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

• . With optically active 51 in hand, its extra ketone functionality was reduced via thioacetalization (51 → 52) and radical reduction (52 → 53) to provide 53, a diverging point to access C–H arylation partners 54 and 55. mCPBA oxidation of 53 afforded pyridine N-oxide 54. The Ir-catalyzed C–H borylation

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

• intermediate is also capable of cyclization through radical coupling to form cyclobutanol D, a process systematically expanded upon by Yang's group at the University of Chicago [4], which later became known as the Norrish–Yang cyclization. In recent years, dicarbonyls, specifically 1,2-diketones, α-keto esters

• ]. 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

• dysideanone B (35) was completed from 46 via oxidative ethoxylation. The diversity of the key photoreaction stems from three factors: (1) the ability of the excited quinone moiety in 44 to abstract hydrogen atoms from distinct positions; (2) delocalization of the semiquinone radical; (3) the involvement of a

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

• traces of the desired product. Methods for the installation of a CF3-group on enones are limited, although approaches have been applied to quinones, uracils, flavones or arylenones via radical pathways [39][40][41][42]. As per the fluorination reactions, we envisaged that a leaving group in the β

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

• Anna C. Renner Sagar S. Thorat Hariharaputhiran Subramanian Mukund P. Sibi Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, 58105-5516, USA 10.3762/bjoc.21.174 Abstract This perspective is focused on enantioselective free radical reactions. It

• describes several important catalytic asymmetric strategies applied to enantioselective radical reactions, including chiral Lewis acid catalysis, organocatalysis, photoredox catalysis, chiral transition-metal catalysis and photoenzymatic catalysis. The application of electrochemistry to asymmetric radical

• transformations is also discussed. Keywords: chiral Lewis acid; electrochemistry; enantioselective radical reaction; organocatalysis; photoenzymatic catalysis; photoredox; Introduction Asymmetric catalysis plays an integral role in the enantioselective synthesis of organic compounds. A wide variety of

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

• radical initiated intramolecular cascade cyclization of 1,n-enynes to provide structurally diverse heterocycles (Scheme 4) [11]. Solvent selection dictated divergent reaction pathways under I2/TBHP oxidation. When an acetonitrile/water mixed solvent was used, iodine radical addition to the alkyne

• preferentially initiated 6-endo-trig cyclization, affording iodinated homoallylic alcohol piperidines 15 (Scheme 4, path a). Conversely, cyclopropane-annulated pyrrolidines 17 were constructed using methanol as solvent through hydroxyl radical-mediated 5-exo-trig cyclization pathway (Scheme 4, path b). This

• intellectually rewarding synthetic methodologies, with far-reaching implications for both fundamental science and industrial applications. Economical synthesis and pathway economy. Au(I)-catalyzed cascade cyclization paths of 1,5-enynes. Au(I)-catalyzed cyclization paths of 1,7-enynes. I2/TBHP-mediated radical

Electrochemical cyclization of alkynes to construct five-membered nitrogen-heterocyclic rings

• Lifen Peng,
• Ting Wang,
• Zhiwen Yuan,
• Bin Li,
• Zilong Tang,
• Xirong Liu,
• Hui Li,
• Guofang Jiang,
• Chunling Zeng,
• Henry N. C. Wong and
• Xiao-Shui Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2173–2201, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.166

• ][94]. Electrochemical transformations used renewable and clean electricity as a source of electrons and electron holes to generate radical species, showing several superiorities such as safety, economy, high selectivity, scalability, mild reaction conditions, powerful efficiency, environment-friendly

• synthesis of cyclic compounds have emerged. The electrochemical functionalization of alkynes was highlighted by Ahmed in 2019 [109], Zhang described radical annulation of 1,n-enynes under photo/electrochemical reaction conditions in 2023 [110], the electrochemical formation of heterocycles was summarized by

• ] generated [Cp2Fe]+ along with cathodic reduction of MeOH to H2 and MeO− acting as a base. Deprotonation of 1a using MeO− produced the anion A, which underwent single-electron transfer (SET) with [Cp2Fe]+ to give the nitrogen-centered radical B with regeneration of [Cp2Fe] [164][165][166][167][168][169][170

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

• and aldehyde 37, which was prepared with 9 steps from commercially available (+)-citronellol, underwent a Reformatsky-type radical addition under the conditions of Et3B/air/Bu3SnH to deliver aldol product [16]. Dehydration of the secondary alcohol gave (E)-38. The HAT radical cyclization [17] of 38 in

Multicomponent reactions IV

• Thomas J. J. Müller and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2082–2084, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.163

• a strong emphasis on heterocycle synthesis. Beyond traditional condensation-based approaches, mechanistically innovative crossovers – linking metal catalysis with radical chemistry and, more recently, with photo(redox) catalysis – are opening entirely new avenues for MCR development. Finally, seven

Understanding the origin of stereoselectivity in the photochemical denitrogenation of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene and its derivatives with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics

• Leticia A. Gomes and
• Steven A. Lopez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2007–2020, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.156

• with experimental observations. They argued that the DZ intermediate reacts before thermal equilibration. The formation of inverted housane occurs via the pseudo-axial-to-equatorial inversion of DZ. From the axial DZ, the puckered-DR (puc-DR in Scheme 3) radical could be formed resulting in retained

• housane. From the equatorial DZ (eq-DZ in Scheme 3), the inverted housane can be formed through a homolytic substitution (SH2) process or can be formed via a planar DR (pl-DR in Scheme 3) radical which affords retained and inverted housane [82]. In 2020, Rollins and co-workers also investigated the

Photochemical reduction of acylimidazolium salts

• Michael Jakob,
• Nick Bechler,
• Hassan Abdelwahab,
• Fabian Weber,
• Janos Wasternack,
• Leonardo Kleebauer,
• Jan P. Götze and
• Matthew N. Hopkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1973–1983, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.153

• research has demonstrated that NHCs are also capable of stabilizing radical or excited-state species [12][13]. In 2020, our group reported the concept of photo-NHC catalysis where direct excitation of acylazolium intermediates generated from o-toluoyl fluoride substrates with UV-A light resulted in a novel

• -electron reduction delivering the same stabilized radical C. Beginning with a seminal report by di Rocco and Rovis in 2012 [21], the combination of NHC and photoredox catalysis has recently been the subject of intense research activity [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Employing the latter reductive

• manifold with carboxylic acid derivatives, numerous coupling processes affording ketone products have been developed. Since the initial report from Scheidt and co-workers using 4-alkyl-substituted Hantzsch esters as coupling partners [31][32][33][34][35][36], several alkyl radical sources have been

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

• available has prevented its practical use, and synthesis methods for tricyclic-PGDM methyl ester are required. Based on the utilization of oxidative radical cyclization for the stereoselective construction of the cyclopentanol subunit with three consecutive stereocenters, we describe an asymmetric total

• synthesis of tricyclic-PGDM methyl ester in 9 steps and 8% overall yield. Keywords: asymmetric total synthesis; oxidative radical cyclization; tricyclic prostaglandin D2 metabolite methyl ester; Introduction Prostaglandins (PGs), a family of hormone-like lipid compounds, are ubiquitous natural products

• total synthesis of 4 and is required to explore alternative synthetic strategies for PGs and analogues [17]. Biosynthetically, 4 is proposed to arise via a 5-exo-trig biogenetic radical-mediated cyclization (Scheme 1C) [18][19]. Over the past five decades, the Snider oxidative radical reaction has been

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

• diastereoselectivity. Compound 288 was then treated with Co(acac)2, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), and O2 in degassed iPrOH, undergoing a hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT)-initiated redox radical cascade to give pentacyclic alcohol 289, which was converted to C18/19 diol 290 in two steps. To differentiate the two

Stereoselective electrochemical intramolecular imino-pinacol reaction: a straightforward entry to enantiopure piperazines

• Margherita Gazzotti,
• Fabrizio Medici,
• Valerio Chiroli,
• Laura Raimondi,
• Sergio Rossi and
• Maurizio Benaglia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1897–1908, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.147

• electrochemical cyclization process. In contrast, more complex and extended heterocyclic electronrich π-systems such as compound 2j was obtained in 35% yield only, presumably as a result of electronic factors affecting the efficiency of the initial radical formation [47]. To further extend the scope of this

• electrochemically reduced to give the carbon-centered diradical intermediate 5a and the spatial proximity of these two radical centers allows a rapid intramolecular radical–radical coupling resulting in the formation of the desired piperazine 2a. The feasibility of this mechanism is supported by literature

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of helically chiral, planarly chiral and inherently chiral molecules

• Wei Liu and
• Xiaoyu Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1864–1889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.145

• enantioselectivity. Overall, with the recent rapid advancements of CPA catalysis, along with the utilization of CPA catalysts in asymmetric radical chemistry, transition metal-catalyzed reactions and photoredox chemistry, we envision that CPA catalysts will continue to play a central role in the future asymmetric

Continuous-flow-enabled intensification in nitration processes: a review of technological developments and practical applications over the past decade

• Feng Zhou,
• Chuansong Duanmu,
• Yanxing Li,
• Jin Li,
• Haiqing Xu,
• Pan Wang and
• Kai Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1678–1699, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.132

• aliphatic counterparts) due to their predictable electrophilic substitution mechanisms and relatively mild reaction conditions, which enable superior controllability and regioselectivity. Unlike aromatic nitrations that predominantly follow ionic mechanisms, aliphatic systems governed by free radical

• , scalability for mass production, and broad substrate applicability. Nitration reactions using inorganic nitrating reagents predominantly occur through two distinct mechanistic pathways: free radical and ionic mechanisms. The free radical-mediated nitration pathways using inorganic nitrating reagents remain

• mechanistic classifications are not absolute – an aliphatic nitration may occasionally proceed via ionic pathways, whereas certain aromatic systems demonstrate free radical-mediated reactivity. A notable example of free radical involvement in aromatic nitration was reported by Murray et al., who elucidated a

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

• fertilizers in agrochemistry phosphates [20]. Multiple literature reports indicate that changing the alkali metal cations can strongly affect diverse chemical processes including radical reactions [27], electrochemical processes [28], and biomass pyrolysis [29]. However, hypophosphites derived from alkali

• synthesis of esters of phosphonous or alkylphosphinic acids [33][34][35]. Only a single application of cesium hypophosphite was shown in the literature. CsH2PO2 was prepared in situ and used for formation C–P bond by radical addition to unsaturated carboxylic acids [36 ]To summarize the above, it is crucial

Photocatalysis and photochemistry in organic synthesis

• Timothy Noël and
• Bartholomäus Pieber

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1645–1647, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.128

• , and flow chemistry are being harnessed to push the limits of light-driven reactions [36]. Terada and colleagues show in this thematic issue how flow chemistry is used to significantly improve the yield of a π-Lewis acidic metal-catalyzed cyclization–radical addition sequence [37]. Recently, chemists

• -mediated organic synthesis has also resulted in a renaissance of radical chemistry. Once regarded as “[…] messy, unpredictable, unpromising and essentially mysterious” [39], radical-based methods have become central to modern organic chemistry, spanning applications in the life sciences. The Perspective

3-Aryl-2H-azirines as annulation reagents in the Ni(II)-catalyzed synthesis of 1H-benzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]pyrroles

• Julia I. Pavlenko,
• Pavel A. Sakharov,
• Anastasiya V. Agafonova,
• Derenik A. Isadzhanyan,
• Alexander F. Khlebnikov and
• Mikhail S. Novikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1595–1602, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.123

• -containing compounds [1][2][3]. Such reactions can be initiated by electrophilic, nucleophilic or radical reagents, photoirradiation or proceed under acid-, metal-, or photocatalytic conditions. This strategy of azirine ring expansion is applicable to the synthesis of a variety of 4‒9-membered N-heterocycles

• intermediate formation of free radical species [9]. A similar reaction of N-acetyl substituted indole 9c produced [3 + 2] cycloaddition products 12 in even lower yield (4%). However, the main reaction product turned out to be unstable compound 13, which, nevertheless, was isolated in 40% yield as a single

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

• -state bleach signals at 425 and 445 nm and positive transient absorption bands at 505, 582, and 725 nm were observed (0.3 ps). The overall spectral features were highly similar to those previously reported for Pe–PTZ [15], particularly the characteristic band at 582 nm, which was assigned to the radical

• anion of the Pe moiety. Additionally, a shoulder signal observed near 500 nm was attributed to the radical cation of the PTZ(TPA) unit. However, although previous studies selectively excited the Pe moiety and attributed the 725 nm band to the LE state of Pe moiety, such an assignment may not be directly

• the PTZ(TPA)2 moiety and the Pe radical anion almost instantaneously. The electron transfer occurs extremely rapidly (within the instrumental response function, <100 fs), likely via a direct CT transition. Subsequently, both signals showed growth components with time constants of 2.4 and 639 ps

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

• semipreparative scale for the reaction of 3-bromochromone (7a, 5.0 mmol) to afford enaminone 9a in a 68% isolated yield (Scheme 3). In terms of the reaction mechanism, TEMPO completely inhibited the reaction, implying the possibility of a radical intermediate in the reaction (Scheme 4A). Moreover, the TEMPO

• oxidative state PC1* that interacts with morpholine (8a) to generate the corresponding aminium radical cation. To gain a better understanding of the process, the formation of the enaminone product 9a was monitored overtime by 1H NMR, which confirmed that the the reaction was complete within 2 h. Furthermore

• . Simultaneously, acridinium photocatalyst PC1 absorbed energy and transitioned from the ground state to excited state under visible-light irradiation. This excited state PC1* is quenched by the amine, generating the amine radical cation and PC1 radical via a single-electron transfer (SET) process. Then, the C−Br

Calcium waste as a catalyst in the transesterification for demanding esters: scalability perspective

• Anton N. Potorochenko and
• Konstantin S. Rodygin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1520–1527, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.114

• , lactones and triglycerides with medium hydrocarbon radical lengths (C5, C9–10 and C12) and the results are summarized in Scheme 2. All reactions were carried out at the boiling point of methanol (65 °C), with different CS600 loading and reaction times. The transesterification of ethyl esters to the

Photoredox-catalyzed arylation of isonitriles by diaryliodonium salts towards benzamides

• Nadezhda M. Metalnikova,
• Nikita S. Antonkin,
• Tuan K. Nguyen,
• Natalia S. Soldatova,
• Alexander V. Nyuchev,
• Mikhail A. Kinzhalov and
• Pavel S. Postnikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1480–1488, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.110

• (Scheme 3 and Supporting Information File 1, supplementary note 2). Our experiments clearly demonstrated that electron-poor aryls gave better yields in case of both symmetrical and unsymmetrical iodonium salts. In general, such results cannot be associated with the stability of radical species, which does

• the iodonium salt, leading to the generation of an aryl radical, aryl iodide, and Ru(III). The formation of the aryl radical was corroborated through a trapping experiment utilizing TEMPO as a radical scavenger (Scheme 4 and Supporting Information File 1, 5. Control experiments, Figure S18). The

• resulting aryl radical is subsequently captured by an isonitrile molecule, forming an imidoyl radical intermediate X1. The intermediate X1 facilitates the reduction of the Ru(III) species back to Ru(II) thereby completing the photoredox cycle, with the formation of the cationic intermediate X2. We propose

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

• electronic behaviors reminiscent of nitrogen-doped azulenes, featuring strong absorption dissymmetry factors (|gabs|) at 345 nm – 1.2 × 10−2 for compound 20a, 1.0 × 10−2 for 20d, and 1.3 × 10−2 for 20e (Table 5). Notably, the radical cation form of compound 20e (20e•+) exhibits pronounced CD signals

• BCPL value of 13.2 M−1 cm−1. Notably, compound 21c undergoes reversible redox interconversion to its radical cation 21c•+ and dicationic 21c2+ states via chemical oxidation, enabling controllable switching between antiaromatic and aromatic configurations. These results provide a compelling strategy for

• two radical aza[7]helicenes, 24a and 24b, exhibiting distinct photophysical behaviors [38]. Compound 24b features a higher PLQY (0.43), while 24a demonstrates doublet-state CPL (|glum| = 5.0 × 10−4), highlighting the potential of helicene radicals for spintronic applications. Meng’s group synthesized

Recent advances in amidyl radical-mediated photocatalytic direct intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer

• Hao-Sen Wang,
• Lin Li,
• Xin Chen,
• Jian-Li Wu,
• Kai Sun,
• Xiao-Lan Chen,
• Ling-Bo Qu and
• Bing Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1306–1323, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.100

• abstract hydrogen atoms from these C–H bonds and directly functionalize these bonds via radical reactions (Figure 1c) [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. This approach involves HAT reagents abstracting hydrogen atoms from C–H bonds to generate highly reactive C-centered radicals, which can subsequently form

• (Figure 1c) [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27], serve as key species for the HAT process. These HR were generated from different HAT reagent precursors (HRP) in a variety of strategies. Among these, amidyl radical HRPs have gained significant attention in recent years due to their ease of HRP synthesis

• /mol (Figure 2a) [28][29][30]. Almost 5 kcal/mol difference between two species could spontaneously undergo a HAT process. That also justifies the selectivity and efficiency of amidyl radical serving as HAT reagent. 2) Recent research indicated a critical correlation between electronic effects and