Streptoquinolines A and B, new antibacterial meroterpenoids produced by Streptomyces sp. TMPU-A0679

• Akiho Yagi,
• Hitomi Tomura,
• Ami Konno and
• Ryuji Uchida

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 185–191, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.12

• undertaking the total synthesis of this putative natural precursor to further confirm its structure and biological properties. To date, only two structurally related meroterpenoids to 1 and 2 have been reported: thallusin [7] and saccharoquinoline [8], both of which share a drimane-type sesquiterpene skeleton

Total synthesis of natural products based on hydrogenation of aromatic rings

• Haoxiang Wu and
• Xiangbing Qi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 88–122, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.4

• synthesis of complex natural products and pharmaceutical agents. This review highlights recent advances in catalytic (hetero)arene hydrogenation, with a focus on its application in natural product synthesis. Keywords: aromatic rings; dearomatization; hydrogenation; natural products; total synthesis

• contain complex three-dimensional structures, make total synthesis challenging. The retrosynthetic analysis [9], alongside the evolution of methodologies such as “two-phase synthesis” [10], “biomimetic synthesis” [11], or “protecting-group-free synthesis” [12], has progressively streamlined synthetic

• strategies. The integration of photochemistry [13] and electrochemistry [14] into total synthesis has further extended the realm. Synthesis of complex natural product structures can promote the discovery of new reactions and the generation of new strategies [15]. However, despite careful design, the primary

Advances in Zr-mediated radical transformations and applications to total synthesis

• Hiroshige Ogawa and
• Hugh Nakamura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 71–87, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.3

• for future development. Keywords: halogen atom transfer; photoredox; radical; total synthesis; zirconium; Introduction Zirconium, a transition metal in the same group as titanium, has been employed across research fields and in medical applications owing to its distinctive physical and chemical

• -catalyzed radical reactions 3) Applications of Zr-mediated reactions in total synthesis. To apply these reactions to total synthesis, high functional group compatibility is required. Thus, the insights gained here can be used to assess the potential of zirconium-catalyzed radical reactions. Review Zr

• benzylic position, giving the hydrogenated products with high site selectivity. Zr-catalyzed radical reaction in the total synthesis of complex natural products This section presents examples of zirconium-mediated reactions applied to the synthesis of complex molecules. For application in total synthesis

Synthesis and applications of alkenyl chlorides (vinyl chlorides): a review

• Daniel S. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 1–63, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.1

• excellent stereochemical control using NCS (Scheme 29F) [119]. Kigoshi reported the reaction of alkenylsilane with NCS to afford compound 176 which served as building block for the total synthesis of 15-epi-haterumalide NA (Scheme 29G) [120]. Interestingly, the transformation of alkenylsilanes to alkenyl

• chlorides was also utilized in the total synthesis of (S)-jamaicamide C and laingolide B (not shown) [121][122]. Schwartz’s work on alkenylzirconium complexes revealed high-yielding, stereoretentive transformations under similar conditions (Scheme 29H) [123]. In a complementary study, Srebnik showed that

Total synthesis of asperdinones B, C, D, E and terezine D

• Ravi Devarajappa and
• Stephen Hanessian

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2730–2738, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.210

• Ravi Devarajappa Stephen Hanessian Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Station Centre-Ville, C.P. 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA 10.3762/bjoc.21.210 Abstract The total synthesis of new

• their architecturally intricate structures [8]. For these reasons, and considering the structural and stereochemical complexities of some members, indole alkaloids have been prime compounds of interest for total synthesis with spectacular successes [2][9][10]. A subset of simple indole alkaloids

• )-configured asperdinones as new members of this small subfamily of 7-prenyltryptophans with appended benzodiazepine-2,5-dione and diketopiperazine units piqued our interest. Herein, we report our efforts toward the total synthesis of asperdinones B, D, C, and E (1–4) and terezine D (6). Considering their

Recent advancements in the synthesis of Veratrum alkaloids

• Morwenna Mögel,
• David Berger and
• Philipp Heretsch

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2657–2693, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.206

• dense stereochemistry and, thus, have stood long as benchmarks in chemical synthesis. Recently, these steroid alkaloids gained popularity as challenging targets in total synthesis, with a clear shift toward convergent strategies. Not only do these syntheses feature rapid assembly of their challenging

• functionalization for rapid access to these exceptional alkaloids, while also showcasing the evolution of the art of synthesis and its ability in meeting the demands posed by molecular complexity. Keywords: alkaloid synthesis; convergent synthesis; total synthesis; Veratrum alkaloids; Introduction Veratrum

• alkaloids belong to the class of steroid alkaloids and are pseudoalkaloids, as they emerge biogenetically from steroidal biosynthesis via cholesterol and not, as usual for alkaloids, from amino acids [1]. For synthetic chemists, this combines challenges for steroid and alkaloid total synthesis and poses

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of the cardenolide rhodexin A and its aglycone sarmentogenin

• Fuzhen Song,
• Mengmeng Zheng,
• Dongkai Wang,
• Xudong Qu and
• Qianghui Zhou

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2637–2644, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.204

• glycoside in a stereocontrolled manner makes the synthesis of rhodexin A a challenging task. Currently, there are only a few reports about the synthesis of rhodexin A [20][21][22]. In 2011, the Jung group finished the first total synthesis of rhodexin A in 26 steps [20]. In this work, an elegant inverse

Efficient solid-phase synthesis and structural characterization of segetalins A–H, J and K

• Liangyu Liu,
• Wanqiu Lu,
• Quanping Guo and
• Zhaoqing Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2612–2617, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.202

• strategy for the total synthesis of segetalins A–H, J and K (1–10), bioactive cyclopeptides isolated from Vaccaria segetalis. Linear precursors were assembled on cost-effective 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin via Fmoc-SPPS, followed by PyBOP-mediated head-to-tail cyclization in DMF (10−3 M). After RP-HPLC

• synthetic approaches have encountered significant challenges. Sonnet et al. reported the first total synthesis of segetalin A (1) via Sasrin resin-based SPPS, followed by cyclization under highly dilute conditions (10−4 M) with diphenylphosphoryl azide (DPPA) [17]. While successful, this approach suffers

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

• , illisimonin A has garnered significant interest from the synthetic chemistry community. To date, five research groups have accomplished the total synthesis of illisimonin A. This review offers a comprehensive overview of its isolation, proposed biosynthetic pathway and the synthetic strategies employed in its

• total synthesis. Keywords: bioinspired synthesis; biosynthetic pathway; Illicium sesquiterpene; illisimonin A; total synthesis; Introduction The genus Illicium, the sole member of the family Illiciaceae, is a rich source of sesquiterpenoid natural products. To date, a wide variety of sesquiterpenes

• Rychnovsky [28], Kalesse [29], Yang [30], Dai [31] and Lu [32] have achieved the total synthesis of this molecule. Notable, Rychnovsky and co-workers revised the absolute configuration of (−)-illisimonin A to 1S,4S,5S,6S,7R,9R,10R. This review summarizes the reported synthetic routes toward illisimonin A

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

• focuses on reviewing the efficient application of ring-construction methods and synthetic strategies in the total synthesis of highly oxidized Ryania diterpenoid natural products, emphasizing the pivotal role of novel synthetic methods and strategic innovations. Keywords: natural products; Ryania

• diterpenoids; synthetic strategy; total synthesis; Introduction Organic synthesis, as a cornerstone of chemical research, is dedicated to constructing complex natural products or target molecules from simple and readily available starting materials via a series of precise and efficient chemical reactions

• and diverse methods continuously drive synthetic chemistry forward through deep integration and synergistic application. This article focuses on the total synthesis of highly oxidized Ryania diterpenoid natural products, systematically reviewing the synthetic strategies and ring-construction methods

Ni-promoted reductive cyclization cascade enables a total synthesis of (+)-aglacin B

• Si-Chen Yao,
• Jing-Si Cao,
• Jian Xiao,
• Ya-Wen Wang and
• Yu Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2548–2552, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.197

• Abstract The total synthesis of bioactive (+)-aglacin B was achieved. The key steps include an asymmetric conjugate addition reaction induced by a chiral auxiliary and a nickel-promoted reductive tandem cyclization of the elaborated β-bromo acetal, which led to the efficient construction of the

• the formation of inter- or intramolecular carbon–carbon bonds under mild conditions [9][10][11][12], and strategically applied this method for the divergent syntheses of some natural products [13][14][15][16][17]. Herein, we report our recent advance to a total synthesis of (+)-aglacin B (2), which

• cyclization, and a subsequent acetal reduction under acidic conditions then can complete the total synthesis of this molecule. The cyclization precursor 5 could be prepared from the primary alcohol 6 through transforming functional groups of the alkyl chain and installing an allyl group. It was envisioned

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

• metabolites and exhibit intriguing bioactivities (2–4, Figure 1). These antifungal nucleoside agents have been received great attention from the scientific community and several elegant syntheses have been disclosed [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Specifically, Hanessian and co-workers reported the first total

• synthesis and structural determination of malaymycin A (1) as well as the subsequent design of structural analogues for biological evaluation [16][17][18][19][20]. Preliminary structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed that fungicidal activity is highly dependent on the nature and

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

• University, Liaoning Shenyang 110016, China 10.3762/bjoc.21.189 Abstract Natural products with topologically complex architectures are important sources in drug discovery. The pursuit of conciseness and efficiency in the total synthesis of natural products promotes continuous innovation and the development

• tetracyclic indoline M, which was expected to serve as a common intermediate for the total synthesis of Aspidosperma alkaloids. These alkaloids constitute a large family of structurally complex compounds, which incorporate a pentacyclic ABCDE skeleton (Figure 1d, 1–8) [19][20][21][22][23]. However, the

• , entries 11–13), the reaction in MeCN at 30 °C for 24 h gave the best result, namely a quantitative conversion and 90% yield. Substrate scope With the optimal conditions in hand, we then explored the substrate scope. Targeting on the total synthesis of Aspidosperma alkaloids, different tryptamine

Transformation of the cyclohexane ring to the cyclopentane fragment of biologically active compounds

• Natalya Akhmetdinova,
• Ilgiz Biktagirov and
• Liliya Kh. Faizullina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2416–2446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.185

• information. Keywords: biological activity; cyclopentane/enone; rearrangements; ring/cycle contractions; total synthesis; Introduction The functionalized cyclopentane/enone fragment is part of the structure of a large number of natural and synthetic biologically active compounds, including prostaglandins

• in the stabilization of cationic reaction intermediates [91][92]. Yokoshima and co-workers [93][94] developed an elegant approach to the total synthesis of the alkaloid huperzine Q (206) in racemic form (Scheme 37). In the process of synthesis, a cis-hydrindane core was prepared from the known

• produced aldehyde 215, and further reaction of 215 with the Grignard reagent gave alcohol 216 (Scheme 38). A promising method for the contraction of cyclohexane rings is the semipinacol rearrangement. For the enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-citrinadin A (217) and (+)-citrinadin B (218), the authors

Synthetic study toward vibralactone

• Liang Shi,
• Jiayi Song,
• Yiqing Li,
• Jia-Chen Li,
• Shuqi Li,
• Li Ren,
• Zhi-Yun Liu and
• Hong-Dong Hao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2376–2382, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.182

• vibralactone, a potent inhibitor of pancreatic lipase, is reported. The synthesis of the challenging all-carbon quaternary center within the cyclopentene ring was achieved through intramolecular alkylidene carbene C–H insertion. Keywords: alkylidene carbene; C–H insertion; total synthesis; vibralactone

• and ClpP2 and it could be utilized as a probe to study the activity and structure of the ClpP1P2 complex from Listeria monocytogenes [25]. Previously, Snider and co-worker reported the first total synthesis of vibralactone (6) employing Birch reductive alkylation, intramolecular aldol reaction and

• featuring a novel Pd-catalyzed β-lactone formation [29]. In addition to these approaches, Nelson and co-workers reported a very concise and impressive total synthesis of vibralactone involving photochemical valence isomerization of substituted pyrone, cyclopropanation, and ring expansion [30]. Zeng, Liu and

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

• strategies and creative tactics, reflecting how emerging synthetic capabilities and concepts can positively impact natural product total synthesis. Keywords: biomimetic synthesis; C–H functionalization; complanadine; lycopodium alkaloid; skeletal editing; total synthesis; transition metal catalysis

• efficiency and step-economy of natural product total synthesis. This symbiotic relationship has also helped to accelerate natural product biological evaluation and the subsequent biomedical development [1]. Lycopodium alkaloids are one of the largest families of natural products [2], from which famous

• and co-workers [19]. In this review article, we summarize these four total syntheses, comparatively analyze their strategic novelty and differences, and highlight the impact of enabling methodologies and concepts on the overall efficiency and economy of each total synthesis [20]. Review The Siegel

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

• synthesis of natural products but also establish a solid foundation for subsequent pharmaceutical investigations. Keywords: dicarbonyls; natural product; Norrish–Yang cyclization; photoredox; total synthesis; Introduction In the 1930s, Norrish documented the photodecomposition of aldehydes and ketones [1

• Norrish–Yang cyclization and related photoredox reactions in their total synthesis or model studies. Earlier literature pertaining to Norrish type I and II reactions in natural product synthesis has been comprehensively reviewed by Majhi [19] and thus lies beyond the scope of this article. Review 1

• [20]. This compound significantly elevates reactive oxygen species levels in murine peritoneal macrophages (73 ± 12%) and exhibits potential as a lead for developing immunomodulatory agents. In 2021, Yang’s group reported a concise enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-cyclobutastellettolide B

A chiral LC–MS strategy for stereochemical assignment of natural products sharing a 3-methylpent-4-en-2-ol moiety in their terminal structures

• Rei Suo,
• Raku Irie,
• Hinako Nakayama,
• Yuta Ishimaru,
• Yuya Akama,
• Masato Oikawa and
• Shiro Itoi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2243–2249, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.171

• groups. Total synthesis is a powerful approach for determining absolute configuration through the comparison of specific rotation or chromatographic behavior; however, it requires considerable time and effort. In this context, we have been working on developing effective approaches to determine the

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

• The desymmetric enantioselective reduction of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds is a powerful tool for the construction of ring systems bearing multiple stereocenters including all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, which are widely useful chiral building blocks for the total synthesis of structurally

• synthesized utilizing a desymmetric enantioselective reduction strategy of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds as a key transformation. This review will summarize the application of this strategy in the total synthesis of terpenoid and alkaloid natural products from the year 2016 to 2025. We first focus on the

• -inflammatory, and antiarrhythmic effects etc., and show potential to be developed into drug candidates or novel medications for treating human diseases [1][2][3][4]. However, their scarcity in nature limits further research into their biological activities. Total synthesis is an important device to address the

Further elaboration of the stereodivergent approach to chaetominine-type alkaloids: synthesis of the reported structures of aspera chaetominines A and B and revised structure of aspera chaetominine B

• Jin-Fang Lü,
• Jiang-Feng Wu,
• Jian-Liang Ye and
• Pei-Qiang Huang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2072–2081, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.162

• confirmation of natural products is no longer a motivation for the total synthesis [1]. Nevertheless, we also witness that each year, cases continue to be reported on the total synthesis enabled revision of misassigned structures of natural products [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Efficiency is one of the major

• concerns in the field of total synthesis of natural products [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], which is not only essential for organic chemistry in its own right, but also crucial for drug discovery and structural revision of natural products. Although more and more diastereomeric and

• enantiomeric natural products have been discovered [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], and divergent synthetic methodology has attracted attention in recent years [33][34][35][36][37][38], diastereodivergent and enantiodivergent total synthesis remain rare [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48

Bioinspired total syntheses of natural products: a personal adventure

• Zhengyi Qin,
• Yuting Yang,
• Nuran Yan,
• Xinyu Liang,
• Zhiyu Zhang,
• Yaxuan Duan,
• Huilin Li and
• Xuegong She

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2048–2061, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.160

• , Guiyang 550025, P. R. China 10.3762/bjoc.21.160 Abstract Bioinspired total synthesis represents an important concept to guide the designing of powerful synthetic strategies. Our group has a long-time interest and experience in designing synthetic strategies through analyzing the biosynthetic pathway of

• , bioinspired total synthesis of three types of natural products, namely diterpenoids (chabranol, and monocerin), alkaloids (indole, hydroquinoline, and monoterpenoid−indolidinoid hybrid), and gymnothelignans are discussed. Based on these achievements on bioinspired total synthesis, we provide some information

• on how to use this important strategy in natural product synthesis. Keywords: bioinspired total synthesis; chabranol; gymnothelignans; monocerin; sarglamides; taberginggine; Introduction Natural products are chemical substances generated within living organisms in nature. They are products of

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

• 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

• synthetically challenging because of the tricyclic ring system, spiroketal moiety (B, C-ring), and instability arising from dehydration of the hydroxy groups. Prior approaches to (±)-4 have shown the feasibility of accessing this target molecule. Blair [7] and Sulikowski [8] reported the total synthesis of

• (±)-4 from pentacyclic starting materials 5 and 6, respectively (Scheme 1B). In 2021, Dai reported the total synthesis of (±)-4 from cyclopentanol 7, in which the bicyclic spiroketal moiety and (Z)-3-butenoate side chain were formed via a palladium-catalyzed carbonylative spirolactonization and Z

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

• biologically active molecules. Based on the reaction types, three strategies are discussed: enzymatic acylation, transition-metal-catalyzed acylation, and local desymmetrization. Keywords: asymmetric synthesis; desymmetrization; 1,3-diols; natural product; total synthesis; Introduction Natural products

• emphasis on the desymmetrization of diols. Prochiral 1,3-diols, as simple and practical substrates, have been widely used in developed desymmetrization methodologies with applications in the total synthesis of natural products and bioactive molecules, including enzymatic acylation, transition-metal

• -catalyzed acylation, and local desymmetrization. In this review, we cover total syntheses that utilize enantioselective desymmetrization of prochiral 1,3-diols. Review Desymmetrization via enzymatic acylation Enzymatic reactions represent one of the most useful tools in total synthesis. Through combination

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

• E [30] and daphnepapytone C [31] from the 2020s (Figure 4). Most of these compounds possess intriguing biological activities and selected examples from this list are discussed in more detail in chapter 4 with regards to their isolation, bioactivity and a recent total synthesis. The aim of this work

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

• architecture. Although extensive research has explored its pharmacological properties and various synthetic approaches, significant challenges remain in the efficient synthesis of borrelidin and its analogs. Existing literature largely focuses on total synthesis, bioactivity, and structural modifications

• complex structure, remains an attractive target for synthetic organic chemists worldwide. Several comprehensive reviews on borrelidin have been published, with a strong focus on its synthesis. The first notable comparison of total synthesis methods was conducted by Ōmura in 2005 [48], highlighting four

• ]. Their method was based on the concept of “catalytic total synthesis”, wherein all stereocenters were installed under the control of catalysts. Minnaard and Madduri proposed the synthesis of the C1–C11 fragment from unsaturated thioester 92 through iterative, previously developed asymmetric 1,4-addition