Polyketide stereocontrol: a study in chemical biology

• Kira J. Weissman

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 348–371, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.39

Catalytic Wittig and aza-Wittig reactions

• Zhiqi Lao and
• Patrick H. Toy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 2577–2587, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.253

• completed. However, will the research results summarized herein remain merely intellectual achievements or will they become commonly used synthetic methods in the future? Perhaps the answer to this question is how these new reaction systems are viewed from an environmental/green chemistry perspective. In

A new paradigm for designing ring construction strategies for green organic synthesis: implications for the discovery of multicomponent reactions to build molecules containing a single ring

• John Andraos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 2420–2442, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.236

• - and 6-membered monocyclic rings are most commonly made by [2 + 2 + 1] and [3 + 2 + 1] cycloadditions where 57% and 76% of them, respectively, have a 100% chance of being intrinsically green from a design perspective. A survey of over 2000 MCRs used to synthesize specific types of heterocyclic rings

• of ring construction strategy from a very different perspective that is rooted in an entirely different scientific field which also has enjoyed an even longer track record of research, namely combinatorics and enumeration. Specifically, we exploit the subject of integer partitioning [123][124][125

Solvent-free synthesis of novel para-menthane-3,8-diol ester derivatives from citronellal using a polymer-supported scandium triflate catalyst

• Lubabalo Mafu,
• Ben Zeelie and
• Paul Watts

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 2046–2054, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.193

• sustainability perspective, but clearly it is necessary to develop protocols that are as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. The terpene, citronellal (3,7-dimethyl-6-octenal, 1) is widely used as a feedstock material in the synthesis of fine chemicals such as menthol (2) and para-menthane-3,8

• degradation in performance. However, we are conducting further studies to see how long the reaction could be conducted from a production perspective. Synthesis of propyl, pentyl and hexyl diester derivatives Having successfully synthesised the diacetate 9, other acid anhydrides were evaluated in the process

Ionic liquids as transesterification catalysts: applications for the synthesis of linear and cyclic organic carbonates

• Maurizio Selva,
• Alvise Perosa,
• Sandro Guidi and
• Lisa Cattelan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1911–1924, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.181

• a fixed bed reactor at 110 °C. The authors indicated the perspective of full industrial application for such a system. Phosphonium salts as catalysts for the selective transesterification of carbonates As mentioned above, the transesterification reaction between organic carbonates and alcohols or

From supramolecular chemistry to the nucleosome: studies in biomolecular recognition

• Marcey L. Waters

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1863–1869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.175

• ). It turned out that, as is true with many organic chemists I know, I fell in love with the logic of organic chemistry (I cannot understate the influence of Professor Charles Perrin, who taught organic chemistry from a mechanistic perspective with beautiful clarity). I also suspect that the visual

A flow reactor setup for photochemistry of biphasic gas/liquid reactions

• Josef Schachtner,
• Patrick Bayer and
• Axel Jacobi von Wangelin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1798–1811, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.170

• set-up of a flow reactor for photochemical reactions at gas/liquid interfaces in any standard student or research laboratory. The requirements, specifications, and pitfalls of the most critical technical components will be discussed from the perspective of a non-expert user (Scheme 2). Solution pump

Rearrangements of organic peroxides and related processes

• Ivan A. Yaremenko,
• Vera A. Vil’,
• Dmitry V. Demchuk and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1647–1748, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.162

Supramolecular chemistry at the interface of biology, materials and medicine

• Eric V. Anslyn and
• Steven C. Zimmerman

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1101–1102, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.105

• their own unique perspective and subarea. There is an enormous amount still to learn about the fundamental nature of noncovalent interactions and particularly how to design and synthesize molecules that complex other molecules or are able to assemble spontaneously into three-dimensional structures. Thus

• it is going in the future. They also offer an intimate portrait of the people behind the work. We know that our authors greatly enjoyed telling their stories and we hope that the readers, particularly students, will find this perspective interesting and perhaps even helpful and inspirational. Eric V

Enantioselective carbenoid insertion into C(sp³)–H bonds

• J. V. Santiago and
• A. H. L. Machado

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 882–902, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.87

• bonds, the mechanistic aspects recently discovered to the known catalytic systems and the application of these synthetic tools to the organic synthesis of natural products. Review Historic perspective on the carbenoid reaction insertion into X–H bonds One of the former works to address the chemistry of

From steroids to aqueous supramolecular chemistry: an autobiographical career review

• Bruce C. Gibb

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 684–701, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.69

• was that I had “discovered” molecular concavity and host–guest chemistry, research that I instantly related to the action of the Cytochrome P-450s and other enzymes. Unfortunately however, there was the small problem of financial support. From John’s perspective I had literally appeared out of the

Creating molecular macrocycles for anion recognition

• Amar H. Flood

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 611–627, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.60

• postdoctoral researcher was an important step in my professional life. I ended up working closely with him, which ultimately provided me with immense perspective. I will admit that it took a long and hard climb from New Zealand into the UCLA group; it was all action and every step took me closer to my

• “image training” (thanks to Makoto Fujita for the turn of phrase) as much as to show off the shape and function of molecules. Future perspective There are a few grand challenges inspiring us going forward. Underpinning each of them is a central philosophy: that the chemical nature of all matter motivates

Antibiotics from predatory bacteria

• Juliane Korp,
• María S. Vela Gurovic and
• Markus Nett

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 594–607, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.58

• predatory lifestyle of these organisms [27][36]. In this review, we will address this unresolved question both from a genomic perspective and on the basis of chemical investigations. Terrestrial myxobacteria and the genus Herpetosiphon will be in the focus of our analysis, whereas Lysobacter spp., which

Interactions between 4-thiothymidine and water-soluble cyclodextrins: Evidence for supramolecular structures in aqueous solutions

• Vito Rizzi,
• Sergio Matera,
• Paola Semeraro,
• Paola Fini and
• Pinalysa Cosma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 549–563, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.54

• direction, with a good perspective, is being carried out in our laboratory. Experimental Chemicals 2-HP-α-CD, 2-HP-β-CD, 2-HP-γ-CD, DIMEB and TRIMEB CDs were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Milan, Italy) and used without further purification. The same commercial source was adopted for D2O and LiClO4 (99.99

New synthetic strategies for xanthene-dye-appended cyclodextrins

• Milo Malanga,
• Andras Darcsi,
• Mihaly Balint,
• Gabor Benkovics,
• Tamas Sohajda and
• Szabolcs Beni

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 537–548, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.53

• MHz, 298 K). Cartoon models for the possible intermolecular inclusion mode of Rho-β-CD in solution (3D perspective view on the left and 3D structural model on the right). 1H NMR spectrum of Flu-β-CD with partial assignments (D2O, 500 MHz, 298 K). Cartoon models for the possible intermolecular

• inclusion mode of Flu-β-CD in solution (3D perspective view on the left and 3D structural model on the right). Supporting Information Supporting Information File 140: Experimental section, including IR and NMR spectra of the synthesized compounds. Acknowledgement The support of the Marie Curie Programme

Self and directed assembly: people and molecules

• Tony D. James

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 391–405, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.42

• position in Bath. This was a great move for me from a personal as well as career perspective, since Bath was a very supportive and friendly department. I was also lucky to be appointed at the same time as Toby Jenkins and Steven Bull who have been very good friends and collaborators over the last 15 years

• vague, this makes them open to different interpretations and as such they are as topical and up-to-date as when they were written. “Study the past, if you would divine the future.” – Confucius (551–479 BC) This quote is close to my heart – you will see from this perspective that many of the advances in

• . I would particularly like to thank The Catalysis and Sensing for our Environment (CASE) network [83] for providing excellent networking opportunities, since many of the results contained in this personal perspective are a direct result of the network.

My maize and blue brick road to physical organic chemistry in materials

• Anne J. McNeil

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 229–238, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.24

• , this perspective carves out the path I took from my early childhood fascinations with science through my independent career at the University of Michigan (maize and blue). The influential research projects and mentors are highlighted, including some fortuitous experimental results that drew me into the

• perspective concludes with some predictions about where molecular gels, as well as my personal and professional life, are headed. Keywords: molecular gel; organic chemistry; organic materials; self-assembly; supramolecular chemistry; Review One of my earliest memories involves pouring water down our

Aggregation behavior of amphiphilic cyclodextrins in a nonpolar solvent: evidence of large-scale structures by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and solution studies

• Giuseppina Raffaini,
• Fabio Ganazzoli and
• Antonino Mazzaglia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 73–80, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.8

• ), could be utilized in perspective in a future investigation on similar aCD with n > 0. In the following, we discuss our simulation and experimental results in the order, and then the simulation methodology and the dynamic light scattering procedure in the Experimental section. Results and Discussion

Supramolecular polymer assembly in aqueous solution arising from cyclodextrin host–guest complexation

• Jie Wang,
• Zhiqiang Qiu,
• Yiming Wang,
• Li Li,
• Xuhong Guo,
• Duc-Truc Pham,
• Stephen F. Lincoln and
• Robert K. Prud’homme

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 50–72, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.7

• [112][113][114]. Conclusion and Perspective In this brief review it is shown that there is a plethora of routes to supramolecular polymer networks in aqueous solution based on cyclodextrin host–guest complexation. Through variations in this supramolecular chemistry at the molecular level macroscopic

Effective immobilisation of a metathesis catalyst bearing an ammonium-tagged NHC ligand on various solid supports

• Krzysztof Skowerski,
• Jacek Białecki,
• Stefan J. Czarnocki,
• Karolina Żukowska and
• Karol Grela

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 5–15, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.2

• endeavour aimed at getting a broader perspective. Immobilisation of 8 on iron powder First, we attempted to prepare a model for a magnetically separable catalyst [55]. This idea has been explored previously by attaching tagged Ru complexes to specially designed magnetically active nanoparticles. We wondered

Learning from the unexpected in life and DNA self-assembly

• Jennifer M. Heemstra

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2713–2720, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.292

• these experiences as hindering our progress, they should be embraced and appreciated for their ability to lead to new discoveries. In this perspective, I will discuss the unexpected events that have shaped my career path and the early stages of my independent research program. Keywords: aptamers; DNA

• early career, it is clear that gender and work-life balance issues have in many ways shaped the path that I have taken. I have expressed my perspective on some of these issues in depth elsewhere [1], and thus will only mention the topic briefly here. The data show that there is significant progress that

• insights are often the key to making a project successful, and sometimes even inspire the design a new project, but they can tend to get lost among all of the data in a manuscript, or relegated to the supporting information. Thus, in this perspective article, I am excited to have the opportunity to

Smart molecules for imaging, sensing and health (SMITH)

• Bradley D. Smith

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2540–2548, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.274

• imaging, ion-pair receptors, rotaxane synthesis, squaraine rotaxanes, and synthtavidin technology. The article concludes with a short perspective of likely future directions in biomedical supramolecular chemistry. Keywords: fluorescence; ion-pair receptors; membrane transport; molecular imaging; rotaxane

Life lessons

• Jonathan R. Nitschke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2350–2354, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.256

• perspective, the underlying attitude served me well. I loved the environment at Berkeley – the place was fizzing with intellectual energy, manifested both as world-class scholarship and as Hunter S. Thompson-style craziness. Under T. Don Tilley’s supervision, my Ph.D. work involved the development of

Cu(I)-catalyzed N,N’-diarylation of natural diamines and polyamines with aryl iodides

• Svetlana P. Panchenko,
• Alexei D. Averin,
• Maksim V. Anokhin,
• Olga A. Maloshitskaya and
• Irina P. Beletskaya

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2297–2305, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.250

• polyamines using aryl iodides with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents in order to identify conditions for the synthesis of a wide range of perspective derivatives of these di- and polyamines. Results and Discussion N,N’-Diarylation of diamines The investigated diamines 1–4, triamines 5

Ru complexes of Hoveyda–Grubbs type immobilized on lamellar zeolites: activity in olefin metathesis reactions

• Hynek Balcar,
• Naděžda Žilková,
• Martin Kubů,
• Michal Mazur,
• Zdeněk Bastl and
• Jiří Čejka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2087–2096, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.225

• with sterically enlarged NHC ligand supported on SBA-15 exhibited high stability and was effective in flow reactions [22]. According to our knowledge, zeolites have not been considered as perspective supports for the immobilization of Ru metathesis catalysts due to small diameters of their pores (<1 nm