Modern synthetic pathways towards eribulin and its subunits

• Sebastian Dominik Graf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 495–526, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.37

• , stereoselective dihydroxylation with AD-mix β and diol-protection yielded acetonide 57. Another DMP-oxidation, followed by HWE reaction, and deprotection of the diol motifs enabled the cyclization towards 60. After TBDMS-protection and reduction to the respective aldehyde (62), an alkylation with the α-sulfonyl

Synthesis and uranyl(VI) extraction performance of a calix[4]pyrrole–tetrahydroxamic acid receptor

• Sara Karnib,
• Rana Baydoun,
• Wissam Zaidan,
• Nancy AlHaddad,
• Omar El Samad,
• Bilal Nsouli,
• Francine Cazier-Dennin and
• Pierre-Edouard Danjou

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 486–494, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.36

• mixture of acetonitrile and acetone. Using this protocol, the PCP α,α,α,α-isomer was recovered in 47% yield, as previously reported by Namor and Shehab [49]. Subsequently, the synthesis of the PCP ester derivative (PCP E) was carried out via O-alkylation of PCP with ethyl bromoacetate in dry acetone/K2CO3

Recent advances in the stereoselective synthesis of distal biaxially chiral molecules

• Fanxing Zhou,
• Chen Zhang,
• Lingyu Sun,
• Yiyun Fang,
• Siming Zheng,
• Lina Hu,
• Mengyang Shen,
• Zhen Zhao,
• Wei Xu,
• Yunqiang Sun and
• Zi-Qiang Rong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 461–479, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.34

• alkylation for dynamic kinetic resolution. Moreover, additional alkylation at a sterically congested second rotational axis enabled the construction of remote, double axially chiral molecules 26. Further advances have come from transition-metal catalysis. Li’s group established a rhodium-catalyzed protocol

• a related development, our group reported an iridium-catalyzed asymmetric alkylation for the efficient construction of distal biaxial molecules 32 incorporating both C–C and C–N chiral axes (Scheme 8) [49]. The method delivered atropisomers in high yield and stereoselectivity. Moreover

• biaxially chiral 1,4-distyryl-2,3-naphthalene diols. H-Bond-enabled enantioselective synthesis of remote biaxially chiral amides mediated by the counterion. Enantioselective synthesis of biaryl products with twofold chiral axes. Iridium-catalyzed C–H alkylation to obtain the distal biaxial atropisomers. Co

Cone p-aminocalix[4]arenes enriched with ‘clickable’ alkyne or azide functionalities

• Ilia Korniltsev,
• Vasily Bazhenov,
• Alexander Gorbunov,
• Dmitry Cheshkov,
• Stanislav Bezzubov,
• Vladimir Kovalev and
• Ivan Vatsouro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 399–415, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.28

• simple filtration to remove the inorganic by-product components from the reaction mixtures. Although the free amines 31 and 32 were pure enough according to their 1H NMR data, these compounds were not fully characterized in order to avoid the risk of self-alkylation of the amines during their storage

Dialkylaminoalkylation of β-ketosulfones via ring-opening of 3-sulfonylpyrrolidines

• Evgeny M. Buev,
• Alexander V. Pavlushin,
• Vladimir S. Moshkin and
• Vyacheslav Y. Sosnovskikh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 383–389, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.26

• pyrrolidines as sacrificial framework and two domino processes used for assembling of the pyrrolidine ring and for the ring-cleavage of it. Thus, one-pot pyrrolidination of β-ketosulfones and alkylation combined with the subsequent debenzoylative ring-cleavage allows for wide range of the incorporated reagents

Synthesis of tricyclic fused pyrrolidine nitroxides from 2-alkynylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls

• Mark M. Gulman,
• Yuliya F. Polienko,
• Sofia Yu. Trakhininа,
• Yuri V. Gatilov,
• Tatyana V. Rybalova,
• Sergey A. Dobrynin and
• Igor A. Kirilyuk

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 344–351, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.22

• -alkynyl-substituted pyrrolidine nitroxides was studied. These nitroxides have been prepared via intramolecular Huisgen cycloaddition or intramolecular alkylation in 2-pyrazolyl derivatives prepared by Michael addition–cyclocondensation of the corresponding alkynones with hydrazine. The reduction kinetics

• Huisgen cycloaddition or via one-pot Michael addition–cyclocondensation reaction with hydrazine with subsequent intramolecular alkylation of the resulting pyrazoles. Results and Discussion Synthesis We have earlier reported on the synthesis of 2-alkynylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls 2a–c via addition of the

Ring contraction and ring expansion reactions in terpenoid biosynthesis and their application to total synthesis

• Nicolas Kratena,
• Nicolas Heinzig and
• Peter Gärtner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 289–343, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.21

Highly electrophilic, gem- and spiro-activated trichloromethylnitrocyclopropanes: synthesis and structure

• Ilia A. Pilipenko,
• Mikhail V. Grigoriev,
• Olga Yu. Ozerova,
• Igor A. Litvinov,
• Darya V. Spiridonova,
• Aleksander V. Vasilyev and
• Sergey V. Makarenko

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 123–130, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.5

• to the bromonitroalkene afford the intermediate anion II, followed by tautomerization and formation of anion IV, which undergoes intramolecular nucleophilic substitution of the bromide along the C-alkylation pathway [37][38][39] (Scheme 6). The trans-configuration of the methine protons of the

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

• % yield over two steps [76]. Alkylation with MeI furnished pyridinium 91, which was hydrogenated in two steps with NaBH3CN to the fully saturated piperidine 92. Acidic removal of the benzoyl group triggered auto-oxidation to the indole, and subsequent hydrolysis of methyl ester delivered the target

• ]. Starting from pyridine derivatives 129, they obtained the key intermediate 131 via a Simmon–Smith reaction and a bimetallic-mediated photocatalytic radical coupling reaction. Intermediate 132 was then constructed by Friedel–Crafts alkylation using diethylaluminum chloride as a Lewis acid. The pyridine ring

Reactivity umpolung of the cycloheptatriene core in hexa(methoxycarbonyl)cycloheptatriene

• Dmitry N. Platonov,
• Alexander Yu. Belyy,
• Rinat F. Salikov,
• Kirill S. Erokhin and
• Yury V. Tomilov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 64–70, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.2

• reported [31] halogenations of anion 1 only afforded the corresponding octasubstituted cycloheptatriene derivatives. The reactions of 2 with alkyl halides were selective in terms of the initial reaction – the i-substitution was never observed. However, the alkylation reactions were even more intricate than

• principle [38]. At least, the reaction times and conditions required for the alkylation reactions investigated, which proceed through an α-attack, indicate relatively high barriers. This in turn indicates that the selectivity observed in alkylation reactions (α-attack) is due to some stabilization of the

• occur. In the case of bromine, the two processes demonstrate similar rates. The formation of product 4a upon chlorination indicates the reaction barrier above 9.6 kcal/mol. Therefore, unlike with alkylation, the ester group adjacent to the α-position reduces chlorination of the main conformer, while

One-pot synthesis of ethylmaltol from maltol

• Immanuel Plangger,
• Marcel Jenny,
• Gregor Plangger and
• Thomas Magauer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2755–2760, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.212

• ), selective methylation of maltol (2) would represent the most direct access to ethylmaltol (1). Herein, we disclose an operationally simple, one-pot methylation procedure to access ethylmaltol (1) from maltol (2, Scheme 1c). Results and Discussion Inspired by the selective γ-alkylation of dianions of β-keto

• %) and putative 6 (10%) formed (Table 1, entry 5). Both 7 and putative 6 likely arise from dianion interconversions, potentially mediated by LDA, that proceed at rates comparable to the subsequent methylation events. Of note, no O-alkylation side products were observed, which we attribute to the lower

• ) from its naturally occurring congener maltol (2). Initial efforts focused on the methylation of a dianionic intermediate, reminiscent of γ-alkylation of β-keto esters. Although this successfully provided ethylmaltol (1), the presence of inseparable impurities and the need for industrially unattractive

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

• manipulations were carried out, the double bond isomerized to position C5–C6, and a reduction was performed, all in an optimized three-step, scalable sequence. Alkylation with phosphonate reagent 36 and subsequent Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reaction formed ring C, followed by an enolate alkylation to forge

• -methylene group and an ester reduction/Appel reaction sequence to convert the ester moiety to an iodide leaving group. The right-hand fragment (E/F-ring) was synthesized from tert-butylsiloxyfuran 39. Commencing via an asymmetric allylic alkylation and an aza-Michael reaction, butanolide 40 was obtained in

• alkylation was diasteroselective. In the next steps, addition of isopropenyllithium to the lactone moiety led to a hemiketal, which was then opened and a protecting group on the hydroxy group was installed, furnishing fragment 42. Key convergent coupling of this total synthesis was performed by lithium

Synthesis of new tetra- and pentacyclic, methylenedioxy- and ethylenedioxy-substituted derivatives of the dibenzo[c,f][1,2]thiazepine ring system

• Gábor Berecz,
• András Dancsó,
• Mária Tóthné Lauritz,
• Loránd Kiss,
• Gyula Simig and
• Balázs Volk

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2645–2656, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.205

• of compound 23a was proven by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (Figure 4). Starting from compound 7, using methods we have previously developed for the synthesis of related compounds [2][3], we have now prepared new pentacyclic ring systems 25–27 (Scheme 5). Demethylation of 7 followed by alkylation

• cyclized to target compound 27 by intramolecular N-alkylation reaction. Structures of compounds 25, 26 and 27 have also been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (Figure 5). Next, we synthesized some derivatives of new tetracyclic ketone 8 in a way that is already routinely used (Scheme 6

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

• of 85 with iodine and BnOH enabled the intermolecular iodoetherification to yield ketal 86. A KF-promoted intramolecular alkylation of the cyclopentadiene moiety then delivered compound 87. To introduce the C4 hydroxy group and C1 functional handle for further elaboration, a nitroso-Diels–Alder

Assembly strategy for thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes via a disulfide intermediate derived from 3-nitrothiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate

• Roman A. Irgashev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2489–2497, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.191

• -dicarboxylates by its one-pot reduction–alkylation using NaBH4 in DMF followed by an alkylating agent. Base-promoted cyclization of electron-deficient 3-alkylthio derivatives furnished 2-aryl-, 2-aroyl-, and 2-cyano-substituted thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes, bearing a 3-hydroxy group. This protocol broadens access to

• ]. In route IV, cleavage of the ethyl xanthate group in the starting substrate by NaOMe generates a thiolate intermediate, which undergoes S-alkylation and subsequent NaOMe-promoted cyclization to afford the 3-hydroxy-TT [28]. In our recent works, it was presented an effective strategy for synthesizing

• -alkylation and base-promoted cyclization to form the 3-hydroxy-TT molecules (Scheme 2). Results and Discussion We began our study by investigating the reaction of dimethyl 3-nitrothiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate (1) with Na2S, inspired by Beck’s reported synthesis of 2-substituted-3-aminobenzo[b]thiophenes via

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

• -ketoxime 45 by Grignard reduction alkylation, followed by a Beckmann fragmentation of the C2–C3 bond of the intermediate 3-ethyl-substituted hydroxyimino ketone in the SOCl2-CH2Cl2 system. The introduction of a carbonyl substituent into the isopropylidene fragment of ketone 46 was achieved either by

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

• 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

• late-stage lactonization as key steps [26] (Scheme 1). Subsequently, they achieved the asymmetric synthesis of vibralactone (6) based on the asymmetric Birch reduction–alkylation methodology developed by the Schultz group [27][28]. In 2016, Brown and co-workers described an efficient synthetic route

• single step from commercially available fructone [38] (Scheme 3). Following an efficient O-trimethylsilylquinine-catalyzed ketene–aldehyde cycloaddition and subsequent alkylation [36], 17 was synthesized. From 17, it was envisioned that the bicyclic skeleton could be efficiently constructed through ketal

Conformational effects on iodide binding: a comparative study of flexible and rigid carbazole macrocyclic analogs

• Guang-Wei Zhang,
• Yong Zhang,
• Le Shi,
• Chuang Gao,
• Hong-Yu Li and
• Lei Xue

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2369–2375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.181

• . Experimental PBG (CCDC Number: 2070280) and WDG were synthesized from phenyl- and fluorenyl-substituted precursors, respectively, via Friedel–Crafts alkylation (Scheme 1) according to our previous work [22]. Structural characterization was performed using 1H NMR (Figures S1 and S2) and mass spectrometry

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

• , followed by diastereoselective α-alkylation, produced 38. A Wittig reaction and subsequent deketalization converted the ketone in 38 to the terminal alkene 39, allowing for subsequent sequential chemoselective hydrogenations: first, hydrogenation of the exo-olefin using Wilkinson’s catalyst proceeded with

• intramolecular aldehyde α-alkylation using MacMillan's protocol, subsequently undergoing Shi's asymmetric epoxidation to give rise to epoxide 60 as a 3:1 mixture of diastereomers. These were not separated until step 8 due to poor separability at this stage. Concurrently, diosgenin was then processed through a

• – was prepared from (+)-pulegone (77) through a six-step manipulation involving epoxidation, epoxide opening with sodium thiophenolate and subsequent concomitant retro-aldol, sulfoxidation, a one pot α-alkylation with acrylonitrile proceeding to thermal syn-elimination of phenylsulfenic acid, ketone

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• demonstrated to forge C(sp2)–C(sp2) as well as aliphatic C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds. The Fu group reported a nickel-catalyzed α-alkylation of racemic secondary α-bromoamides 18 using organozinc reagents 19 (Scheme 4A) [32]. A chiral nickel complex, obtained from the mixture of chiral pyridinebisoxazoline ligand L2

Pathway economy in cyclization of 1,n-enynes

• Hezhen Han,
• Wenjie Mao,
• Bin Lin,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2260–2282, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.173

• cyclopropanation of 1,6-enyne initiated a cascade involving 1,5-enyne addition, consecutive 1,2-alkyl migrations, and Friedel–Crafts alkylation, efficiently constructing the pentacyclic fused benzofuran framework 21 (Scheme 5, path b). Above two analogues were prepared on a gram scale, converted into valuable

• /AgSbF6 system, ultimately resulting in the formation of dihydrobenzo[a]fluorenes 123 via Friedel–Crafts alkylation (Scheme 25, path b). In 2018, the Shi research group developed an innovative intramolecular cyclization strategy using 1,6-enynes as substrates for the synthesis of 1,2-dihydroquinoline

• occurred, followed by an intramolecular Friedel–Crafts alkylation, ultimately resulting in the assembly of product 136 (Scheme 28, path a). Notably, a systematic screening of transition-metal catalysts revealed that structurally distinct products were obtainable from the same substrate under gold catalysis

C2 to C6 biobased carbonyl platforms for fine chemistry

• Jingjing Jiang,
• Muhammad Noman Haider Tariq,
• Florence Popowycz,
• Yanlong Gu and
• Yves Queneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2103–2172, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.165

• –Crafts alkylation products were then converted into an intermediate tryptaldehyde that underwent intramolecular olefination to form the targeted product [34]. Glycolic acid (GA) The growing impact of fossil fuel consumption has heightened the need for advancing renewable energy technologies. One

• oxygen in alcoholic medium has also been reported (Scheme 37) [121][122]. Riguet synthesized γ-lactams through a Ugi 4-center 3-component reaction (U-4C-3CR) protocol. HFO was used as the electrophile in the Friedel–Crafts (FC) alkylation reactions of indole catalyzed by diphenylprolinol silyl ether. The

Discovery of cytotoxic indolo[1,2-c]quinazoline derivatives through scaffold-based design

• Daniil V. Khabarov,
• Valeria A. Litvinova,
• Lyubov G. Dezhenkova,
• Dmitry N. Kaluzhny,
• Alexander S. Tikhomirov and
• Andrey E. Shchekotikhin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2062–2071, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.161

• NH proton in the urea moiety (position N5) of indolo[1,2-c]quinazolin-6(5H)-one (1) enables efficient N-alkylation. Accordingly, alkylation of 1 with 1-bromo-3-chloropropane afforded intermediate 11, bearing a reactive chloropropyl side chain suitable for further derivatization. Nucleophilic

Understanding the origin of stereoselectivity in the photochemical denitrogenation of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene and its derivatives with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics

• Leticia A. Gomes and
• Steven A. Lopez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2007–2020, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.156

• chemoselectivity for cysteine alkylation under mild conditions, for example, BCB-ibrutinib [28] (Scheme 1c). BCB is also used as a precursor to byciclo[1.1.1]pentanes, which are valuable motifs in drug design [19][20][29][30][31][32][33], such as BCP-darapladib (Scheme 1c) [30][31][34][35]. Housanes are versatile

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

• proposed mechanism to 21 involved the formation of an electron-deficient, resonance-stabilized radical species, followed by intramolecular alkylation of the unactivated alkene to generate radical 29 via a diastereoselective 5-exo-trig cyclization step. Radical intermediate 29 was trapped by 2,4,6