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

• blue LEDs at room temperature constructed a single diastereoisomer 23 in 90% yield. From 23, the ABCDE pentacyclic skeleton of phainanoids (27) was ultimately established via a Mitsunobu reaction, intramolecular nucleophilic substitution with in situ-generated aryllithium, and protecting group

• known two-step sequence to 61, followed by Mitsunobu reaction, ester reduction, thioether oxidation, and silylation of the primary alcohol to furnish sulfone 64. The two key fragments – aldehyde 60 and sulfone 64 – were merged via Julia–Kocienski olefination to construct alkene 65. Treatment of 65 with

• Mitsunobu reaction between two known compounds – (R)-110 and 111 – afforded (S)-112 (>99% ee after recrystallization), which was then oxidized to yield the key naphthoquinone (S)-113. As expected, the photoredox reaction of (S)-113 proceeded efficiently under blue LED irradiation (448 nm) in CH3CN/CH2Cl2 at

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

• . Alternatively, PNB ester (2S,3R)-9, the C3-epimer of 8, was synthesized from (2S,3S)-13 via a Mitsunobu reaction using p-nitrobenzoic acid (PNBOH) and DEAD in 39% yield for two steps [28]. The stereoisomers (2R,3R)-10, and (2R,3S)-11 were prepared in the same manner starting from commercially available (3R)-14

• incompatible with LC–MS detection, necessitating a relatively larger amount of sample for analysis. In contrast, a key advantage of our method is the use of a PNB group as the acyl moiety, which enables direct conversion to a C3-epimer via a Mitsunobu reaction, thereby streamlining the synthesis of the four

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

• process, which further supported the probability of the proposed biosynthetic approach. Subsequently, site-selective methylation on phenol provided 24, which further underwent O-directed demethylation to afford (12S)-hydroxymonocerin. On the other hand, a two-step protocol involving Mitsunobu reaction

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

• stereochemistry at C9. Therefore, alcohol 32 was subjected to a one-pot Mitsunobu reaction, hydrolyzation, and spirolactonization to give the corresponding alcohol 26 with inversed configuration at C9. Finally, terminal alkene 26 was transformed by Dai’s Ru-catalyzed Z-selective cross-metathesis with 33 [9][40

Recent advances in synthetic approaches for bioactive cinnamic acid derivatives

• Betty A. Kustiana,
• Galuh Widiyarti and
• Teni Ernawati

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1031–1086, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.85

• (Scheme 21C) [55]. Kawabata and co-workers (2020) prepared the β-glycoside 66 from α-ᴅ-glucose and cinnamic acid (7) in good yield through the Mitsunobu reaction (Scheme 22) [56]. The 13C kinetic isotope effect experiment (KIE = 1.028) showed that the glycosylation proceeded via SN2 substitution (67). Sun

Recent advances in organocatalytic atroposelective reactions

• Henrich Szabados and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 55–121, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.6

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

• showed that DFT features could train probabilistic surrogate models more effectively and that the optimization efficiency was superior to manual adjustments made by professional chemists. They also applied this approach to the Mitsunobu reaction and deoxyfluorination reaction, rapidly identifying medium

Regioselective alkylation of a versatile indazole: Electrophile scope and mechanistic insights from density functional theory calculations

• Pengcheng Lu,
• Luis Juarez,
• Paul A. Wiget,
• Weihe Zhang,
• Krishnan Raman and
• Pravin L. Kotian

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1940–1954, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.170

• no products at room temperature (see Table 1) presumably due to the low solubility of Cs2CO3 in dioxane. They also provided a single example of a Mitsunobu reaction utilizing n-pentanol, dibutyl azodicarboxylate (DBAD), and PPh3. Therefore, there is still a great need to develop an operationally

• the presence of Cs2CO3. To explore the possibility of N2-selectivity, we hypothesized that the phosphine intermediate of a Mitsunobu reaction could provide chelation control, directing alkylation to the indazole N2-atom while using identical alcohols as described above. Thus, we subjected 6 to simple

• energy for the deprotonation of 6 by the DMAD anion. DFT-calculations concerning a coordinated Mitsunobu reaction pathway. Reaction coordinate diagram of 6(N-H) reacting under conditions B. All calculated energies in kcal/mol. Ball-and-stick transition-state structures are provided for the lowest energy

Synthesis of ether lipids: natural compounds and analogues

• Marco Antônio G. B. Gomes,
• Alicia Bauduin,
• Chloé Le Roux,
• Romain Fouinneteau,
• Wilfried Berthe,
• Mathieu Berchel,
• Hélène Couthon and
• Paul-Alain Jaffrès

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1299–1369, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.96

Synthesis of medium and large phostams, phostones, and phostines

• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 687–699, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.50

• chemical synthesis of macrocyclic lactones which are the key structural motifs in some biologically active compounds, 14-methyl-2-phenoxy-1-oxa-2-phosphacyclotetradecane 2-oxide (74) was synthesized as the hapten from phenyl hydrogen (12-hydroxytridecyl)phosphonate (73) via Mitsunobu reaction. The

Combretastatins D series and analogues: from isolation, synthetic challenges and biological activities

• Jorge de Lima Neto and
• Paulo Henrique Menezes

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 399–427, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.31

• Cham–Lam reactions [23][24][25][26]. However, it has been described that a Mitsunobu reaction of the seco-acid was particularly prone to an SN1 reaction, once the activated allylic alcohol yields an oxyphosphonium ion intermediate due to the conjugation to electron-rich aromatic ring, requiring some

• , and the formal synthesis of 2 was achieved after 8 steps with an overall yield of 4.5%. Rychnovsky and Hwang hypothesized that the low yields from the Mitsunobu reaction in the previous synthesis of compound 2 were linked to the instability of the allylic oxyphosphonium ion formed with intermediates

• -olefin 119 which was reduced using DIBAL to lead to the allylic alcohol 120. Subsequent Mitsunobu reaction between the alcohol 120 and carboxylic acid 26 gave the corresponding ester 121 in a 64% yield. However, the intramolecular cyclization step did not lead to the desired compound 122, even when

Double-headed nucleosides: Synthesis and applications

• Vineet Verma,
• Jyotirmoy Maity,
• Vipin K. Maikhuri,
• Ritika Sharma,
• Himal K. Ganguly and
• Ashok K. Prasad

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1392–1439, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.98

• key intermediate. The treatment of 9 with benzoyl chloride under suitable conditions to selectively protect the 3-NH group of the uracil moiety afforded N3-benzoyluridine (10). The reaction of TIPDS-protected hydroxynucleoside 9 with N3-benzoylthymine under Mitsunobu reaction conditions, followed by

• synthesized from ᴅ-ribose in six steps following a procedure reported in the literature [48]. The Mitsunobu reaction of ribose derivative 30 and N3-(benzyloxymethyl)thymine afforded nucleoside 31 which was subjected to Vorbrüggen coupling with silylated uracil to give the protected double-headed nucleoside 32

• the second nucleobase thymine through Mitsunobu reaction followed by deprotection steps in the presence of TBAF and methanolic ammonia (Scheme 28) [30][65]. The nucleoside monomer 118 was phosphitylated and then incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides but stabilization in the secondary structures due

The synthesis of chiral β-naphthyl-β-sulfanyl ketones via enantioselective sulfa-Michael reaction in the presence of a bifunctional cinchona/sulfonamide organocatalyst

• Deniz Tözendemir and
• Cihangir Tanyeli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 494–503, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.43

• synthesis of the basic part was initiated by converting quinine to quinineamine via a Mitsunobu reaction, followed by a Staudinger reduction [40]. Then it was coupled with the acidic part, which was obtained by the nitration of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonyl chloride [39] to obtain organocatalyst 5 (Scheme

Synthetic strategies of phosphonodepsipeptides

• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 461–484, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.41

• -Bu) 150, deprotected again with piperidine, and cleaved with TFA and trapping agents. The free phosphonodepsipeptide 151 was obtained in 45% yield after HPLC purification (Scheme 25) [38]. A general and high yielding synthesis of phosphonodepsidipeptides 152 was realized via a Mitsunobu reaction of

• -hydroxyglutarate (84) in a Mitsunobu reaction to generate the γ-phosphonodepsipeptide 79 in a high yield of 66% (Scheme 27) [28]. Synthesis of phosphonodepsipeptides via the multicomponent condensation of amides, aldehydes, and phosphites followed by alcoholysis with hydroxy esters Previously, the Mannich-type

• phosphonodepsitripeptide with BOP as coupling reagent. Synthesis of norleucine-derived phosphonodepsipeptides 135 and 138. Synthesis of norleucine-derived phosphonodepsipeptides 141 and 144. Solid-phase synthesis of phosphonodepsipeptides. Synthesis of phosphonodepsidipeptides via the Mitsunobu reaction. Synthesis of γ

The preparation and properties of 1,1-difluorocyclopropane derivatives

• Kymbat S. Adekenova,
• Peter B. Wyatt and
• Sergazy M. Adekenov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 245–272, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.25

• 14 resulted in the formation of alcohol 22, which was then reacted with nucleoside analogs via a Mitsunobu reaction to generate the racemic difluorinated carbocyclic homonucleoside analogs 23 and 24 in good yields. (Triphenylphosphonio)difluoroacetate (PDFA, Ph3P+CF2CO2−) as a difluorocarbene source

Recent progress in the synthesis of homotropane alkaloids adaline, euphococcinine and N-methyleuphococcinine

• Dimas J. P. Lima,
• Antonio E. G. Santana,
• Michael A. Birkett and
• Ricardo S. Porto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 28–41, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.4

• the good yields in this step, both intermediates were obtained with excellent enantiomeric excesses (97% for R = n-C5H11 and 90% for R = CH3). Compounds 60a and 60b were converted to azido ketones 61a and 61b by Mitsunobu reaction, and then these azido ketones underwent cyclization to furnish

Chiral anion recognition using calix[4]arene-based ureido receptors in a 1,3-alternate conformation

• Tereza Horáčková,
• Jan Budka,
• Vaclav Eigner,
• Wen-Sheng Chung,
• Petra Cuřínová and
• Pavel Lhoták

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2999–3007, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.249

• latter type of receptor, bearing double chiral units in the immediate proximity to the preorganised ureido cavity. Results and Discussion The introduction of the chiral alkyl moiety based on (S)-2-methylbutan-1-ol into the starting calix[4]arene 1 was carried out using recently described Mitsunobu

• reaction conditions [44]. Refluxing the reaction mixture of PPh3, DIAD, and toluene for two days provided the distally dialkylated calixarene 2 in 64% yield (Scheme 1). Compound 2 was regioselectively ipso-nitrated with 30 equiv of 65% aq HNO3 in an AcOH and CH2Cl2 mixture, making use of the higher

Syntheses of spliceostatins and thailanstatins: a review

• William A. Donaldson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1991–2006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.166

• of the C-6 stereocenter (Scheme 13) [15][16]. The administration of the vinyllithium reagent, generated from the addition of the vinyl bromide 80 to 79, gave a separable 1:1 mixture of the diastereomeric alcohols 81a and 81b. The undesired stereoisomer 81b was converted into 81a by a Mitsunobu

• reaction/hydrolysis sequence. The use of the dithiane 80 protecting group was crucial for the following steps. Initial attempts of using a dioxolane protecting group for the C-1 ketone (instead of dithiane) led to an insurmountable difficulty of the selective hydrolysis of the dioxolane and acetonide

Nonenzymatic synthesis of anomerically pure, mannosyl-based molecular probes for scramblase identification studies

• Giovanni Picca,
• Markus Probst,
• Simon M. Langenegger,
• Oleg Khorev,
• Peter Bütikofer,
• Anant K. Menon and
• Robert Häner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1732–1739, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.145

• MPC-1 and MPC-2. Compound β-4Ac-Man-CEP was prepared in 4 steps from ᴅ-mannose (see Supporting Information File 1) [35][36]. Compound Cit-BZP-yne was prepared via a Mitsunobu reaction of tetrahydropyranyl (THP)-protected citronellol and a hydroxylated benzophenone derivative [10][37][38]. Compound Cit

Recent synthesis of thietanes

• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1357–1410, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.116

• 3,5-anhydro-3-thiopentofuranosides 104 from methyl α- and β-arabinosides 101 through a Mitsunobu reaction, mesylation, and hydrolysis sequence followed by an intramolecular displacement. The in situ generated thiolate nucleophilically attacked the mesylate to form the thietane ring [51] (Scheme 22

• converted into 3,5-anhydro-3-thiopentofuranosides 135 through a Mitsunobu reaction with thiolacetic acid and hydrolysis followed by an intramolecular nucleophilic ring-opening of the oxirane ring. The newly generated thiolate underwent a nucleophilic ring-opening of the oxirane to generate the thietane ring

• [55] (Scheme 26). After the ring-opening of methyl 2,3-anhydro-α-D-ribofuranoside (133a) with NaOMe, following a sequence of a Mitsunobu reaction, mesylation, and treatment with sodium bicarbonate, another 3,5-anhydro-3-thiopentofuranoside 138 was prepared [51] (Scheme 26). The 2-amino-3,5-anhydro-3

Combining enyne metathesis with long-established organic transformations: a powerful strategy for the sustainable synthesis of bioactive molecules

• Valerian Dragutan,
• Ileana Dragutan,
• Albert Demonceau and
• Lionel Delaude

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 738–755, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.68

• on a Diels–Alder cycloaddition, an intramolecular Mitsunobu reaction, a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, and a ring-closing metathesis. As an alternative to this approach, Clark et al. [86] efficiently performed a sequential Ru-catalyzed enyne metathesis in combination with a hydroboration, and an

Copper-catalyzed O-alkenylation of phosphonates

• Nuria Vázquez-Galiñanes,
• Mariña Andón-Rodríguez,
• Patricia Gómez-Roibás and
• Martín Fañanás-Mastral

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 611–615, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.56

• procedures involving a Mitsunobu reaction between 2-hydroxyalkyl phenyl selenides and phosphonic acid monoesters followed by an oxidation/elimination step [14] or reaction of an enolate with a phosphonic dichloride and subsequent treatment with an alcohol [15] (Scheme 1a). However, these procedures are

Chiral terpene auxiliaries V: Synthesis of new chiral γ-hydroxyphosphine oxides derived from α-pinene

• Anna Kmieciak and
• Marek P. Krzemiński

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2493–2499, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.242

• chromatography on silica gel. For the purpose of this study, (1R,4R,5R)-apopinenol (16) was subjected to the Mitsunobu reaction to obtain the product with inverted configuration at C4. Alcohol 16 was reacted with diisopropyl azodicarboxylate, triphenylphosphine, and p-nitrobenzoic acid in THF [30]. 1H NMR

N-(1-Phenylethyl)aziridine-2-carboxylate esters in the synthesis of biologically relevant compounds

• Iwona E. Głowacka,
• Aleksandra Trocha,
• Andrzej E. Wróblewski and
• Dorota G. Piotrowska

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1722–1757, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.168

• to synthesize the natural (2S,3R,4R,5R)-184 the lactone 186b was subjected to Mitsunobu reaction followed by the ester reduction and the hydrogenolytic cleavage of the 1-phenylethyl group. Piperidines: A cis-disubstituted piperidine scaffold was identified in several piperidine alkaloids of diverse

Synthesis and conformational preferences of short analogues of antifreeze glycopeptides (AFGP)

• Małgorzata Urbańczyk,
• Michał Jewgiński,
• Joanna Krzciuk-Gula,
• Jerzy Góra,
• Rafał Latajka and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1581–1591, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.162

• amino groups of the resin were o-NBS protected by treatment of 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride (o-NBS-Cl) and sym-collidine in NMP (Scheme 1A, b). Subsequently the resin was N-methylated by Mitsunobu reaction (Scheme 1A, c). Triphenylphosphine (PPh3) was dissolved in dry THF and methanol and shaken with