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

• ]. In contrast to the direct radical coupling in Norrish–Yang cyclization, the distal biradical F, formed from quinone E through a pathway analogous to that of C in the photoredox process, subsequently undergoes intramolecular SET to generate a zwitterion G. This intermediate is then trapped by the

• generated diverse biradical intermediates via regioselective hydrogen transfer (δ-H or ε-H), further constructing various C–C bonds. This enabled efficient synthesis of the core skeletons of five natural products. The divergent strategy significantly reduces redundant synthetic steps, embodies synthetic

• stereoretentive photoredox reaction of naphthoquinones initiated by Norrish type-II hydrogen abstraction [45][46][47][48][49][50][51]. The mechanism involves three consecutive photoinduced events: (1) hydrogen abstraction by the excited quinone to generate a biradical species; (2) intramolecular SET process

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

• conditions and exhibits excellent functional group tolerance (demonstrated by synthesising a large library of azetidine analogues), but tends to deliver the oxetane products in rather low yields due to fragmentation of the biradical intermediate 67 through a Norrish-type II process. 1.3 [2 + 2

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

• due to the dominance of surrounding benzenoid rings or the presence of biradical character. As a result, these PAHs despite, possessing formal azulene may exhibit properties typical of benzenoid molecules rather than the characteristic azulene features such as red-shifted absorption, a small HOMO–LUMO

• co-workers reported the oxidation of partially saturated precursor 23 using DDQ, which led to the isolation of PAH 24 in 50% yield which contains two formal azulene units (Scheme 4) [39]. However, compound 24 was found to possess a biradical structure (biradical character index, y0 = 0.49) with

• with a low singlet−triplet gap. Nanographene 26, which also contains the indeno[1,2-b]fluorene structural motif, displays an extremely narrow energy gap of 0.27 eV and exhibits a pronounced open-shell biradical character, with biradical character index close to 1 (y0 = 0.92). Very recently, a similar

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

• diradicals here – accepting that some of the described molecules would fall under the more specific and accurate terms biradical or diradicaloid. Diradical is the most widely preferred termination in the community, when the general concept and class of molecules with two unpaired electrons is discussed

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

• differences in stereoelectronic stabilization of the transient 1,4-biradical intermediate on changing substituent (CO2R→BPin) [63][64][65]. It is pertinent to note that increased catalyst loading and reaction times were necessary for efficient reactivity with alkenylboronic esters, suggesting acrylates are

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

• and a photosensitizer, facilitating photoinduced electron transfer (PET) to form the active cation radical B, and intersystem crossing (ISC) for energy transfer to generate the triplet carbene C. Radical B then reacted with biradical C, producing the new radical D, which accepted an electron from the

Efficacy of radical reactions of isocyanides with heteroatom radicals in organic synthesis

• Akiya Ogawa and
• Yuki Yamamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2114–2128, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.182

• -2,4-biradical intermediates. When diselenide, ditelluride, and diiodide are used as radical mediators, seleno, telluro, and iodo groups are introduced at the 2,4-positions of the quinoline, respectively [68][69][70]. On the other hand, in the case of germyl hydride, hydrosilane (TTMSS), selenol, and

• aliphatic thiols, hydrogen abstraction reaction by quinoline-2,4-biradical intermediates occurred to give 2,4-hydrogenated quinolines [69]. In the case of aromatic thiols, the ionic cycloaddition reaction proceeds to give 2-thiolated quinoline derivatives. In addition, the aza-Bergman cyclization can be

1,2-Difluoroethylene (HFO-1132): synthesis and chemistry

• Liubov V. Sokolenko,
• Taras M. Sokolenko and
• Yurii L. Yagupolskii

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1955–1966, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.171

• ]-cycloaddition reaction of fluorinated ketones and aldehydes [49][100] were indicative of the fact that under photochemical conditions, this reaction is likely to be a stepwise process involving the formation of a biradical intermediate. Either (Z)- or (E)-1,2-difluoroethylene easily reacted with

Ring opening of photogenerated azetidinols as a strategy for the synthesis of aminodioxolanes

• Henning Maag,
• Daniel J. Lemcke and
• Johannes M. Wahl

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1671–1676, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.148

• synthesis of azetidinols. Mechanistically, the Norrish–Yang cyclization involves a 1,5-hydrogen abstraction (HAT) step followed by ring closure to forge the azetidine scaffold (Scheme 2a, 1 → 3, via 1,4-biradical 2) [26]. The respective α-aminoacetophenones 1 were synthesized using a modular approach

• ). The corresponding protecting group (PG) was thought to control the conformation of the 1,4-biradical 2, which is known to be important for efficient Norrish–Yang cyclizations [27][28]. Furthermore, the PG was deemed crucial for the development of further functionalizations of the azetidinols (vide

• infra). Thirdly, we wanted to assess substitution α to the nitrogen (R), as this was thought to impact the stability of the intermediary 1,4-biradical 2 [29][30]. To obtain comparable results, all reactions were performed in a LuzChem photoreactor under identical conditions. Deuterated acetonitrile was

Facile approach to N,O,S-heteropentacycles via condensation of sterically crowded 3H-phenoxazin-3-one with ortho-substituted anilines

• Eugeny Ivakhnenko,
• Vasily Malay,
• Pavel Knyazev,
• Nikita Merezhko,
• Nadezhda Makarova,
• Oleg Demidov,
• Gennady Borodkin,
• Andrey Starikov and
• Vladimir Minkin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 336–345, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.34

• –H proton. Therefore, three tautomeric forms are possible for 5 (Scheme 4), one of which, the 7H-tautomer 7b, inevitably adopts a bipolar or biradical structure. According to the data from the DFT calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) approximation (Figure S6, Supporting Information File

• unpaired electrons and the singlet biradical form. In previous studies on the coupling of 3H-phenoxazin-3-one derivatives 8 and 9 with o-phenylenediamine [10][11], the preference was given to the 12Н-quinoxaline[2,3-b]phenoxazine form 7 (Scheme 5). A series of N-aryl derivatives of this form was also

Photochromic derivatives of indigo: historical overview of development, challenges and applications

• Gökhan Kaplan,
• Zeynel Seferoğlu and
• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 228–242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.23

• solvents and under high pressures were performed. It was found that N,N'-dibenzoylindigos underwent the thermal relaxation much more slowly than the compounds without the aromatic ring in the acyl group. The biradical mechanism (Figure 11) was found to be the preferable pathway for the thermal Z–E

• the Z-isomer with metal cations. Schematic representation of indigo-type (left) and amide-type (right) resonances in N,N'-acetylindigo (9a). Suggested intermediates for the double bond cleavage for the thermal relaxation of N,N'-diacylindigos: (A) a biradical transient species, (B) a dipolar transient

Radical chemistry in polymer science: an overview and recent advances

• Zixiao Wang,
• Feichen Cui,
• Yang Sui and
• Jiajun Yan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1580–1603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.116

• addition. The termination step occurs by either disproportionation (radical β-elimination, Equation 4) or biradical coupling (Equation 5). Chain transfer (Equations 6–8) is usually considered as a type of side effect in radical polymerization [18]. It occurs between the growing chain and a transfer agent

• carbon-centered radical to another thiol group (propagation 2), and biradical termination between either carbon-centered or thiyl radicals (termination). Polymerization by thiol–ene coupling is a step-growth polymerization, which means it can produce polymers with no theoretical upper-limited molecular

• radicals on polymer surfaces. Its photoexcitation and subsequent reaction with polymers have been studied for decades [164][165][166]. When irradiated at around 360 nm, benzophenone undergoes excitation to a triplet state with biradical behavior. It then abstracts a hydrogen atom from the polymer resulting

Germacrene B – a central intermediate in sesquiterpene biosynthesis

• Houchao Xu and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 186–203, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.18

• photochemical E/Z isomerisation to 13 prior to [2 + 2] cycloaddition. Further photochemical products from 1 include 5, 15 that may be formed through a biradical mechanism, and rearranged 16 [51]. Germacrene B (1) has planar chirality (Scheme 4D), but recovery of the starting material from an incomplete

Vicinal ketoesters – key intermediates in the total synthesis of natural products

• Marc Paul Beller and
• Ulrich Koert

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1236–1248, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.129

• with a medium pressure mercury lamp in Pyrex® glassware triggered a 1,6-HAT leading to biradical X which combined to the racemic pyrrolizidine 68 as a 1:1 mixture of diastereomers. Three more steps gave the target compound 69 in 31% overall yield. Corynoxine Hiemstra et al. used the α-ketoester moiety

Site-selective reactions mediated by molecular containers

• Rui Wang and
• Yang Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 309–324, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.35

• irradiation, biradical species 12 was generated and immediately abstracted a hydrogen atom from the methyl group of 11. Site-selective radical coupling at the oxygen atom between 13 and 14 produced the 1,4-adduct 15. The unusual site-selectivity of this reaction was also traced from the restricted geometry

An initiator- and catalyst-free hydrogel coating process for 3D printed medical-grade poly(ε-caprolactone)

• Jochen Löblein,
• Thomas Lorson,
• Miriam Komma,
• Tobias Kielholz,
• Maike Windbergs,
• Paul D. Dalton and
• Robert Luxenhofer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2095–2101, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.136

• exposed PCL fibers in the PHEMA-filled MEW scaffolds. Schematic representation of the self-initiated photografting and photopolymerization (SIPGP) of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) including intersystem crossing from singlet to triplet state which is mandatory for the formation of a biradical (left

[2 + 1] Cycloaddition reactions of fullerene C₆₀ based on diazo compounds

• Yuliya N. Biglova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 630–670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.55

• latter involves the closure into a [5,6]-closed fullerene, which is then regrouped into a [6,6]-closed fullerene via a biradical intermediate (Scheme 1). Nevertheless, examples of the synthesis of both individual isomeric cycloadducts and mixtures of isomeric fullerene and fulleroid structures upon

The preparation and properties of 1,1-difluorocyclopropane derivatives

• Kymbat S. Adekenova,
• Peter B. Wyatt and
• Sergazy M. Adekenov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 245–272, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.25

• . Such selectivity is caused by the possibility of the resonance stabilization of the biradical that is formed. If other reagents are absent, the biradical can rearrange and recombine, leading to isomerization of the starting material as was observed in the case of 1,1-difluoro-2,3-dialkylcyclopropanes

All-carbon [3 + 2] cycloaddition in natural product synthesis

• Zhuo Wang and
• Junyang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 3015–3031, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.251

• tricyclic compound 25, which led to the synthesis of (±)-hirsutene (14) [22] (Scheme 1A). Refluxing azo compound 22 in acetonitrile generated the proposed biradical intermediate 23 through nitrogen extrusion. This intermediate underwent isomerization to 24 and intramolecular diyl trapping through a [3 + 2

Metal-free synthesis of biarenes via photoextrusion in di(tri)aryl phosphates

• Hisham Qrareya,
• Lorenzo Meazza,
• Stefano Protti and
• Maurizio Fagnoni

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 3008–3014, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.250

• of the biradical intermediate 6 [55] preceding the loss of ROP(O)(OH)2 (paths (b), (c), Scheme 3). The long irradiation time required to achieve a complete consumption of the substrates 1 and 3 is in accordance with the low quantum yield values reported for this process [58][61]. Furthermore, a

Photocatalysis with organic dyes: facile access to reactive intermediates for synthesis

• Stephanie G. E. Amos,
• Marion Garreau,
• Luca Buzzetti and
• Jerome Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1163–1187, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.103

• : a biradical capable of abstracting an H atom from C–H bonds. Recently, Martin exploited this feature in a nickel-catalyzed process for the alkylation of arenes (Scheme 8) [57]. In this report, the excited state of a push–pull benzophenone OD10 can abstract an H atom from the substrate

Aldehydes as powerful initiators for photochemical transformations

• Maria A. Theodoropoulou,
• Nikolaos F. Nikitas and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 833–857, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.76

• reaction were described. The first one included an attack on the π-system of the olefin by the oxygen atom of the excited carbonyl compound, forming a biradical intermediate 72. Then, the biradical intermediate 72 could either cyclize to produce an oxetane 73 or dissociate to form again the carbonyl

• Hanovia 450 W mercury arc [17]. If the reaction proceeded stereospecifically, cis-2-butene would have led to the formation of the oxetanes 75a and 75b, while trans-2-butene would have led to the oxetanes 75c and 75d (Scheme 19). It was suggested that the reaction proceeded through a long-lived biradical

• biradical intermediate may lead to all four conformations. Photolysis products of benzaldehyde (8) in different solvents. a) In benzene or ethanol. b) In hex-1-yne. N-tert-Butylbenzamide formation proceeds via a benzoyl radical. Photochemical pinacol coupling. Photochemical ATRA catalyzed by 4-anisaldehyde

Design, synthesis and investigation of water-soluble hemi-indigo photoswitches for bioapplications

• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2822–2829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.275

• (thio)indigo, the energy maximum in the ground state corresponds to the 90° rotation about the central double bond resulting in formation of a state with biradical-like character that is polarized along the molecule’s long axis [22]. The close structural similarity allows to expect a similar character

Experimental and computational electrochemistry of quinazolinespirohexadienone molecular switches – differential electrochromic vs photochromic behavior

• Eric W. Webb,
• Jonathan P. Moerdyk,
• Kyndra B. Sluiter,
• Benjamin J. Pollock,
• Amy L. Speelman,
• Eugene J. Lynch,
• William F. Polik and
• Jason G. Gillmore

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2473–2485, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.240

• to rupture upon reduction to SW•−. It is common to think of thermal ring-opening as looking more like that of the biradical (T0 or S1) than of the radical anion (D0), so we might have presumed the structure of any thermal or solvatochromic LW isomer that occurred to have been that of pLW (4). However

Excited state dynamics for visible-light sensitization of a photochromic benzil-subsituted phenoxyl-imidazolyl radical complex

• Yoichi Kobayashi,
• Yukie Mamiya,
• Katsuya Mutoh,
• Hikaru Sotome,
• Masafumi Koga,
• Hiroshi Miyasaka and
• Jiro Abe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2369–2379, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.229

• acts as a singlet photosensitizer for PIC by the Dexter-type energy transfer. Visible-light sensitized photochromic reactions of PIC are important for expanding the versatility of potential applications to life sciences and materials science. Keywords: biradical; energy transfer; photochromism

• -type photochromic compounds which reversibly generate an imidazolyl radical and a phenoxyl radical (biradical form) in a molecule upon UV light irradiation [24]. The great advantage of PIC is the tunability of the thermal back reaction from tens of nanoseconds to tens of seconds by simple and rational

• A. PIC generates the biradical species upon UV-light irradiation and shows the broad transient absorption spectrum over the visible- to near infrared-light regions. The half-life of the thermal back reaction of the biradical in benzene is 250 ns (the lifetime is 360 ns) at 298 K. To investigate the