4-(1-Methylamino)ethylidene-1,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine-2,3-diones: synthesis, anti-inflammatory effect and in silico approaches

• Nguyen Tran Nguyen,
• Vo Viet Dai,
• Luc Van Meervelt,
• Do Thi Thao and
• Nguyen Minh Thong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 817–829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.65

• interactions of these derivatives with the enzyme inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), compared to dexamethasone used as a reference. Furthermore, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) predictions were performed to assess their drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic properties

• prediction of drug-like properties, in silico evaluations of ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) characteristics of all potential drug candidates were conducted using the pkCSM online tool [28]. The resulting data are presented in Table 3. The absorption capability of the

• organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) was examined, with OCT2 playing a pivotal role in the renal elimination of both xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. The predicted results suggest that none of the studied compounds act as OCT2 substrates. Toxicity was assessed using the Ames test, a widely accepted

Recent advances in allylation of chiral secondary alkylcopper species

• Minjae Kim,
• Gwanggyun Kim,
• Doyoon Kim,
• Jun Hee Lee and
• Seung Hwan Cho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 639–658, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.51

• , including non-toxicity, bench-stability, structural diversity, straightforward preparation, and broad commercial availability. Significant contributions include Sawamura's work with alkyl–9-BBN [32][33][34][35][36][37] as a nucleophile. These developments have collectively transformed copper-catalyzed AAA

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

• unconjugated and “overloaded” antibodies. Unconjugated antibodies compete with antibodies containing payloads for binding, which can diminish the effectiveness of the antibody-payload materials. On the other hand, excessive loading of the antibody can lead to antibody aggregation, increased toxicity, decreased

Formaldehyde surrogates in multicomponent reactions

• Cecilia I. Attorresi,
• Javier A. Ramírez and
• Bernhard Westermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 564–595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.45

• /bjoc.21.45 Abstract Formaldehyde emerges as a cornerstone in multicomponent reactions, mainly prized for its robust reactivity. Yet, alongside these beneficial traits, this highly reactive C1-building block raises concerns, primarily regarding its toxicity. One notable issue is the challenge of

• controlling the formation of undesired byproducts during its reactions. This review explores alternative C1-building blocks that serve as surrogates for formaldehyde, aiming to mitigate some of the challenges associated with its use in multicomponent reactions. By identifying these alternatives, toxicity

• surrogate and source of formaldehyde Dimethyl sulfoxide is a well-known polar-aprotic solvent with high boiling point that is used in several organic synthetic reactions because of affordable cost and relatively low toxicity. There are numerous examples that show the use of DMSO as a C1 or C2 building block

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

• alcohols 32. Notably, this protocol is both energy-efficient and operationally simple, with the reaction being carried out under air in ethanol, a low-toxicity solvent. Moreover, the scalability of the reaction was demonstrated with larger-scale experiments (up to 5 mmol), achieving excellent yields and

• have been extensively studied in the literature such as bridged Eosin Y 37 [44], BODIPY 38 [45], and dibenzothiazole 39 (Figure 5) [46]. Indeed, organic dyes, with their inherent advantages of low toxicity, environmental friendliness, and tunable optical properties, represent a promising alternative

• remarkable redox versatility, enabling them to participate in both oxidation and reduction reactions and few of them are naturally occurring such as Betanin and Musca-Aurin II (Figure 9). Their relatively stable excited states, combined with their low toxicity and ease of chemical modification, make them a

Dioxazolones as electrophilic amide sources in copper-catalyzed and -mediated transformations

• Seungmin Lee,
• Minsuk Kim,
• Hyewon Han and
• Jongwoo Son

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 200–216, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.12

• widely used as N-acylamide sources in amidation processes of challenging substrates, typically employing precious transition metals. However, these catalytic systems often present several challenges associated with cost, toxicity, stability, and recyclability. Among the 3d transition metals, copper

• increasing interest as affordable, versatile, and sustainable catalytic systems. These catalysts are extensively employed in organic synthesis owing to their cost-effectiveness, reduced toxicity, and natural abundance [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The use of copper salts has enabled a variety of

Recent advances in electrochemical copper catalysis for modern organic synthesis

• Yemin Kim and
• Won Jun Jang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 155–178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.9

• ], however, no comprehensive review focusing on Cu-catalyzed electrochemistry has been reported to date. Copper catalysts are potential candidates for pharmaceutical applications owing to their abundance, low cost, and lower toxicity compared with noble transition metals such as palladium [39]. In terms of

Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed multicomponent reactions

• Sara Colombo,
• Camilla Loro,
• Egle M. Beccalli,
• Gianluigi Broggini and
• Marta Papis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 122–145, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.7

• ; heteropolycycles; multicomponent reactions; one-pot reaction; Introduction Copper has gained a relevant role in organic synthesis as an alternative to precious metals due to its low toxicity, ease of handling, high catalytic activity, and cost-effectiveness [1][2]. In recent years, Cu(OTf)2 has significantly

• toxicity [3][4][5][6][7]. Multicomponent reactions are one of the most effective methods to assemble multiple reagents, thus facilitating access to the target molecules more quickly, due to atom/step economy, short reaction times, and eco-friendly benefits. Combining multicomponent reactions with

Giese-type alkylation of dehydroalanine derivatives via silane-mediated alkyl bromide activation

• Perry van der Heide,
• Michele Retini,
• Fabiola Fanini,
• Giovanni Piersanti,
• Francesco Secci,
• Daniele Mazzarella,
• Timothy Noël and
• Alberto Luridiana

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3274–3280, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.271

• radical activation, resulting in milder and safer reaction conditions [14][15][16]. Given the toxicity of tin-based compounds, there has been significant interest in developing alternative halogen-atom-transfer reagents. Borane, alkylamine, and silane compounds have emerged as effective XAT reagents upon

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

• and γ-secretase, it produces Aβ-42. This form misfolds, leading to the formation of insoluble protein aggregates known as senile plaques, causing toxicity [28][29]. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants in the body, leading to damage in various

• paralysis rate of worms (Figure 4). Specifically, they exhibited a percentage of paralysis inhibition of 67%, 47%, 57%, 42%, 45%, and 64%, respectively, which indicates their potential in inhibiting β-amyloid toxicity in AD. These compounds were selected to assess their potential as acetylcholinesterase

• (IC50 = 1.28 μM), and non-toxicity in liver HepG2 cells. Hantzsch-based strategies: As mentioned before, in response to the challenges posed by the multifactorial nature of AD, the MTDL approach has emerged as a promising strategy. This approach involves designing drugs capable of binding simultaneously

Recent advances in transition-metal-free arylation reactions involving hypervalent iodine salts

• Ritu Mamgain,
• Kokila Sakthivel and
• Fateh V. Singh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2891–2920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.243

• ]. They offer several advantages over traditional reagents, including low toxicity, high reactivity, and excellent selectivity [43] under simple reaction conditions. The distinctive reactivity of DIAS enables the smooth arylation of various carbon and heteroatom nucleophiles under gentle conditions, with

Synthesis and antimycotic activity of new derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines

• Dmitriy Yu. Vandyshev,
• Daria A. Mangusheva,
• Khidmet S. Shikhaliev,
• Kirill A. Scherbakov,
• Oleg N. Burov,
• Alexander D. Zagrebaev,
• Tatiana N. Khmelevskaya,
• Alexey S. Trenin and
• Fedor I. Zubkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2806–2817, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.236

• desired pharmacological properties. Therefore, the design and synthesis of new compounds of this class with improved ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) pharmacological properties is an urgent task. Molecular docking was carried out to identify potential binding positions of

Synthesis and cytotoxicity studies of novel N-arylbenzo[h]quinazolin-2-amines

• Battini Veeraiah,
• Kishore Ramineni,
• Dabbugoddu Brahmaiah,
• Nangunoori Sampath Kumar,
• Hélène Solhi,
• Rémy Le Guevel,
• Chada Raji Reddy,
• Frédéric Justaud and
• René Grée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2592–2598, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.218

• the meta-methoxy 4f and ortho-fluoro 4h show significant toxicity only on Caco-2 (IC50 4.3 and 4.6 μM, respectively). Further, the para-methyl compound 4d acts on HCT-116 only (IC50 5 μM). On the other hand, all molecules exhibited no effect on normal human fibroblasts at the highest concentration

Hypervalent iodine-mediated cyclization of bishomoallylamides to prolinols

• Smaher E. Butt,
• Konrad Kepski,
• Jean-Marc Sotiropoulos and
• Wesley J. Moran

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2455–2460, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.209

• become increasingly popular in recent years probably due to their useful reactivity, ease of handling, and low toxicity [13]. In particular, hypervalent iodine compounds have been shown to be effective reagents and catalysts for a range of cyclization reactions [14]. In 2015, we reported the iodoarene

Phenylseleno trifluoromethoxylation of alkenes

• Clément Delobel,
• Armen Panossian,
• Gilles Hanquet,
• Frédéric R. Leroux,
• Fabien Toulgoat and
• Thierry Billard

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2434–2441, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.207

• ], electronic effects [17][18], and conformation [19][20][21]. Some trifluoromethoxylated molecules can be used as drugs in the treatment of various pathologies (Figure 1) [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. On the other hand, despite its toxicity at higher doses, selenium is also an essential trace element in

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of chiral homoallylic amines

• Nikolay S. Kondratyev and
• Andrei V. Malkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2349–2377, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.201

• -disubstituted homoallylic amines 50 and 56 (Scheme 11). However, the high sensitivity of silanes 49 to air and moisture along with an increased toxicity of organotin compounds 55 may be considered challenging factors in its application on a larger scale. In 2019, an interesting approach to the organocatalytic

• excellent yields (77–91%) and excellent enantioselectivities (90–96%) on a millimolar scale (Scheme 13). It is worth noting the use of optimised minimal excess of allyltributyltin (65), which to some extent addresses the higher toxicity of trialkylstannanes compared to their silicon counterparts. The

Natural resorcylic lactones derived from alternariol

• Joachim Podlech

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2171–2207, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.187

• pathogens [50][51][52]. It should be noted that Alternaria alternata is a species complex and many producer strains reported in the literature were not correctly identified [53]. The rather low toxicity of alternariol and most of the further Alternaria toxins (especially those with resorcylic lactone

• solubility in the standard tests, performed in aqueous media) nor phytotoxic activity [73]. A general but not an acute toxicity of AOH has already been mentioned in late 1970ies, e.g., an activity against Bacillus mycoides at 60 μg/disc and a toxicity to HeLa cells with an ID50 value of 6 μg/mL [74]. It

• has been investigated thoroughly on its biological activities, especially on its toxicity [6][12]. Its phytotoxicity has already been noted in the first reports; it induced chlorosis when injected to the leaves of tobacco plants [110]. It turned out to be cytotoxic against HeLa and lymphoma L5178Y

O,S,Se-containing Biginelli products based on cyclic β-ketosulfone and their postfunctionalization

• Kateryna V. Dil and
• Vitalii A. Palchykov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2143–2151, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.184

• online software ProTox 3.0 for computational toxicity assessment of the products as their LD50 values. The tested compounds mainly belong to the 4th class of acute oral toxicity with 300 < LD50 ≤ 2000 mg/kg. In addition, we used MolPredictX (https://www.molpredictx.ufpb.br) [46] to evaluate potential

• found that most of the synthesized compounds correspond to the parameters established by the Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, Egan, and Muegge rules. In silico screening of their biological profiles indicated that these new derivatives fall into the 4th class of acute toxicity. Additionally, they exhibit

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

• ), but is also widely used in transition-metal-catalyzed carbonylation reactions [1][2]. However, carbon monoxide is a flammable gas with a wide explosive range, although colorless and odorless, and requires special care in handling due to its high toxicity. In addition, when carbon monoxide is used in a

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

• ; refrigerants; Introduction In the 1930s, halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) were synthesized and have been shown to have low toxicity, which has opened the door for the application as safe refrigerants [1][2]. The development of the commercial synthesis of CFCs and

• fluorinated materials are non-flammable and have low toxicity, CFCs were found to be destructive to the ozone layer of the stratosphere [1][2] due to high ozone-depleting potential (ODP). This has led to the phasing out of CFCs and the replacement with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which show no significant

• blocks has significantly increased in the last years. Recently, the E-isomer of 1,2-difluoroethylene ((E)-HFO-1132) has attracted attention as a new refrigerant due to the low boiling point, moderate flammability, and low toxicity [40][41][42]. Also, in patent literature 1,2-difluoroethylene has been

2-Heteroarylethylamines in medicinal chemistry: a review of 2-phenethylamine satellite chemical space

• Carlos Nieto,
• Alejandro Manchado,
• Ángel García-González,
• David Díez and
• Narciso M. Garrido

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1880–1893, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.163

• comparable to the original [1]. The main purpose of this approach is quality improvement, such as activity, selectivity, bioavailability, metabolism, and/or toxicity, while expanding the chemical space surrounding bioactive compounds [2][3]. Benzene-to-heteroaromatic ring replacement represents a classical

• toxicity reports in hospital admissions. Nguyen et al. [36] investigated its effects in mice, demonstrating neurotoxicity via dopamine receptors, while Tuv et al. [37] studied the compound’s phamarcokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and mode of action in comparison to methamphetamine, which revealed a

The Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction in its maturity: innovation and improvements since its 21st birthday (2019–2023)

• Cristina Martini,
• Muhammad Idham Darussalam Mardjan and
• Andrea Basso

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1839–1879, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.162

• only for most of unhindered small ones), their partial instability and their potential toxicity [27], thus in situ generation represents a sustainable alternative for their conventional use and this issue has been recently reviewed by Baht and Heravi [28]. In situ generation of isocyanides has been

Syntheses and medicinal chemistry of spiro heterocyclic steroids

• Laura L. Romero-Hernández,
• Ana Isabel Ahuja-Casarín,
• Penélope Merino-Montiel,
• Sara Montiel-Smith,
• José Luis Vega-Báez and
• Jesús Sandoval-Ramírez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1713–1745, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.152

• synthesized compounds were evaluated for their DNA binding properties and screened for cytotoxicity against leukemia cancer cells (Jurkat), demonstrating IC50 values in the micromolar range (14.2 to 36.5 µM). Importantly, these derivatives exhibited minimal toxicity toward normal cells (PBMCs). Furthermore

Polymer degrading marine Microbulbifer bacteria: an un(der)utilized source of chemical and biocatalytic novelty

• Weimao Zhong and
• Vinayak Agarwal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1635–1651, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.146

• , other parabens were not detected. Parabens are used as preservatives in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to their low toxicity, stability, and activity against a broad spectrum of microorganisms [124]. Industrially, parabens are prepared starting from 4HBA, which in turn, is a

Divergent role of PIDA and PIFA in the AlX₃ (X = Cl, Br) halogenation of 2-naphthol: a mechanistic study

• Kevin A. Juárez-Ornelas,
• Manuel Solís-Hernández,
• Pedro Navarro-Santos,
• J. Oscar C. Jiménez-Halla and
• César R. Solorio-Alvarado

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1580–1589, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.141

• halogenation via PhIX2. Keywords: aromatic bromination; aromatic chlorination; density functional theory (DFT); hypervalent iodine; iodine(III); Introduction Hypervalent iodine(III) reagents have gained attention as strong oxidants with a low toxicity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and due to the ability to mimic