Friedel–Crafts acylation of benzene derivatives in tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids (TAAILs)

• Swantje Lerch,
• Stefan Fritsch and
• Thomas Strassner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 212–216, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.20

• acylation; homogeneous catalysis; ionic liquids; iron catalysis; TAAILs; Introduction The Friedel–Crafts acylation is one of the oldest metal-catalyzed reactions in organic chemistry [1] and allows for the synthesis of a broad range of diverse compounds [2][3][4][5]. Starting from electron-rich aromatic

• , does not undergo acylation during the catalysis. Finally, we compared our catalytic system with commercially available imidazolium and phosphonium-based ILs (Table 4). The imidazolium-based IL [EMIm]NTf2 converts anisole with a yield of 77% (see Table 4, entry 1), whereas [BMIm]NTf2 shows a similar

Germacrene B – a central intermediate in sesquiterpene biosynthesis

• Houchao Xu and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 186–203, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.18

• catalysis, e.g., during chromatographic purifications of compounds from complex extracts. In the latter case, because of the achiral nature of 1, racemic mixtures are expected, while enzyme products should usually be enantiomerically pure or enriched. Eudesmanes The eudesmane skeleton can arise by

• catalysis during compound isolations. The reporting of (–)-11, (+)-11 and 11 of unspecified absolute configuration all under the same CAS number (473-04-1) adds to the confusion. Moreover, one report is available that mentions the isolation of 11 from Atractylodes macrocephala [87]. For unclear reason, this

Sequential hydrozirconation/Pd-catalyzed cross coupling of acyl chlorides towards conjugated (2E,4E)-dienones

• Benedikt Kolb,
• Daniela Silva dos Santos,
• Sanja Krause,
• Anna Zens and
• Sabine Laschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 176–185, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.17

• ; hydrozirconation; palladium catalysis; Schwartz's reagent; terpenes; Introduction Conjugated dienones are recurring structural motifs in natural products. Several biologically relevant compounds carry (2Ε,4E)-unsaturated ketones or the corresponding esters or amides. Selected examples are clifednamide H (1) which

Total synthesis of insect sex pheromones: recent improvements based on iron-mediated cross-coupling chemistry

• Eric Gayon,
• Guillaume Lefèvre,
• Olivier Guerret,
• Adrien Tintar and
• Pablo Chourreu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 158–166, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.15

• sustainable synthetic procedures involving cheap, non-toxic and efficient additives is also discussed, as well as the mechanistic features guiding the reactivity of such catalytic systems. Keywords: catalysis; cross-coupling; insect pheromones; iron; Introduction Public health issues related to

• exogenous N- or P-based ligands, highlighting the efficiency of iron as a credible alternative to noble metal catalysis in cross-coupling chemistry [13]. Cahiez’ pioneering work highlighted the potential of iron catalysis in organic chemistry and generated a new interest for the study of iron-catalyzed

1,4-Dithianes: attractive C2-building blocks for the synthesis of complex molecular architectures

• Bram Ryckaert,
• Ellen Demeyere,
• Frederick Degroote,
• Hilde Janssens and
• Johan M. Winne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 115–132, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.12

• expected allyl cation (3 + 2) cycloaddition reactivity is not operating under gold(I) catalysis, but instead it behaved as a reliable and quite stereoselective vinylgold carbenoid species, affording exclusively cyclopropanation products with a wide range of olefin substrates (Scheme 18c). The carbene-type

Practical synthesis of isocoumarins via Rh(III)-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation cascade

• Qian-Ci Gao,
• Yi-Fei Li,
• Jun Xuan and
• Xiao-Qiang Hu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 100–106, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.10

• Qian-Ci Gao Yi-Fei Li Jun Xuan Xiao-Qiang Hu Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Energy Materials Chemistry of Ministry of Education & Hubei Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials Science, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, People’s Republic of

• . The success of gram-scale reaction and diverse functionalization of isocoumarins demonstrated the synthetic utility of this protocol. Keywords: C–H activation; enaminone; iodonium ylide; isocoumarin; rhodium catalysis; Introduction Isocoumarins are an important structural motif in many naturally

NaI/PPh₃-catalyzed visible-light-mediated decarboxylative radical cascade cyclization of N-arylacrylamides for the efficient synthesis of quaternary oxindoles

• Dan Liu,
• Yue Zhao and
• Frederic W. Patureau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 57–65, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.5

• afforded various functionalized oxindoles featuring a C3 quaternary stereogenic center. Mechanistic experiments suggest a radical mechanism. Keywords: decarboxylative cascade cyclization; iodide catalysis; metal-free photocatalysis; oxindole; phosphine catalysis; Introduction Radical-initiated cascade

• by these advances, we developed here a visible light-mediated decarboxylative radical cascade cyclization of N-arylacrylamides under NaI/PPh3 catalysis, for the most efficient and practical synthesis of quaternary oxindoles (Scheme 1b and 1c). It should be noted that during the finalization of this

• should be noted that benzoyl ester substrate 6a did not deliver the corresponding cyclized product 7aa (Scheme 4c). All of these outcomes indicate that a radical species should be involved in this decarboxylative cascade cyclization towards oxindoles under NaI/PPh3 catalysis. Thus, the mechanism should

Combining the best of both worlds: radical-based divergent total synthesis

• Kyriaki Gennaiou,
• Antonios Kelesidis,
• Maria Kourgiantaki and
• Alexandros L. Zografos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1–26, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.1

• review highlights recent total syntheses that incorporate the best of both worlds. Keywords: biomimetic synthesis; cascades; common scaffold; hydrogen atom transfer; photoredox catalysis; Introduction Societal needs push sciences into new directions, as the urge for new pharmaceutical leads grows, in

• reactions of transition metal hydrides (Fe, Co, Mn, etc) with alkenes (e.g., Mukaiyama hydration) [20]. The last decade saw the development of milder methods for generating carbon-centered radicals as the advancement of their reactivity in cross-coupling reactions, the concept of photoredox catalysis [21

Inline purification in continuous flow synthesis – opportunities and challenges

• Jorge García-Lacuna and
• Marcus Baumann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1720–1740, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.182

• of purification cannot differentiate similar compounds if these contain the same functional groups. An advantage, however, is that this purification technique is easily coupled with heterogeneous catalysis. As such immobilized reagents and scavengers are more suited to catalytic processes than

Redox-active molecules as organocatalysts for selective oxidative transformations – an unperceived organocatalysis field

• Elena R. Lopat’eva,
• Igor B. Krylov,
• Dmitry A. Lapshin and
• Alexander O. Terent’ev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1672–1695, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.179

• organic chemistry. It allows chemists to avoid the use of precious and (or) toxic metals by taking advantage of the catalytic activity of small and synthetically available molecules. Today, the term organocatalysis is mainly associated with redox-neutral asymmetric catalysis of C–C bond-forming processes

• , such as aldol reactions, Michael reactions, cycloaddition reactions, etc. Organophotoredox catalysis has emerged recently as another important catalysis type which has gained much attention and has been quite well-reviewed. At the same time, there are a significant number of other processes, especially

• /peroxide, quinones, and iodine(I/III) compounds are the most developed catalyst types which are covered here. Keywords: CH-functionalization; free radicals; hypervalent iodine; N-oxyl radicals; redox-active molecules; Introduction Organocatalysis can be defined as catalysis by small organic molecules

Rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular reductive aldol-type cyclization: Application for the synthesis of a chiral necic acid lactone

• Motoyuki Isoda,
• Kazuyuki Sato,
• Kenta Kameda,
• Kana Wakabayashi,
• Ryota Sato,
• Hideki Minami,
• Yukiko Karuo,
• Atsushi Tarui,
• Kentaro Kawai and
• Masaaki Omote

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1642–1648, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.176

• such as Co [19][20][21], Cu [22][23][24][25], and others [26][27][28][29][30][31][32] with hydrosilanes (R3Si-H) or hydrogen as the reductant. In this area, rhodium catalysis has received significant attention [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40], and we have also reported reductive α-acylations, reductive

A new route for the synthesis of 1-deazaguanine and 1-deazahypoxanthine

• Raphael Bereiter,
• Marco Oberlechner and
• Ronald Micura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1617–1624, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.172

• -, and 7-deazapurine mutations of RNA have been fundamental to shed light on their structure, catalysis, and function [13][14][15]. However, difficulties in these fields arise from the lack of efficient synthetic protocols for various deaza-nucleosides and nucleobases. This is particularly true for the

Formal total synthesis of macarpine via a Au(I)-catalyzed 6-endo-dig cycloisomerization strategy

• Jiayue Fu,
• Bingbing Li,
• Zefang Zhou,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1589–1595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.169

• . The convergent synthetic strategies feature the utilization of Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of a 1,5-enyne and alkynyl ketone substrates, which were prepared by Sonogashira coupling reactions. Keywords: benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids; 1,5-enyne; formal total synthesis; gold catalysis

• ). The Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization reaction of substrate 10 occurred under the catalysis of 5 mol % [1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) chloride (IPrAuCl) and 5 mol % silver hexafluoroantimonate (AgSbF6) [25][26] in anhydrous DCM at room temperature for 2 h forming a benzene

• obtained. Finally, the optimal conditions for the Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkynyl ketone 9 were determined as to stir the substrate under the catalysis of 5 mol % IPrAuCl/AgSbF6 with 2 equiv of TsOH as the additive at 70 °C for 2 h (Table 2, entry 3). It is notable that our synthetic route to

Functionalization of imidazole N-oxide: a recent discovery in organic transformations

• Koustav Singha,
• Imran Habib and
• Mossaraf Hossain

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1575–1588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.168

• histidine and the related local-immune hormone histamine. In the structural view of DNA and RNA, purine bases contain imidazole moieties. Also, imidazole N-oxides have various and intriguing applications in natural products synthesis, catalysis, and coordination chemistry [3]. Derivatives of imidazole

• review paper exploring several procedures of C–H bond activation for the functionalization of N-oxides [12] and in 2019, Dongli Li and co-workers analyzed heterocyclic N-oxides with regard to their usefulness in synthesis of organic drug molecules and catalysis [13]. Many review papers have been

A facile approach to spiro[dihydrofuran-2,3'-oxindoles] via formal [4 + 1] annulation reaction of fused 1H-pyrrole-2,3-diones with diazooxindoles

• Pavel A. Topanov,
• Anna A. Maslivets,
• Maksim V. Dmitriev,
• Irina V. Mashevskaya,
• Yurii V. Shklyaev and
• Andrey N. Maslivets

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1532–1538, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.162

• compounds to molecules containing an enone fragment. Cycloaddition reactions involving diazo and enone moieties are usually carried out using transition-metal catalysis [18][19][20], with catalyst-free reactions being carried out only with the participation of reactive unsubstituted diazomethane [21][22][23

An alternative C–P cross-coupling route for the synthesis of novel V-shaped aryldiphosphonic acids

• Stephen J. I. Shearan,
• Enrico Andreoli and
• Marco Taddei

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1518–1523, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.160

• three novel aryl diphosphonate esters which were subsequently transformed to phosphonic acids through silylation and hydrolysis. Keywords: arylphosphonic acids; cross-coupling reaction; phosphonate esters; transition-metal catalysis; Introduction Phosphonates and phosphonic acids are a very

• interesting class of compounds and examples of their use can be found in a number of different areas, including pharmaceuticals [1][2][3][4][5][6], metal chelation [7][8][9], anti-corrosion coatings [10][11][12], fertilizers [13][14], proton conduction [15][16][17], and catalysis [18], amongst others

Molecular and macromolecular electrochemistry: synthesis, mechanism, and redox properties

• Shinsuke Inagi and
• Mahito Atobe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1505–1506, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.158

• , polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis technology, and new methods coupled with photoredox catalysts or transition metal catalysis, resulting in remarkable progress in organic electrosynthetic processes. Theoretical calculations have also led to a better understanding of the electron transfer behavior

Supramolecular approaches to mediate chemical reactivity

• Pablo Ballester,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• Carmine Gaeta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1463–1465, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.152

• reactions by a biomimetic approach [3][4]. Very recently, many efforts have been devoted to study supramolecular catalysis processes [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] in which macrocyclic hosts, self-assembled capsules and metallo-cages were employed as catalysts or nanocontainers. The primary

• characteristic of supramolecular catalysis is that the general modes of activation based on intermolecular interactions can operate on substrates in a selective way, and in confined environment, like the active site of natural enzymes [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. As a result, molecular recognition of the

• substrate(s) and potentially the transition state is essential in supramolecular catalysis. Supramolecular catalysis finds inspiration in natural enzymes, which show catalytic features such as substrates and products selectivity, efficiency, geometric control, and acceleration of chemical reactivity [1]. If

1,4,6,10-Tetraazaadamantanes (TAADs) with N-amino groups: synthesis and formation of boron chelates and host–guest complexes

• Artem N. Semakin,
• Ivan S. Golovanov,
• Yulia V. Nelyubina and
• Alexey Yu. Sukhorukov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1424–1434, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.148

• Tripodal molecules are widely used as chelating ligands for transition metal catalysis [1][2][3], sensors for ions and small molecules [4][5], reagents for surface grafting [6], building blocks for the construction of supramolecular structures [7], polycyclic cage molecules [8], and porous materials [9

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of 3,4,5-tris(chlorophenyl)-1,2-diphosphaferrocenes

• Almaz A. Zagidullin,
• Farida F. Akhmatkhanova,
• Mikhail N. Khrizanforov,
• Robert R. Fayzullin,
• Tatiana P. Gerasimova,
• Ilya A. Bezkishko and
• Vasili A. Miluykov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1338–1345, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.139

• objects of growing interest in the fields of coordination chemistry [3][4][5] and asymmetric catalysis [6][7]. Due to the sp2-hybridization of the phosphorus atom, phosphaferrocenes are commonly regarded as phosphorus ligands with weaker σ-donor character than classical tertiary phosphines and stronger π

B–N/B–H Transborylation: borane-catalysed nitrile hydroboration

• Filip Meger,
• Alexander C. W. Kwok,
• Franziska Gilch,
• Dominic R. Willcox,
• Alex J. Hendy,
• Kieran Nicholson,
• Andrew D. Bage,
• Thomas Langer,
• Thomas A. Hunt and
• Stephen P. Thomas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1332–1337, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.138

• relies upon stoichiometric reagents or transition-metal catalysis. Herein, a borane-catalysed hydroboration of nitriles to give primary amines is reported. Good yields (48–95%) and chemoselectivity (e.g., ester, nitro, sulfone) were observed. DFT calculations and mechanistic studies support the proposal

• of a double B–N/B–H transborylation mechanism. Keywords: boron; catalysis; hydroboration; nitrile; transborylation; Introduction Primary amines are prevalent throughout organic synthesis, finding regular application in materials chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals (Scheme 1a) [1][2][3

• research into the development of new catalytic methodologies, specifically those that use Earth-abundant and low toxicity elements, as an alternative to transition-metal catalysis [9][10]. Using metal-free catalytic systems, including boron-based catalysts, circumvents some of the issues associated with

Make or break: the thermodynamic equilibrium of polyphosphate kinase-catalysed reactions

• Michael Keppler,
• Sandra Moser,
• Henning J. Jessen,
• Christoph Held and
• Jennifer N. Andexer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1278–1288, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.134

• , clearly demonstrating the necessity of the residues for catalysis [14]. PPK2-I enzymes are of lower molecular weight than their PPK1 counterparts, with an approximate molecular mass of 40 kDa for a monomer (Figure 2c) [5]. They form dimers or tetramers in solution and are not purified from membrane

Vicinal ketoesters – key intermediates in the total synthesis of natural products

• Marc Paul Beller and
• Ulrich Koert

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1236–1248, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.129

• intramolecular aldol addition of ketones such as 7 (Scheme 2) [5]. Brønsted-acid catalysis leads via a transition state 8 to the aldol 9, while the use of chelating Lewis acids results via 10 in the epimeric aldol 11. This review is a collection of total syntheses of natural products where vicinal keto esters

Polymer and small molecule mechanochemistry: closer than ever

• José G. Hernández

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1225–1235, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.128

• organocatalytic units embedded in polymers for catalysis in small molecule systems have been discussed [15][19][20]. Moreover, the ability of force to deform the reaction energy landscape and modulate the reversibility of the reactions within proteins has been demonstrated. For example, mechanical force was used

Mechanochemical bottom-up synthesis of phosphorus-linked, heptazine-based carbon nitrides using sodium phosphide

• Blaine G. Fiss,
• Georgia Douglas,
• Michael Ferguson,
• Jorge Becerra,
• Jesus Valdez,
• Trong-On Do,
• Tomislav Friščić and
• Audrey Moores

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1203–1209, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.125

• Blaine G. Fiss Georgia Douglas Michael Ferguson Jorge Becerra Jesus Valdez Trong-On Do Tomislav Friscic Audrey Moores Centre in Green Chemistry and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec, Canada Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval

• Discovery Accelerator Supplement, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI), the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) – Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis (CGCC), the Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowship (B. G. F.), McGill