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

Gold extraction at the molecular level using α- and β-cyclodextrins

• Susana Santos Braga

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1116–1125, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.89

• the inclusion of complex aurate ions such as tetrabromoaurate, dicyanoaurate and a few other tetrahaloaurates. The review describes the properties of self-assembly of cyclodextrins with these ions, with highlight to α-CD and, more recently, β-CD, requiring the use of a co-former/precipitating agent

• spontaneous complex formation between α-CD and tetrabromoaurate and its current status of use in a few mining sites in the United States. Keywords: bromoaurate; cyanoaurate; cyclodextrin inclusion; self-assembly; supramolecular interactions; Introduction Gold has allured and captivated humankind ever since

• complex matrices such as ores and industrial waste. Review Isolating gold with α-cyclodextrin Process discovery and the role of self-assembly The discovery that α-CD could be used to isolate gold was made serendipitously [37]. A young researcher of the Stoddart group, Zhichang Liu, was trying to prepare

Supramolecular assembly of hypervalent iodine macrocycles and alkali metals

• Krishna Pandey,
• Lucas X. Orton,
• Grayson Venus,
• Waseem A. Hussain,
• Toby Woods,
• Lichang Wang and
• Kyle N. Plunkett

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1095–1103, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.87

• at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States 10.3762/bjoc.21.87 Abstract This study explores the solution- and solid-state assembly of phenylalanine-based hypervalent iodine macrocycles (HIMs) with lithium and sodium cations. The metal cation binding of HIMs was evaluated by addition of

• pattern of assembly between HIM and metal cation in 2:1 ratio. While association with sodium leads to a polymer-like network, the lithium crystal structure was limited to dimeric assemblies of HIM. In the lithium-coordinating complex, the oxygen–lithium–oxygen bond angle is approximately 98.83

• the assembly of HIM is attributed to the weak, yet additive, secondary bonding interactions between electron-deficient iodine atoms and electron-rich oxygen atoms. These examples highlight new possibilities in materials science owing to their unique assembly via secondary bonding as well as their

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

• to 429 (Scheme 88A) [149]. On the other hand, Novikov and co-workers (2019) utilized Rh(II) to catalyze the [2 + 1 + 1] assembly of spiro β-lactams 431–434 from diazocarbonyl compound 430 and azirines via Rh carbenoid 435 followed by aziridine ring-opening (436 and 437) (Scheme 88B) [150]. Lv and co

On the photoluminescence in triarylmethyl-centered mono-, di-, and multiradicals

• Daniel Straub,
• Markus Gross,
• Mona E. Arnold,
• Julia Zolg and
• Alexander J. C. Kuehne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 964–998, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.80

A convergent synthetic approach to the tetracyclic core framework of khayanolide-type limonoids

• Zhiyang Zhang,
• Jialei Hu,
• Hanfeng Ding,
• Li Zhang and
• Peirong Rao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 926–934, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.75

• ]). Conclusion In conclusion, we have developed a convergent approach for the enantioselective assembly of an advanced intermediate en route to krishnolides A and C. Key steps of our strategy entail an acylative kinetic resolution of the alcohol, a 1,2-Grignard addition and an AcOH-interrupted Nazarov

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

• ) triflate-catalyzed post-Ugi assembly of novel pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,4]diazepine scaffolds is reported offering high yields (up to 98%) under mild conditions. The synthetic sequence involves the Ugi four-component reaction (U4CR) of pyrazole-3-carbaldehydes, primary amines, 3-substituted propiolic acids, and

• intramolecular condensation with the arylglyoxal-derived keto-carbonyl group [37]. In 2024, the same group streamlined this strategy by utilizing unprotected anthranilic acids, enabling the assembly of benzo[e][1,4]diazepines 6 directly during the Ugi reaction step [38]. In 2013, Van der Eycken and co-workers

• 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

• , Shanghai 200032, PR China 10.3762/bjoc.21.73 Abstract The development of streamlined methodologies for the expeditious assembly of structurally diverse organic architectures represents a paramount objective in contemporary synthetic chemistry, with far-reaching implications across pharmaceutical

• structurally diverse macrocycles through the dynamic self-assembly of α,α’-linked oligopyrrolic dialdehydes and alkyldiamines (Scheme 10) [39]. Their investigation revealed distinct solvent-mediated selectivity in product formation. Condensation of the pyridine-bridged oligopyrrolic dialdehyde 37 with simple

• , leading to the synthesis of differently substituted protonitidine alkaloids and protoberberine alkaloids (Scheme 25) [56]. Conclusion Developing streamlined and versatile approaches for the rapid assembly of structurally diverse organic molecules represents a pivotal challenge in organic synthesis

Dicarboxylate recognition based on ultracycle hosts through cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions

• Wen-Hui Mi,
• Teng-Yu Huang,
• Xu-Dong Wang,
• Yu-Fei Ao,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• De-Xian Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 884–889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.72

• , while the glycol chains are oriented along the long axis in the opposite orientations. In packing mode, the submacrocycle units form close contacts through intermolecular hydrogen bonding, C–H···π, and lone pair–π interactions, resulting in a 1D linear assembly. Anion recognition With the functional

Acyclic cucurbit[n]uril bearing alkyl sulfate ionic groups

• Christian Akakpo,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 717–726, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.55

• [n])), and those prepared by metal ligands and H-bonding self-assembly processes [1][2][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Macrocycles have played key roles in important real-world products including the household deodorizer FebreezeTM, glucose monitors, and as solubilizing excipients [21

Origami with small molecules: exploiting the C–F bond as a conformational tool

• Patrick Ryan,
• Ramsha Iftikhar and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 680–716, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.54

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

• ] to obtain free acid 11. Exchange of the Boc protecting group of dimethylaniline 8 to an acryloyl substituent and subsequent saponification furnished dimethylamine building block 13. For the macrocycle assembly, especially the ring closure, we decided on two different routes. While the cryptophycin

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

• symmetry to enable promising catalytic modes. Keywords: cavity confinement catalysis; enzyme mimicry; robust organic cages; self-assembly; supramolecular catalysis; Introduction I frequently introduce my research on organic cage enzyme mimics with the following observation. For hundreds of years

• precision. In this perspective, I identify three clear areas for increased focus to achieve this ambition: (1) the development of modular cavities featuring sub-Ångstrom-confined bifunctionality (including frustrated charges); (2) improved access to stable cavities with reduced symmetry via self-assembly by

• exploiting emergent geometric rules and post-assembly modifications; (3) improved screening and collection of detailed structure–activity-relationship (SAR) data for modular systems to allow systematic design, rational and computational development, and identification of novel activity. These developments

Streamlined modular synthesis of saframycin substructure via copper-catalyzed three-component assembly and gold-promoted 6-endo cyclization

• Asahi Kanno,
• Ryo Tanifuji,
• Satoshi Yoshida,
• Sota Sato,
• Saori Maki-Yonekura,
• Kiyofumi Takaba,
• Jungmin Kang,
• Kensuke Tono,
• Koji Yonekura and
• Hiroki Oguri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 226–233, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.14

• coupling with gold(I)-mediated 6-endo cyclization streamlines the rapid and modular assembly of the substructure of bis-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) alkaloids. The design of the key synthetic intermediate bearing a 2,3-diaminobenzofuran moiety allows both gold(I)-mediated regiocontrolled 6-endo

• hydroamination and temporary protection of nitrile and phenolic hydroxy groups. The synthetic strategy enabled the efficient synthesis of the substructure of saframycins bearing isoquinoline and THIQ units in just four steps from the modular assembly of the three components. We also found the unexpected

• modular synthetic strategy involving the cascading assembly of the left THIQ segment. A concise modular synthetic process was developed to construct the substructure 14 of saframycin A (1), featuring copper(I)-catalyzed three-component coupling, and subsequent tandem 2,3-diaminobenzofuran formation

Hydrogen-bonded macrocycle-mediated dimerization for orthogonal supramolecular polymerization

• Wentao Yu,
• Zhiyao Yang,
• Chengkan Yu,
• Xiaowei Li and
• Lihua Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 179–188, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.10

• Wentao Yu Zhiyao Yang Chengkan Yu Xiaowei Li Lihua Yuan College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China 10.3762/bjoc.21.10 Abstract Orthogonal self-assembly represents a useful methodology to construct supramolecular polymers with AA- and AB-type monomers, as commonly used for

• materials. Keywords: hydrogen-bonded macrocycle; orthogonal self-assembly; shape-persistent; supramolecular polymer; Introduction Host–guest interactions, particularly those involving macrocycles as hosts [1], have found a myriad of applications in supramolecular chemistry [2][3][4] owing to their ability

• to create noncovalent, dynamic, yet in some cases strong forces between molecules. Adding an additional element of interactions to supramolecular systems endows them with a feature of “orthogonal self-assembly”, a process in which molecular species are assembled into aggregates by two or more types

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

• ) in biomedical applications, boasting advantages in biocompatibility and degradability. While the self-assembly behavior of block copolymers containing polysarcosine-containing polymers has been reported, their potential for shape transformation remains largely untapped, limiting their versatility

• glutamate); polysarcosine; shape transformation; stomatocyte; supramolecular chemistry; Introduction Polymeric vesicles represent a promising candidate for usage in drug delivery systems due to their facile assembly and ability to provide a stable soft interface. Among these materials, polyethylene glycol

• -polystyrene block copolymers (PEG-PS) stand out for their versatility and adaptability. These copolymers exhibit a remarkable propensity for self-assembly, allowing the formation of vesicles capable of undergoing diverse shape transformations. Notably, they can adopt the distinctive stomatocyte morphology

Chemical glycobiology

• Elisa Fadda,
• Rachel Hevey,
• Benjamin Schumann and
• Ulrika Westerlind

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 8–9, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.2

• glycan assembly [9]. Target-directed synthetic strategies are being developed by Reihill et al. [10] and Karak et al. [11], exploring the syntheses of the linker-displaying, sulfated TF disaccharide and lipid II analogues, respectively. The direct application of synthetic glycans is shown by Fan et al

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

• -67034 Strasbourg, France 10.3762/bjoc.20.270 Abstract The high potential of non-covalent arene–fluoroarene intermolecular interactions in the design of liquid crystals lies in their ability to strongly promote self-assembly, improve the order and stability of the supramolecular mesophases, and enable

Multicomponent reactions driving the discovery and optimization of agents targeting central nervous system pathologies

• Lucía Campos-Prieto,
• Aitor García-Rey,
• Eddy Sotelo and
• Ana Mallo-Abreu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3151–3173, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.261

• years, the Ugi reaction has emerged as a highly considered reaction due to its mild conditions, broad applications, and product diversity. It enables the selective assembly of precursors, facilitating various post-reaction transformations such as deprotection cyclization, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, and

Controlled oligomerization of [1.1.1]propellane through radical polarity matching: selective synthesis of SF₅- and CF₃SF₄-containing [2]staffanes

• Jón Atiba Buldt,
• Wang-Yeuk Kong,
• Yannick Kraemer,
• Masiel M. Belsuzarri,
• Ansh Hiten Patel,
• James C. Fettinger,
• Dean J. Tantillo and
• Cody Ross Pitts

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3134–3143, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.259

• substituted BCPs [25][26][27] or photochemical appendage of 1 onto an extant BCP [28][29][30][31] are relatively effective tactics for the selective assembly of certain [n]staffanes; the main caveat is that multiple synthetic steps are required. On the other hand, while a one-pot radical chain oligomerization

• a single oligomer across a panoply of different transformations typically range from <1% to ≈30% when n > 1 is desired [35]. To the best of our knowledge, the assembly of functionalized [n]staffanes from 1 in high yield/selectivity and in one step via controlled radical oligomerization remains a

Synthesis of the 1,5-disubstituted tetrazole-methanesulfonylindole hybrid system via high-order multicomponent reaction

• Cesia M. Aguilar-Morales,
• América A. Frías-López,
• Nadia V. Emilio-Velázquez,
• Alejandro Islas-Jácome,
• Angelica Judith Granados-López,
• Jorge Gustavo Araujo-Huitrado,
• Yamilé López-Hernández,
• Hiram Hernández-López,
• Luis Chacón-García,
• Jesús Adrián López and
• Carlos J. Cortés-García

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3077–3084, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.256

• aimed at inhibiting tubulin assembly, N-mesyl-2-(1-phenylvinyl)indoles were active against HCT-116 cells on the order of a GI50 of 10 mM, although the mechanism originally sought was not demonstrated [39]. Therefore, in this work, the cytotoxic activity of methanesulfonylindoles 18a–j was explored

Chemical structure metagenomics of microbial natural products: surveying nonribosomal peptides and beyond

• Thomas Ma and
• John Chu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3050–3060, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.253

• megaenzyme machinery that contains multiple modules arranged in an assembly line fashion, each of which is responsible for incorporating a single BB into the growing peptide intermediate (Figure 3a). One module typically contains one adenylation (A) domain that folds and operates semi-autonomously, which

• ) throughout biosynthesis (Figure 5a). The NRP intermediate is passed from one module to the next as BBs are incorporated one at a time into this growing peptide chain. The very last step in NRP biosynthesis – offloading the final product from the enzymatic assembly line – is usually catalyzed by the

• ]. Type I PKs are also constructed in a modular assembly line biosynthetic logic and may be amenable to chemical structure metagenomic approaches described herein [82]. In fact, the software suite antiSMASH can already predict the substrate specificity of individual polyketide synthase (PKS) modules, i.e

Tailored charge-neutral self-assembled L₂Zn₂ container for taming oxalate

• David Ocklenburg and
• David Van Craen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3007–3015, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.250

• metallocontainers which are formed by metal-driven self-assembly have become especially popular to bind various kinds of anions since such systems offer easy to tune confinements. Usually, the utilized complexes are net positive which makes them ideal hosts for anions [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]. However, the

• positively charged or charge-neutral, is their metal-driven self-assembly. Unfortunately, this can also be their Achilles' heel, as the underlying coordination bonds are fragile compared to covalent bonds. For example, metallocages can easily break apart by the addition of competitive anions which are highly

• assembly is maintained. The undesired outcome is free ligand strands accompanied by simple metal oxalate complexes or unidentifiable mixtures of aggregates (Figure 1a). We observed this issue by ourselves for a self-assembled charge-neutral zinc-based container which proved otherwise to be an excellent

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

• -unsaturated esters 143 and TBHP to afford α-peroxy-γ-diketones 145 was also disclosed under the catalysis of dirhodium(II) complex Rh2(esp)2 (esp = α,α,α′,α′-tetramethyl-1,3-benzenedipropanoate) (Scheme 45c) [109]. A three-component radical coupling reaction has been established for the assembly of β

C–C Coupling in sterically demanding porphyrin environments

• Liam Cribbin,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Nicolae Buga,
• John E. O’ Brien,
• Raphael Bühler,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Mathias O. Senge

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2784–2798, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.234

• structure is quite similar to the supramolecular assembly of borylated porphyrin 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(5,5-dimethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborinan-2-yl)porphyrin, where nitrobenzene accommodated tunnels of width of 7–8 Å [61]. The assembly of compound 46 also presents channel-type voids, making it part of only a few