Thiazolidinones: novel insights from microwave synthesis, computational studies, and potentially bioactive hybrids

• Luan A. Martinho,
• Victor H. J. G. Praciano,
• Guilherme D. R. Matos,
• Claudia C. Gatto and
• Carlos Kleber Z. Andrade

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2618–2636, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.203

• behavior is not expected from hydrogen-bonded carbon atoms in aromatic rings. Since peak intensities depend on spin-lattice relaxation times, the absence of peaks implies some degree of molecular rigidity, which could be related to two factors: the viscosity of DMSO and the conjugation between the six

Pentacyclic aromatic heterocycles from Pd-catalyzed annulation of 1,5-diaryl-1,2,3-triazoles

• Kaylen D. Lathrum,
• Emily M. Hanneken,
• Katelyn R. Grzelak and
• James T. Fletcher

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2524–2534, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.194

• compounds. The utility of click chemistry [11][12] for achieving chemoselective conjugation in a diversity of chemical environments has established the 1,2,3-triazole ring as a ubiquitous heterocycle in many research areas such as therapeutics [13][14][15][16], chemosensors [17][18][19], bioconjugation [20

• shape differences by allowing such subunits to rotate out of coplanarity due to steric strain, diminishing conjugation between subunits. Formation of pentacyclic ring systems via annulation led to several expected spectroscopic signatures indicating the formation of an expanded aromatic π-system. 1H NMR

A m-quaterphenyl probe for absolute configurational assignments of primary and secondary amines

• Yuka Takeuchi,
• Mutsumi Kobayashi,
• Yuuka Gotoh,
• Mari Ikeda,
• Yoichi Habata,
• Tomohiko Shirai and
• Shunsuke Kuwahara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2211–2219, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.168

• bond. Therefore, the π-electron conjugation is widespread almost over the chromophores. However, the UV spectrum of 1–ʟ-alaninol conjugate (S)-2a shows an intense absorption, maintaining the nature of methoxybiphenyl chromophore. The absorption band at 259 nm is attributed to the π–π* transition

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

• 69 and lactone 70 at 456 nm with fac-Ir(ppy)3 as the photocatalyst furnished a mixture of isomeric olefins. Finally, DBU-promoted the isomeric olefins conjugation and removal of the two silyl ether completed the first total synthesis of (+)-randainin D (13). Total synthesis of (−)-hunterine A and

Synthesis of N-doped chiral macrocycles by regioselective palladium-catalyzed arylation

• Shuhai Qiu and
• Junzhi Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1917–1923, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.149

• absorption maximum of MC1 is more redshifted by 42 nm compared to MC2, which is attributed to the extended conjugation after the fusion of one pyrene unit. Similarly, both MC1 and MC2 have higher ΦF values of 0.45 and 0.69 than compound MC3 (ΦF = 0.13). The optical energy bandgaps were determined to be 2.48

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

• to the strong electron conjugation, these compounds usually show much shorter thermal lifetime, alongside with strong bathochromic shifts [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. They are useful when fast responsive T-type photoswitches are needed. Moreover, some compounds show interesting non

• ” conjugation (Figure 4B). The “complete” conjugation implies shorter lifetimes, due to the ability to rearrange the electrons more efficiently, thus showing a stronger push character. A follow-up study showed that di-ortho-fluorination (9c and 9d) and di-ortho-methoxylation (9e) of the phenyl moiety of 4

• lifetimes with great accuracy [7]. In summary, the more extended the conjugation of the heterocycle with the N=N bond, the more feasible the inversion mechanism (which does not involve the rupture of the double N=N bond). The less conjugated switches, however, would undergo rotation around the (instant

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

• cyclodextrins in terms of controllable functionalization [61]. In clinical applications, particularly for anticancer drug conjugation, CAs demonstrate remarkable cancer cell selectivity, minimized off-target effects, enhanced delivery efficiency, and reduced systemic toxicity. Additionally, their synthetic

On the aromaticity and photophysics of 1-arylbenzo[a]imidazo[5,1,2-cd]indolizines as bicolor fluorescent molecules for barium tagging in the study of double-beta decay of ¹³⁶Xe

• Eric Iván Velazco-Cabral,
• Fernando Auria-Luna,
• Juan Molina-Canteras,
• Miguel A. Vázquez,
• Iván Rivilla and
• Fernando P. Cossío

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1627–1638, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.126

• imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine components. In reaction A, an hyperhomodesmotic equation [19] 2 + 3 → 4 + 1 was defined, in which the conjugation of the bicyclic imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine unit was removed, while preserving the ortho-disubstituted phenyl ring, highlighted in yellow in Scheme 1A. This reaction yielded

• considered: a total delocalized geometry denoted as 1a in Figure 3A, a peripheric conjugation 1b that excludes the participation of the lone pair of the central N atom and, finally, a two-component delocalization scheme denoted as 1c. The chief features of fully optimized structures of 1 at the ground state

Synthesis of optically active folded cyclic dimers and trimers

• Ena Kumamoto,
• Kana Ogawa,
• Kazunori Okamoto and
• Yasuhiro Morisaki

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1603–1612, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.124

• photoluminescence (PL) spectra of (Sp)-6 and (Sp)-7 in diluted CHCl3 solutions (1.0 × 10−5 M) are depicted in Figure 1. The absorption bands are derived from the π–π* transitions of a phenylene–ethynylene conjugation system. The spectra of (Sp)-6 and (Sp)-7 are similar, and the absorption peak top of (Sp)-7 is red

• -shifted compared with that of (Sp)-6 because of the bent structure of the p-phenylene–ethynylene moieties in (Sp)-6 and extended π-conjugation of (Sp)-7. Such a red-shift of a UV–vis absorption spectrum has been observed in previously reported [2.2]paracyclophane-based cyclic oligomers [39]. CHCl3

• ). Molecular orbitals of (Sp)-6 and (Sp)-7 in their ground and excited states were calculated using DFT and TD-DFT calculations (Figures S20–S23, Supporting Information File 1). In both molecules, the orbitals were localized to part of the π-conjugation systems rather than the whole system in the ground and

Thermodynamic equilibrium between locally excited and charge transfer states in perylene–phenothiazine dyads

• Issei Fukunaga,
• Shunsuke Kobashi,
• Yuki Nagai,
• Hiroki Horita,
• Hiromitsu Maeda and
• Yoichi Kobayashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1577–1586, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.121

• driven by the enhanced electron-donating ability of the TPA units, but rather by the stabilization of the PTZ 1LE state, which is facilitated by planarization of the PTZ moiety in the excited state and the resulting increase in π-conjugation. This behavior led to the persistent presence of 1LE-state

• simple molecular framework, subtle intramolecular interactions – such as increased conjugation induced by planarization – can have a significant impact on the nature of photoinduced charge separation. Such molecules with finely tunable excited-state dynamics are expected to play an important role in the

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

• 0.6 Å and 0.3–0.4 Å, respectively. This result indicates that protonation has a greater impact on the local minimum structures, as the p orbital of the nitrogen atom in the NMe₂ moiety and the C=N π orbital are located in the same plane, allowing for effective conjugation between them. The DFT study

Facile synthesis of hydantoin/1,2,4-oxadiazoline spiro-compounds via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides to 5-iminohydantoins

• Juliana V. Petrova,
• Varvara T. Tkachenko,
• Victor A. Tafeenko,
• Anna S. Pestretsova,
• Vadim S. Pokrovsky,
• Maxim E. Kukushkin and
• Elena K. Beloglazkina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1552–1560, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.118

• greater involvement of the N1 electron pair in conjugation with the imide fragment of the dipolarophile and its deactivation in the reaction with nitrile oxide. This pattern is consistent with the one previously observed when studying the reactions of these dipolarophiles with nitrile imines [22]. It is

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

• ]. Various figure-eight π-systems including aromatic hydrocarbons, belt-type extended π-systems, and porphyrinoids have been reported. The structural twisting in figure-eight macrocycles leads to cross-linked conjugation at the molecular center and a highly symmetric chiral structure with D2-symmetry

• optical HOMO–LUMO gap of 5 despite the presence of 26 sp2 carbons is due to the cross-conjugation at the exocyclic olefins. Mono-olefin 3 is virtually non-emissive, similarly to CBBC 1, which could originate from the non-radiative decay via intersystem crossing due to the carbonyl group. In sharp contrast

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

• azahelicenes represent a particularly significant subclass due to their extended π-conjugation and potential for enhanced chiroptical properties. Over the past few years, multiple research groups have investigated their synthesis, structural characteristics, and optoelectronic behavior. Notably, in 2021, Jux

• and 17b, among which compound 17b exhibited red-shifted emission (538–632 nm in CHCl3) and the largest Stokes shift (192 nm), attributed to extended conjugation and sulfur incorporation [30] (Table 4). These findings collectively underscore how structural modulation and heteroatom doping can tailor

• = 2.1 × 10−2, and BCPL values up to 76 M−1 cm−1. Collectively, these investigations underscore the efficacy of heteroatom doping, extended π-conjugation, and radical design in advancing azahelicene-based systems. These approaches significantly enhance optical and chiroptical performance, paving the way

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

• –base reaction. Cyclization of alkynes: The extension of π-conjugation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through alkyne-benzannulation reactions has become an increasingly popular method in recent years [91]. Such benzannulations can be mediated by Brønsted acids, Lewis acids or transition

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

• electronic effects will cause the Cz-unit to twist out of conjugation almost completely with the TTM radical core plane, leading to marginal orbital overlap between the D0 and D1 states. The reason for this increase in fluorescence lifetime τ is not completely understood; however, if the emission involves a

• radicals are connected through the meta-positions of the central phenyl ring, Schlenk-Brauns (m-PTH) diradicals are obtained where no Kekulé-conjugation between the radical centers is possible (see Figure 13) [89]. While the para-coupled Thiele, Chichibabin, and Müller radicals can acquire a closed-shell

• quinodal electronic structure, diradicals with broken Kekulé-conjugation exhibit much stronger diradical character. In accordance with the above-described nomenclature, these diradicals are termed non-Kekulé diradicals. This tendency of diradicals to form a closed-shell electronic configuration can be

Study of tribenzo[b,d,f]azepine as donor in D–A photocatalysts

• Katy Medrano-Uribe,
• Jorge Humbrías-Martín and
• Luca Dell’Amico

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 935–944, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.76

• : diphenyl sulfone (4), dibenzo[b,d]thiophene 5,5-dioxide (5), and 9,9-dimethyl-9H-thioxanthene 10,10-dioxide (6). The selection of these scaffolds was aimed at investigating the effect of conjugation and rigidity/flexibility on the presence of the same donor (TBA, a). In the case of the D–A compounds 4a and

• 6a, we observed a blue-shifted absorption profile due to the break of the conjugation in sulfur-based acceptors. Compounds 4a and 6a presented a similar absorption profile, while molecule 5a showed a red-shifted spectrum tailing up to the visible region (Figure 2a). The lack of a significant charge

• 5a (3.9 eV) as a consequence of the extended π conjugation compared with 4a and 6a (4.4 and 4.4 eV, respectively). Interestingly, compound 6a, which possesses the weakest sulfur-based acceptor, showed an inversion in the LUMO distribution, localizing it in the TBA core – this behavior of the named

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

• isomerization of alkenes [18][19], [2 + 2] cycloadditions [20][21][22][23][24], and dearomative [4 + 2] cycloadditions [25][26][27]. When considering conjugated alkenes, the triplet excited state energy and excited state lifetime are intrinsically linked to the degree of conjugation and substitution of a

• more efficiently sensitized (lower T1 excited state) than their alkenylboronic ester counterparts. This is unsurprising given their enhanced conjugation (4π electrons vs 2π electrons and p-orbital). To probe the efficiency of trisubstituted alkenes, vicinal boron precursor 3h was designed (Scheme 1

Orthogonal photoswitching of heterobivalent azobenzene glycoclusters: the effect of glycoligand orientation in bacterial adhesion

• Leon M. Friedrich and
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 736–748, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.57

• conjugated to the 3- and the 6-position of a methyl mannoside scaffold (Figure 1, 1 (6βGlc3αMan)) [24]. Orthogonal photoswitching of the two glycoantennas is guaranteed by (i) ortho-fluorination of one azobenzene moiety and (ii) S-azobenzene versus O-azobenzene conjugation, resulting in significantly shifted

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

• , Figure 6). This molecule preferentially adopts a planar conformation [80]. The planar conformation suffers slightly from a steric clash between the methyl group and an aryl hydrogen, but this is outweighed by the favourable conjugation of the π-system with the lone pair in the 2p orbital of the sp2

Photochemically assisted synthesis of phenacenes fluorinated at the terminal benzene rings and their electronic spectra

• Yuuki Ishii,
• Minoru Yamaji,
• Fumito Tani,
• Kenta Goto,
• Yoshihiro Kubozono and
• Hideki Okamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 670–679, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.53

• -extension (ΔλABS = ca. 6 nm per increment of one benzene ring) and the spectral profiles resemble each other irrespective of the length of the phenacene π conjugation and the fluorine substitution. The results suggest that these factors could provide insignificant effects on the apparent electronic spectral

Photocatalyzed elaboration of antibody-based bioconjugates

• Marine Le Stum,
• Eugénie Romero and
• Gary A. Molander

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 616–629, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.49

• conjugation methods often face challenges related to site-selectivity and heterogeneous product mixtures, highlighting the need to develop new, innovative chemical strategies. Photoredox chemistry emerges as a powerful tool in this context, enabling precise, mild, and selective modifications of peptides and

• antibodies [11]. In the case of ADCs, conjugation of the linker/payload to the antibody must not drastically alter the pharmacokinetics or physicochemical properties of the antibody [12][13]. Typically, zero to eight payloads are attached to the antibody. Heterogeneous ADCs may thus be a mix of both

• attractive, albeit not without serious obstacles. Among native amino acids, attachment to lysine (Lys) [21] and cysteine (Cys) are the most common. Antibodies typically contain as many as 90 lysine units, many of which are at highly solvent-accessible sites [22][23]. Conjugation to Lys is thus rarely

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

• relationship (SAR) studies between derivatisations of all four units (A to D) (Figure 1A) of cryptophycin-52 analogues with functional groups [8]. While many modifications of cryptophycin decrease the cytotoxicity drastically, some viable attachment points for conjugation were found, mainly including the para

• conjugable payloads by our group. Modifications of unit B with conjugation handles are scarcely explored and mainly include the exchange of the para-methoxy group (Figure 1B). The sole exchange of the para-methoxy group of cryptophycin-52 (IC50 = 22 pM) by a hydroxy group reduces the cytotoxicity by

• conjugation handles in unit B. IC50 values given against (a) CCRF-CEM [20] and (b) KB-3-1 [21] cell lines. C: Cryptophycin-52 derivatives synthesised in this work. Molecular structure of Boc-ᴅ-Phe(4-NHMe)-OMe 7 as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. Thermal ellipsoids depicted at 50

Unraveling aromaticity: the dual worlds of pyrazole, pyrazoline, and 3D carborane

• Zahra Noori,
• Miquel Solà,
• Clara Viñas,
• Francesc Teixidor and
• Jordi Poater

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 412–420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.29

• also applied to o-carboranes fused with five-membered ring systems [39][40]. The positioning of the heteroatom in these exo rings governs bonding, leading to restricted conjugation and, consequently, no aromatic stabilization. Importantly, the magnetic field generated by the 3D cluster influences the

• conjugation and the computed magnetic properties of the fused exo ring [34][38][40], which can lead to the incorrect assignment of aromatic character to this ring. This study aims to determine whether o-carborane-fused pyrazoles can be classified as aromatic 3D/2D systems. While previous research has not

Identification and removal of a cryptic impurity in pomalidomide-PEG based PROTAC

• Bingnan Wang,
• Yong Lu and
• Chuo Chen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 407–411, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.28

• also be explained by C4 being located near the node of the LUMO. However, SNAr is still favored over glutarimide displacement potentially because the negative charge in the corresponding intermediate is stabilized by an extended conjugation system. In contrast, the negative charge in the carbonyl