Switchable molecular tweezers: design and applications

• Pablo Msellem,
• Maksym Dekthiarenko,
• Nihal Hadj Seyd and
• Guillaume Vives

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 504–539, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.45

Light-responsive rotaxane-based materials: inducing motion in the solid state

• Adrian Saura-Sanmartin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 873–880, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.64

• azobenzene and ferrocene motifs (Figure 1a). The azobenzene scaffolds play a dual role, both as the engine transforming photoenergy into mechanical motion via trans/cis photoisomerization upon UV light input and as a modulator of the crystalline packing by varying the para-substituent R1, which leads to

• , respectively, and a methyl group at the para-position of the ended-aromatic ring of the azobenzene motif (R1), experienced an upward bending using a 360 nm diode pump solid state laser irradiation source. By irradiating crystals of 1a at 445 nm using a power of 4 mW, a reversible curling motion was observed

Dissecting Mechanochemistry III

• Lars Borchardt and
• José G. Hernández

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1454–1456, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.150

• were also key reagents to develop the mechanochemical halogenation of azobenzenes as studied by Ćurić and co-workers [4]. They demonstrated how, depending on the azobenzene structure, the halogenation of the C–H bonds with NBX occurred in the presence of Pd(II) catalysts or under metal-free conditions

Reductive opening of a cyclopropane ring in the Ni(II) coordination environment: a route to functionalized dehydroalanine and cysteine derivatives

• Oleg A. Levitskiy,
• Olga I. Aglamazova,
• Yuri K. Grishin and
• Tatiana V. Magdesieva

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1166–1176, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.121

• bioactivity [54][55]. To increase the yield of the alkene complexes, the addition of an external “H-abstractor” may be helpful, to suppress disproportionation. A possible candidate may be a reduced radical form of azobenzene. Indeed, the preparative electrolysis performed in the presence of the equimolar

• Ph2N2 additive changed the relative ratio of alkene to hydrogenated derivatives in favor of the former one (see Table 1). As follows from Table 1, the azobenzene additive allows increasing the yield of the alkene complexes up to 85% suppressing formation of the hydrogenated complexes. Spectral NMR

• due to the bioactivity of such compounds [56][57]; thus, elaboration of new synthetic protocols to these multifunctional molecules is a topical problem. Complex 4 was subjected to reductive ring opening at a potential of −1.5 V (Ag/AgCl, KCl(sat.)) in the presence of an equimolar amount of azobenzene

Continuous flow synthesis of azobenzenes via Baeyer–Mills reaction

• Jan H. Griwatz,
• Anne Kunz and
• Hermann A. Wegner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 781–787, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.78

• Azobenzene, as one of the most prominent molecular switches, is featured in many applications ranging from photopharmacology to information or energy storage. In order to easily and reproducibly synthesize non-symmetric substituted azobenzenes in an efficient way, especially on a large scale, the commonly

• used Baeyer–Mills coupling reaction was adopted to a continuous flow setup. The versatility was demonstrated with a scope of 20 substances and the scalability of this method exemplified by the synthesis of >70 g of an azobenzene derivative applied in molecular solar thermal storage (MOST) systems

• was also tested for a large number of other azobenzene derivatives to determine the scope of the method (Table 1). All aniline derivatives 2a–s were commercially available and the corresponding azobenzenes 1a–s were synthesized according to the general procedure in continuous flow as described before

Mechanochemical halogenation of unsymmetrically substituted azobenzenes

• Dajana Barišić,
• Mario Pajić,
• Ivan Halasz,
• Darko Babić and
• Manda Ćurić

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 680–687, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.69

• using N-halosuccinimides as the halogen source under neat grinding or liquid-assisted grinding conditions in a ball mill has been described. Depending on the azobenzene substrate used, halogenation of the C–H bonds occurs in the absence or only in the presence of PdII catalysts. Insight into the

• reaction dynamics and characterization of the products was achieved by in situ Raman and ex situ NMR spectroscopy and PXRD analysis. A strong influence of the different 4,4’-substituents of azobenzene on the halogenation time and mechanism was found. Keywords: azo compounds; halogenation; mechanochemistry

• solvent-free synthesis of phenanthridinones via a cascaded oxidative C–N coupling followed by a halogenation reaction [50]. Only recently, our group carried out a detailed synthetic and mechanistic study of the mechanochemical PdII-catalyzed bromination of unsubstituted azobenzene (L1) by N

Synthesis of a new water-soluble hexacarboxylated tribenzotriquinacene derivative and its competitive host–guest interaction for drug delivery

• Man-Ping Li,
• Nan Yang and
• Wen-Rong Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 539–548, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.56

• derivatives in organic media have been well established [22][23][24][25][26][27]. Recently, the host–guest chemistry of TBTQ derivatives in aqueous phase was also investigated by us [28][29]. In particular, a water-soluble TBTQ-based hexacarboxylate (TBTQ-C6) was prepared and bound with an azobenzene

Peptide stapling by late-stage Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling

• Hendrik Gruß,
• Rebecca C. Feiner,
• Ridhiwan Mseya,
• David C. Schröder,
• Michał Jewgiński,
• Kristian M. Müller,
• Rafał Latajka,
• Antoine Marion and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1–12, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.1

• -switchable azobenzene staple [33][34]. Moreover, it has been shown that Pd-mediated cross-couplings can be successfully employed in the generation of cyclic and conformationally stabilised peptides. The groups of Buchwald, Pentelute, and Ackermann pioneered the development of Pd-mediated arylation chemistry

Recent advances in the asymmetric phosphoric acid-catalyzed synthesis of axially chiral compounds

• Alemayehu Gashaw Woldegiorgis and
• Xufeng Lin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2729–2764, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.185

• -workers showed that azo groups enable the organocatalytic asymmetric arylation of indoles. The nucleophilic aromatic substitution between the azobenzene derivative 24 and indoles 25 was carried out in the presence of 2.5 mol % chiral phosphoric acid (CPA 8, Scheme 9a), leading to the intermediate I-4

• type of axially chiral indoles 27 (Scheme 10) bearing aniline groups by direct arylation and rearrangement in moderate to good yields with excellent enantioselectivities of mostly 99% ee (Scheme 9b) [59]. The electronic properties and position of the substituents on the azobenzene ring did not affect

Constrained thermoresponsive polymers – new insights into fundamentals and applications

• Patricia Flemming,
• Alexander S. Münch,
• Andreas Fery and
• Petra Uhlmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2123–2163, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.138

• cyclic ketene acetals [277]. This copolymer also showed a well-controllable reversible UCST behavior in aqueous solutions. In 2020, Zhao et al. reported that by incorporating azobenzene functionalities into polyacrylamide copolymers, the responsive UCST behavior was furthermore tuneable via light

Substituted nitrogen-bridged diazocines

• Pascal Lentes,
• Jeremy Rudtke,
• Thomas Griebenow and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1503–1508, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.107

• makes them promising candidates for applications in photopharmacology. The halogen substituents allow further functionalization via cross-coupling reactions. Keywords: bridged azobenzene; diazocine; photopharmacology; photoswitch; triazocine; visible light switch; water-soluble switch; Introduction

• azobenzene-based photopharmacophores, the bent Z configuration is biologically inactive [10][11][12]. Hence, (and in contrast to azobenzenes) the thermodynamically stable and biologically inactive Z-isomer can be administered and switched on with light at the site of interest with spatiotemporal resolution

Tuning the solid-state emission of liquid crystalline nitro-cyanostilbene by halogen bonding

• Subrata Nath,
• Alexander Kappelt,
• Matthias Spengler,
• Bibhisan Roy,
• Jens Voskuhl and
• Michael Giese

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 124–131, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.13

• weakens the halogen bond. In a first step, we calculated the interaction energies of the assemblies of the azobenzene halogen bond donors F4St, F4Az, F3Az, F2Az or F2’Az with NO2-C1. For computational efficiency reasons the terminal alkoxy chains were substituted by methoxy groups. The interaction

• induces the formation of nematic mesophases with broad temperature ranges, the temperature range of the mesophase of the azobenzene-based assemblies is significant narrower. Theoretical calculations and the modular use of halogen bond donors with changing fluorination degree reveal that at least three

Thermodynamic and electrochemical study of tailor-made crown ethers for redox-switchable (pseudo)rotaxanes

• Henrik Hupatz,
• Marius Gaedke,
• Hendrik V. Schröder,
• Julia Beerhues,
• Arto Valkonen,
• Fabian Klautzsch,
• Sebastian Müller,
• Felix Witte,
• Kari Rissanen,
• Biprajit Sarkar and
• Christoph A. Schalley

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2576–2588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.209

• made towards switchable macrocyclic receptors, in which crown ethers are functionalized with a stimuli-responsive unit [14][15]. These studies were mainly motivated by a biomimetic approach and included examples such as crown ethers incorporating photo-responsive azobenzene [15][16] or redox-active

Azo-dimethylaminopyridine-functionalized Ni(II)-porphyrin as a photoswitchable nucleophilic catalyst

• Jannis Ludwig,
• Julian Helberg,
• Hendrik Zipse and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2119–2126, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.179

• . reported on the photoswitching of the basicity of a piperidine nitrogen by reversible steric shielding of the nitrogen lone pair. The photoswitchable base was applied as a nucleophilic catalyst in the nitroaldol (Henry) reaction. Attached to a sterically demanding azobenzene unit, the lone pair was

Potent hemithioindigo-based antimitotics photocontrol the microtubule cytoskeleton in cellulo

• Alexander Sailer,
• Franziska Ermer,
• Yvonne Kraus,
• Rebekkah Bingham,
• Ferdinand H. Lutter,
• Julia Ahlfeld and
• Oliver Thorn-Seshold

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 125–134, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.14

• native cytoskeleton function. We and others have reported on photoswitchable azobenzene-based inhibitors of tubulin polymerisation [10][11][12][13] that have since been used in studies of neuronal trafficking [14] and embryonic development [15][16], and we have recently reported biologically robust

• heterostilbenes that deliver green fluorescent protein (GFP)-orthogonal MT photocontrol [17]. However, in both azobenzene and heterostilbene scaffolds, the steric properties of the E- and Z-isomer are so different that the protein binding site shape determines that the Z-isomer (the lit-form) is the more

• straightforward attachment of photoswitches on the pharmacophore periphery. We expected that embedding (which is referred to as azologization in the case of azobenzene-based photopharmaceuticals [19]) should in general lead to more significant alterations of the binding-relevant structure, and increase the

Reversible photoswitching of the DNA-binding properties of styrylquinolizinium derivatives through photochromic [2 + 2] cycloaddition and cycloreversion

• Sarah Kölsch,
• Heiko Ihmels,
• Jochen Mattay,
• Norbert Sewald and
• Brian O. Patrick

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 111–124, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.13

• attempts have also been made to develop photochromic DNA binders. Thus, it has been shown with spiropyran [19][20][21], stilbene [22][23], azobenzene [24][25][26][27][28], dithienylethene [29][30][31][32], chromene [33], and spirooxazine [34] derivatives that specifically modified photochromic ligands bind

Photocontrolled DNA minor groove interactions of imidazole/pyrrole polyamides

• Sabrina Müller,
• Jannik Paulus,
• Jochen Mattay,
• Heiko Ihmels,
• Veronica I. Dodero and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 60–70, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.8

• compounds have frequently been employed as modules, e.g., to control protein–DNA interactions. However, their use in conjunction with minor groove-binding imidazole/pyrrole (Im/Py) polyamides is yet unprecedented. Dervan-type Im/Py polyamides were equipped with an azobenzene unit, i.e., 3-(3-(aminomethyl

• )phenyl)azophenylacetic acid, as the linker between two Im/Py polyamide strands. Only the (Z)-azobenzene-containing polyamides bound to the minor groove of double-stranded DNA hairpins. Photoisomerization was exemplarily evaluated by 1H NMR experiments, while minor groove binding of the (Z)-azobenzene

• derivatives was proven by CD titration experiments. The resulting induced circular dichroism (ICD) bands of the bound ligands, together with the photometric determination of the dsDNA melting temperature, revealed a significant stabilization of the DNA upon association with the ligand. The (Z)-azobenzene

Light-controllable dithienylethene-modified cyclic peptides: photoswitching the in vivo toxicity in zebrafish embryos

• Sergii Afonin,
• Oleg Babii,
• Aline Reuter,
• Volker Middel,
• Masanari Takamiya,
• Uwe Strähle,
• Igor V. Komarov and
• Anne S. Ulrich

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 39–49, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.6

• been advantageously used by other authors in studies of azobenzene-containing photoswitchable bioactive agents [47][48][49][50]. Finally, according to the recent edition of EU directive 2010/63/EU, zebrafish embryos of up to 5 days post fertilization (dpf), as the larvae are still feeding on the yolk

Starazo triple switches – synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,3,5-tris(arylazo)benzenes

• Andreas H. Heindl and
• Hermann A. Wegner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 22–31, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.4

• monocoupled intermediates. As target compounds, tris(arylazo)benzenes (Figure 1) with an electron-neutral, electron-donating, and electron-poor (3a), or with two different electron-donating (3b) azobenzene fragments were envisioned to test both synthetic strategies. First, the Bayer–Mills route was followed

• . The azobenzene building block 8, with an unsubstituted phenyl ring and two orthogonal nitrogen substituents in the 3- and 5-position (Scheme 3), was prepared. The synthesis commenced with the acetylation of 3,5-dinitroaniline (4) in 95% yield, followed by the selective reduction of one nitro group

• using an aqueous ammonium sulfide solution to furnish aniline 6 in 65% yield [20]. After oxidation of 6 to its nitroso analogue 7 [21], a Baeyer–Mills reaction with aniline yielded the targeted azobenzene building block 8 in 87% yield (i.e., 53% yield over four steps). After the successful synthesis of

Synthesis and characterization of bis(4-amino-2-bromo-6-methoxy)azobenzene derivatives

• David Martínez-López,
• Amirhossein Babalhavaeji,
• Diego Sampedro and
• G. Andrew Woolley

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 3000–3008, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.296

• in particular can form azonium ions under physiological conditions and exhibit red-light photoswitching. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of two bis(4-amino-2-bromo-6-methoxy)azobenzene derivatives. These compounds form red-light-absorbing azonium ions, but only under very acidic

• conditions (pH < 1). While the low pKa makes the azonium form unsuitable, the neutral versions of these compounds undergo trans-to-cis photoisomerization with blue-green light and exhibit slow (τ1/2 ≈ 10 min) thermal reversion and so may find applications under physiological conditions. Keywords: azobenzene

• absorption maximum of the azonium ion was 575 nm. Synthesis of bis(4-amino-2-bromo-6-methoxy)azobenzene compounds. Supporting Information Supporting Information File 630: NMR spectra and further computational data. Funding We are grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Design, synthesis and investigation of water-soluble hemi-indigo photoswitches for bioapplications

• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2822–2829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.275

• photochemical properties. Along these lines, special efforts have been devoted to design, for example, water-soluble derivatives of spiropyran [1][2][3], azobenzene [4][5], diarylethene [6][7][8], or chromene [9] that keep efficient photochromism in aqueous medium. Although a significant progress has been made

• in the development of water-soluble photochromes, there is still an emerging search for new types of photochromic compounds for applications in biological systems. In particular, nowadays the development of photopharmacology is based mainly on azobenzene chemistry [10][11] and, therefore, finding of

Photoreversible stretching of a BAPTA chelator marshalling Ca²⁺-binding in aqueous media

• Aurélien Ducrot,
• Arnaud Tron,
• Robin Bofinger,
• Ingrid Sanz Beguer,
• Jean-Luc Pozzo and
• Nathan D. McClenaghan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2801–2811, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.273

• concentrations potentially allows greater control over certain biological functions. In order to permit remote regulation of Ca2+, a selective BAPTA-type synthetic receptor / host was integrated with a photoswitchable azobenzene motif, which upon photoirradiation would enhance (or diminish) the capacity to bind

• calcium upon acting on the conformation of the adjacent binding site, rendering it a stronger or weaker binder. Photoswitching was studied in pseudo-physiological conditions (pH 7.2, [KCl] = 100 mM) and dissociation constants for azobenzene cis- and trans-isomers have been determined (0.230 μM and 0.102

• μM, respectively). Reversible photoliberation/uptake leading to a variation of free calcium concentration in solution was detected using a fluorescent Ca2+ chemosensor. Keywords: azobenzene; BAPTA; calcium binding; photorelease; photoswitch; Introduction In terms of synthetic calcium binding

A chiral self-sorting photoresponsive coordination cage based on overcrowded alkenes

• Constantin Stuckhardt,
• Diederik Roke,
• Wojciech Danowski,
• Edwin Otten,
• Sander J. Wezenberg and
• Ben L. Feringa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2767–2773, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.268

• dynamically control the shape and function of SCCs is a very promising strategy as it is a noninvasive stimulus that can be easily applied with high spatiotemporal control, without producing any waste. Systems have been reported where photoisomerization of azobenzene-derived anions encapsulated in

A combinatorial approach to improving the performance of azoarene photoswitches

• Joaquin Calbo,
• Aditya R. Thawani,
• Rosina S. L. Gibson,
• Andrew J. P. White and
• Matthew J. Fuchter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2753–2764, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.266

• advancement to tackle these limitations in recent times has been the discovery that tetra-ortho substitution of the azobenzene unit can lead to a significant improvement of the photoswitching properties (Figure 1a). Specifically, o-methoxy [10][11] and o-thio [12] analogues reported by Woolley and co-workers

• demonstrate slow thermal Z–E relaxation and the potential to switch with red light, while the o-fluoro compounds reported by Hecht and co-workers [13][14] offer excellent two-way isomerization with visible light and the longest thermal half-life reported for an azobenzene molecule (≈700 days at 25 °C) to date

• which have fast thermal Z–E conversion through mechanisms such as tautomerization. Furthermore, the study of Venkataramani and co-workers did not particularly focus on substitution patterns known to give high performance in azobenzene switches. We therefore considered whether specifically combining the

A review of asymmetric synthetic organic electrochemistry and electrocatalysis: concepts, applications, recent developments and future directions

• Munmun Ghosh,
• Valmik S. Shinde and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2710–2746, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.264

• diastereoselective Michael addition reactions [103][104]. The glycine–nickel complex 184 was deprotonated using a radical anion generated from the electrochemical reduction of azobenzene. The anionic Ni complex 185 acted as a good C-nucleophile towards Michael acceptors 186 resulting in diastereoisomeric mixtures of