 54 and BrCF2CO2Et 55 were used as model substrates, with 4CzIPN

Synthesis of β-ketophosphonates through aerobic copper(II)-mediated phosphorylation of enol acetates

• Alexander S. Budnikov,
• Igor B. Krylov,
• Fedor K. Monin,
• Valentina M. Merkulova,
• Alexey I. Ilovaisky,
• Liu Yan,
• Bing Yu and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1192–1200, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.96

• various synthetically useful transformations, including alkene synthesis via Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction [14][15], heterocycle construction [16][17], and the synthesis of chiral β-amino and β-hydroxy phosphonic acids [18][19]. Furthermore, they exhibit metal-complexing abilities [20], and anti

Synthetic approach to borrelidin fragments: focus on key intermediates

• Yudhi Dwi Kurniawan,
• Zetryana Puteri Tachrim,
• Teni Ernawati,
• Faris Hermawan,
• Ima Nurasiyah and
• Muhammad Alfin Sulmantara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1135–1160, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.91

• stereoselectivity. The authors emphasized that, as the alkene moiety in 54 was in a terminal position, the stereoselectivity of the products was determined solely by the chiral environment of the catalysts. The application of this method to construct the C3–C11 fragment 60 of borrelidin is summarized in Scheme 8

• compound 84 through a series of sequential steps, including chemoenzymatic (ω-1)-hydroxylation, regioselective dehydration of the resulting alcohol to form a terminal alkene, ozonolysis of the alkene to yield an aldehyde, reduction of the aldehyde product to a primary alcohol, and protection of the alcohol

• subsequently dehydrated using Martin’s sulfurane to produce terminal alkene 90 in 97% yield. A sequence of ozonolysis, reduction with sodium borohydride, and PMB protection using camphorsulfonic acid and PMB-trichloroacetimidate reagents followed, yielding compound 87 in 62% yield. Next, the ester

Recent total synthesis of natural products leveraging a strategy of enamide cyclization

• Chun-Yu Mi,
• Jia-Yuan Zhai and
• Xiao-Ming Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 999–1009, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.81

• first report by Stork in the 1950s [1][2][3]. Compared with enols, enamines benefit from the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom, which enhances the nucleophilicity of the alkene, enabling it to react with a broad range of electrophiles. This activation mode of carbonyl compounds has been so

• , the terminal alkene remains intact during this process, and the initial protonation proceeds with full stereocontrol, rendering this transformation both highly chemo- and diastereoselective. From the cyclization result, it is presumed that the higher nucleophilicity of the alkyne functionality over

• the terminal alkene and the conformational strain of forming a bridge[3.2.1]bicycle might be responsible for a selective 6-exo-trig cyclization. From tricyclic compound 4, anti-Markovnikov oxidation catalyzed by palladium led to the formation of aldehyde 5. When treated with p-TsOH, the intramolecular

Harnessing tethered nitreniums for diastereoselective amino-sulfonoxylation of alkenes

• Shyam Sathyamoorthi,
• Appasaheb K. Nirpal,
• Dnyaneshwar A. Gorve and
• Steven P. Kelley

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 947–954, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.78

• Abstract We present the first examples of alkene amino-sulfonoxylation reactions that leverage the unique reactivity of carbamate tethered N-alkoxy nitrenium ions. In almost all cases examined, the reactions deliver product with exquisite regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. The protocols followed

• are operationally very simple and only use commercial I(III) reagents and sulfonic acids, amounting to a metal-free protocol for alkene amino-oxygenation. No special precautions need be taken to exclude air or ambient moisture, and the products are amenable to further transformations. Keywords

• : alkene; amino-sulfonoxylation; metal-free; tethered nitrenium; Introduction Our laboratory has a programmatic focus on the development of metal-free oxidation reactions that avoid the use of toxic reagents such as osmium and chromium [1][2][3]. In line with this agenda, we recently explored a mild amino