5th International Symposium on Synthesis and Catalysis (ISySyCat2023)

• Anthony J. Burke and
• Elisabete P. Carreiro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2704–2707, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.227

• terazosin and prazosin were successfully synthesized. Oliveira Jr. et al. developed a new methodology for the asymmetric synthesis of β-aryl-γ-lactam derivatives with very good yield and enantioselectivity [16]. This was achieved through a palladium-catalyzed Heck–Matsuda desymmetrization of N-protected 2,5

Computational design for enantioselective CO₂ capture: asymmetric frustrated Lewis pairs in epoxide transformations

• Maxime Ferrer,
• Iñigo Iribarren,
• Tim Renningholtz,
• Ibon Alkorta and
• Cristina Trujillo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2668–2681, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.224

• an in silico approach to design asymmetric frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) aimed at controlling reaction stereochemistry. Four FLP scaffolds, incorporating diverse Lewis acids (LA), Lewis bases (LB), and substituents, were assessed via volcano plot analysis to identify the most promising catalysts. By

• strategically modifying LB substituents to induce asymmetry, a stereoselective catalytic scaffold was developed, favouring one enantiomer from both epoxide enantiomers. This work advances the in silico design of FLPs, highlighting their potential as asymmetric CCU catalysts with implications for optimising

• catalyst efficiency and selectivity in sustainable chemistry applications. Keywords: asymmetric catalysis; carbon dioxide; CO2; epoxide; frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs); volcano plot; Introduction The field of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) has flourished since their seminal discovery in 2006 by Stephan and

Deciphering the mechanism of γ-cyclodextrin’s hydrophobic cavity hydration: an integrated experimental and theoretical study

• Stiliyana Pereva,
• Stefan Dobrev,
• Tsveta Sarafska,
• Valya Nikolova,
• Silvia Angelova,
• Tony Spassov and
• Todor Dudev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2635–2643, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.221

• (rims) of the γ-CD cavity are blocked, but the cavity is not entirely closed. Stacked along the b axis there is a narrow channel in the cavity filled with water molecules. The conclusions are that the asymmetric unit of the crystal contains 14.1 water molecules, distributed over 23 cites, while γ-CD

• cyclodextrin cavity and in the intermolecular space. Several overlapped steps are visible on the TG curve, which is associated with the release of water molecules in several stages, with the steepest lightening of the sample at 350–370 K. Consistent with this is the DSC endothermic peak, which is asymmetric

Applications of microscopy and small angle scattering techniques for the characterisation of supramolecular gels

• Connor R. M. MacDonald and
• Emily R. Draper

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2608–2634, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.220

• , previously unobserved by microscopy, was characterised. The fit of the full model identified the one-dimensional fibres formed by the stacking of molecules, while the low-q fit identified a larger clustering feature which could be described by the formation of asymmetric multifibre braided clusters. SANS

A review of recent advances in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical late-stage functionalization classified by anodic oxidation, cathodic reduction, and paired electrolysis

• Nian Li,
• Ruzal Sitdikov,
• Ajit Prabhakar Kale,
• Joost Steverlynck,
• Bo Li and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2500–2566, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.214

• Lewis acid complex of Rh has been employed by Meggers and coworkers to functionalize the α-position of 2-acylimidazoles [55]. The reported transformation represents a successful example of a catalytic asymmetric electrosynthesis, which is typically quite challenging. The process was conducted in an

• oxidation then yields the intermediate. Subsequent desilylation and substrate/product exchange complete the catalytic cycle (Scheme 40). This approach underlines the potential of asymmetric electrosynthesis in achieving high selectivity and efficiency in complex molecule synthesis, further broadening the

• applications of electrochemical methods in organic synthesis. In this context the Meggers group developed an asymmetric Rh catalyst-promoted alkylation [56]. The Rh complex was used as a chiral catalyst and Cp2Fe as an anodic oxidation catalyst to achieve the enantioselective C(sp3)–H alkenylation of 2

Machine learning-guided strategies for reaction conditions design and optimization

• Lung-Yi Chen and
• Yi-Pei Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2476–2492, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.212

• are applicable to various substrates within the same reaction type [211][212][213][214][215]. For instance, the generality of chiral catalysts for asymmetric or enantioselective catalysis has been a longstanding interest in synthetic chemistry [216]. Angello et al. [53] applied uncertainty-minimizing

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

• equimolar chiral controller. However, recent years have witnessed the rise of asymmetric transition-metal catalysts and, importantly, organocatalytic allylation, reshaping the landscape of modern synthetic chemistry. This review explores the latest developments in the asymmetric allylation of imines

• , encompassing cutting-edge advances in hydrogen-bond catalysis and non-classical approaches. Furthermore, practical examples showcasing the application of these innovative methodologies in total synthesis are presented. Keywords: asymmetric catalysis; asymmetric synthesis; chiral amines; organicatalysis

• essential to provide a comprehensive overview of this significant topic. Review Asymmetric allylation with boron-based reagents The research on the metal-free, asymmetric organocatalytic allylation of acylimines was pioneered in 2007 by Schaus and co-workers [24]. In their elegant approach, high

Stereoselective mechanochemical synthesis of thiomalonate Michael adducts via iminium catalysis by chiral primary amines

• Michał Błauciak,
• Dominika Andrzejczyk,
• Błażej Dziuk and
• Rafał Kowalczyk

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2313–2322, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.198

• nucleophiles in this transformation. Keywords: asymmetric catalysis; iminium catalysis; mechanochemistry; organocatalysis; thioesters; Introduction Mechanochemistry, particularly solventless processes under ball milling conditions, offers the opportunity to devise unconventional reaction pathways [1][2][3][4

• attention. The controlled formation of C–C and C–X bonds in a stereoselective fashion has found extensive application in asymmetric synthesis. Notably, the addition of malonates has attracted significant interest, albeit primarily limited to methyl or ethyl diesters [18][19][20]. The combination of iminium

• reactivity by chiral quaternary ammonium salt in the asymmetric variant of the phase-transfer catalysis. Nevertheless, no product was formed despite several conditions being examined. Finally, an attempt to activate the electrophile was performed. We chose iminium salt catalysis particularly employing chiral

Catalysing (organo-)catalysis: Trends in the application of machine learning to enantioselective organocatalysis

• Stefan P. Schmid,
• Leon Schlosser,
• Frank Glorius and
• Kjell Jorner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2280–2304, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.196

• the award of the Nobel Prize to List and MacMillan in 2021 ‘for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis’. Organocatalytic transformations have also seen the transition to industrial processes for the production of a variety of pesticides and medicinal compounds, as recently reviewed [6][7][8][9

• include the development of ACE (Asymmetric Catalyst Evaluation) [19][20], AARON (Automated Reaction Optimiser for New Catalysts) [21] or CatVS (Catalyst Virtual Screening) [22]. Such tools have been extensively reviewed in the past years [23][24][25]. Based on a known mechanism, the tools calculate the

Factors influencing the performance of organocatalysts immobilised on solid supports: A review

• Zsuzsanna Fehér,
• Dóra Richter,
• Gyula Dargó and
• József Kupai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2129–2142, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.183

• applications in organic chemistry. Keywords: asymmetric synthesis; catalyst recycling; heterogenisation; organocatalysis; solid support; Introduction Organocatalysts are small molecules that do not contain a metal atom in the reaction centre and are able to increase the speed of reactions. They have proven

• MacMillan were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2021 for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis [6]. To date, industrial companies have used a number of asymmetric organocatalytic processes to synthesise pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals on large scales [7]. Catalyst recycling is key from both an economic

• , giving easily recyclable asymmetric catalysts. The asymmetric sites can be different types, commonly they are binaphthyl-, biphenyl- [91][92][93] and proline-based [94][95]. COFs are a type of crystalline porous material, consisting of covalently linked organic ligands [96][97]. Since the framework only

Multicomponent syntheses of pyrazoles via (3 + 2)-cyclocondensation and (3 + 2)-cycloaddition key steps

• Ignaz Betcke,
• Alissa C. Götzinger,
• Maryna M. Kornet and
• Thomas J. J. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2024–2077, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.178

• feature of the method is the regioselectivity with asymmetric diketones. In addition to β-ketoesters, acetylacetone can be used in the concept. The same research group employed ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate as a substrate in this method. The pyrazoline oxidation proved to be critical, and the addition

Diastereoselective synthesis of highly substituted cyclohexanones and tetrahydrochromene-4-ones via conjugate addition of curcumins to arylidenemalonates

• Deepa Nair,
• Abhishek Tiwari,
• Banamali Laha and
• Irishi N. N. Namboothiri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2016–2023, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.177

• KOH using TBAB as a suitable phase transfer catalyst in a biphasic medium at room temperature. The scalability of the reaction has also been demonstrated. Our future efforts will involve performing an asymmetric version of this reaction using chiral phase-transfer catalysts and the results will be

Harnessing the versatility of hydrazones through electrosynthetic oxidative transformations

• Aurélie Claraz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1988–2004, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.175

• -methoxymethylpyrrolidine)hydrazones could be also key intermediates for the asymmetric synthesis of α-substituted aldehydes and ketones [18][19]. Interestingly, depending on the substitution pattern, the C=N bond can feature different electronic properties [20]. For instance, various hydrazones have been employed for the

• asymmetric preparation of chiral amines through the addition of nucleophilic partners [21][22] while the azaenamine character of some aldehyde-derived hydrazones has been demonstrated in the coupling with suitable electrophiles such as Michael acceptors [23][24]. Last but not least, the C=N bond of

Allostreptopyrroles A–E, β-alkylpyrrole derivatives from an actinomycete Allostreptomyces sp. RD068384

• Marwa Elsbaey,
• Naoya Oku,
• Mohamed S. A. Abdel-Mottaleb and
• Yasuhiro Igarashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1981–1987, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.174

• (porphyrins) including heme, chlorophyll, and vitamin B12 [1][2] (Figure S54 in Supporting Information File 1). Porphobilinogen, the fundamental biological precursor of tetrapyrroles, is biosynthesized via asymmetric condensation of two δ-aminolevulinic acid molecules [2][3]. From another aspect

Negishi-coupling-enabled synthesis of α-heteroaryl-α-amino acid building blocks for DNA-encoded chemical library applications

• Matteo Gasparetto,
• Balázs Fődi and
• Gellért Sipos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1922–1932, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.168

• range of less widely applicable strategies have been developed as well [17][18][19][20][21][22]. The above-mentioned methods focus on the synthesis of α-alkyl-amino acids. Moving to α-aryl-amino acids, the Clayden group published an excellent asymmetric α-arylation method to access quaternary amino

Chiral bifunctional sulfide-catalyzed enantioselective bromolactonizations of α- and β-substituted 5-hexenoic acids

• Sao Sumida,
• Ken Okuno,
• Taiki Mori,
• Yasuaki Furuya and
• Seiji Shirakawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1794–1799, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.158

• without substituents on the carbon–carbon double bond have remained a formidable challenge. To address this limitation, we report herein the asymmetric bromolactonization of 5-hexenoic acid derivatives catalyzed by a BINOL-derived chiral bifunctional sulfide. Keywords: asymmetric catalysis

• ; enantioselectivity; halogenation; lactones; organocatalysis; Introduction Catalytic asymmetric halolactonizations of alkenoic acids are powerful methods for the preparation of important chiral lactones in enantioenriched forms [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. A wide variety of chiral catalysts have been applied

• to asymmetric halolactonizations, especially for the synthesis of chiral γ-butyrolactones and δ-valerolactones via the reaction of 4-pentenoic acid and 5-hexenoic acid derivatives (Scheme 1). Notably, however, substituents on the carbon–carbon double bond of alkenoic acid substrates are generally

Primary amine-catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-Michael addition reaction of pyrazolin-5-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones

• Pooja Goyal,
• Akhil K. Dubey,
• Raghunath Chowdhury and
• Amey Wadawale

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1518–1526, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.136

• structurally diverse pyrazole derivatives [4][5][6][7][10][11][12]. 4-Unsubstituted pyrazolin-5-ones are well known precursors for the construction of optically active structurally diverse pyrazoles [10][11][12]. In this context, the organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael addition of 4-unsubstituted pyrazolin-5

• [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Among the developed organocatalyzed enantioselective 1,4-addition reactions of pyrazolin-5-ones, the catalytic asymmetric reactions of pyrazolin-5-ones with α,β-unsaturated ketones are comparatively less studied. In 2009, Zhao’s group were the first

• organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael addition reaction of 4-monosubstituted pyrazol-5-ones to simple enones for the synthesis of pyrazolone derivatives [25]. Despite these progresses, arylidene/heteroarylideneacetones have remained untapped by 4-unsubstituted pyrazolin-5-ones under asymmetric organocatalytic or

Tetrabutylammonium iodide-catalyzed oxidative α-azidation of β-ketocarbonyl compounds using sodium azide

• Christopher Mairhofer,
• David Naderer and
• Mario Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1510–1517, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.135

• addition, the recent years have seen remarkable progress in utilizing electrophilic azide-transfer reagents, i.e., hypervalent iodine-based compounds, for (asymmetric) α-azidations [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Besides these valuable approaches, which either require appropriate pre-functionalization of

Towards an asymmetric β-selective addition of azlactones to allenoates

• Behzad Nasiri,
• Ghaffar Pasdar,
• Paul Zebrowski,
• Katharina Röser,
• David Naderer and
• Mario Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1504–1509, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.134

• , Iran 10.3762/bjoc.20.134 Abstract We herein report the asymmetric organocatalytic addition of azlactones to allenoates. Upon using chiral quaternary ammonium salt catalysts, i.e., Maruoka’s binaphthyl-based spirocyclic ammonium salts, the addition of various azlactones to allenoates proceeds in a β

• ; quaternary ammonium salt catalysis; Introduction The development of asymmetric synthesis routes to access non-natural amino acids has for decades been one of the most heavily investigated tasks in organic synthesis and catalysis-oriented research [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. As a consequence

• synthesis approaches. Our group has a longstanding focus on the development of asymmetric organocatalytic methods to access non-natural chiral α- and β-AA [14][15][16][17][18][19]. Hereby we are especially interested in utilizing simple (prochiral) starting materials and carry out stereoselective α

Challenge N- versus O-six-membered annulation: FeCl₃-catalyzed synthesis of heterocyclic N,O-aminals

• Giacomo Mari,
• Lucia De Crescentini,
• Gianfranco Favi,
• Fabio Mantellini,
• Diego Olivieri and
• Stefania Santeusanio

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1412–1420, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.123

• ), whose sequential acylation process by iso(thio)cyanates 3a–h gives rise to the asymmetric (thio)urea derivatives (intermediate II). The spontaneous nucleophilic attack of the (thio)amide nitrogen on the terminal methyl ester function at C-4 of the starting azo-ene system provides a regioselective

Hypervalent iodine-catalyzed amide and alkene coupling enabled by lithium salt activation

• Akanksha Chhikara,
• Fan Wu,
• Navdeep Kaur,
• Prabagar Baskaran,
• Alex M. Nguyen,
• Zhichang Yin,
• Anthony H. Pham and
• Wei Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1405–1411, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.122

• . This strategy rendered the participation of simple and unadorned amides as bifunctional nucleophiles to achieve olefin oxyamination reactions. Time studies of these reactions further unveiled interesting mechanistic features that will be useful for our future catalysis development and asymmetric

Synthetic applications of the Cannizzaro reaction

• Bhaskar Chatterjee,
• Dhananjoy Mondal and
• Smritilekha Bera

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1376–1395, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.120

• transformation of the aryl glyoxals is outlined below (Scheme 4), which depicts the coordination of the hemiacetal B with the metal catalyst to give C, followed by hydride transfer to form the metal-coordinated Cannizzaro product D. Another intramolecular asymmetric Cannizzaro reaction was reported by Wu et al

• alcohols 10. Excellent yields and enantioselectivities of the intramolecular Cannizzaro version were observed furnishing a wide range of alkyl and aryl mandelate esters 9 and 3 (Scheme 5). The asymmetric intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction of anhydrous phenylglyoxal (7a) with alcohols was envisaged by

• % enantioselectivity. They employed a double asymmetric induction with (+)/(−)-menthol (12), and CuX2 bis(oxazoline) catalyst where the corresponding chiral mandelate ester 13 was obtained in 81% yield and high selectivity (90% de) (Scheme 6). The proposed mechanism of the reaction is depicted below. Hong et al

Bismuth(III) triflate: an economical and environmentally friendly catalyst for the Nazarov reaction

• Manoel T. Rodrigues Jr.,
• Aline S. B. de Oliveira,
• Ralph C. Gomes,
• Amanda Soares Hirata,
• Lucas A. Zeoly,
• Hugo Santos,
• João Arantes,
• Catarina Sofia Mateus Reis-Silva,
• João Agostinho Machado-Neto,
• Leticia Veras Costa-Lotufo and
• Fernando Coelho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1167–1178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.99

• first asymmetric catalytic Nazarov reaction [32]. In recent years, several strategies were reported employing different Lewis acids, such as, AuCl3/AgSbF6, Cu(II), In(OTf)3, Ir(III), Al(III), Sc(OTf)3/LiClO4, In(OTf)3/diphenylphosphoric acid (DPP), Fe(OTf)3/(CF3)2PhB(OH)2, iodine [33][34][35][36][37][38

• ][39][40][41][42][43], and other strategies [44][45]. Although methodologies involving catalysis by Lewis acids are very efficient, including asymmetric versions of the Nazarov reaction, the experimental protocols are quite laborious in most cases, requiring low temperature, an inert atmosphere, or the

Structure–property relationships in dicyanopyrazinoquinoxalines and their hydrogen-bonding-capable dihydropyrazinoquinoxalinedione derivatives

• Tural N. Akhmedov,
• Ajeet Kumar,
• Daken J. Starkenburg,
• Kyle J. Chesney,
• Khalil A. Abboud,
• Novruz G. Akhmedov,
• Jiangeng Xue and
• Ronald K. Castellano

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1037–1052, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.92

• * level of theory), and corresponding molecular orbital plots for 1b–7b. Asymmetric unit of DPQD 2b with important bond lengths highlighted (a). Torsion angles of 4.33° and 5.25° are associated with the carbonyl groups and rings 1 and 3, respectively (b) and (c). Packing diagram showing the average

Enantioselective synthesis of β-aryl-γ-lactam derivatives via Heck–Matsuda desymmetrization of N-protected 2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrroles

• Arnaldo G. de Oliveira Jr.,
• Martí F. Wang,
• Rafaela C. Carmona,
• Danilo M. Lustosa,
• Sergei A. Gorbatov and
• Carlos R. D. Correia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 940–949, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.84

• preclude chirality as in the transformation of a prochiral molecular entity into a chiral one [1]. It is a powerful and elegant strategy in asymmetric synthesis [2], which combined with the use of chiral ligands and transition-metal catalysts enabled many valuable transformations to increase molecular

• upward, therefore creating an asymmetric center with absolute configuration (R), in accordance with experimental results. A rationalization for the transition state that would lead to the observed outcome is depicted in Figure 2. Conclusion The palladium-catalyzed Heck–Matsuda desymmetrization of N