Photocatalysis and photochemistry in organic synthesis

• Timothy Noël and
• Bartholomäus Pieber

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1645–1647, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.128

• catalysis, and this arsenal of catalysts is constantly expanding. In this thematic issue, the Dell’Amico group describes the development of a new class of organic donor–acceptor photocatalysts that show promising activity for several transformations [18]. Additionally, Hoffmann and co-workers contributed a

• Review article discussing photocatalysts capable of harnessing low-energy red light to trigger chemical reactions [19]. In addition to photoredox catalysis, several mechanistic platforms that leverage light – such as the use of electron donor–acceptor complexes [20], proton-coupled electron transfer [21

Transition-state aromaticity and its relationship with reactivity in pericyclic reactions

• Israel Fernández

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1613–1626, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.125

• used in the synthesis of a good number of target molecules, including complex natural products [32][33][34][35]. Typically, the LA binds the dienophile through a donor–acceptor interaction (usually involving a carbonyl group) which results in a significant stabilization of the dienophile’s LUMO. As a

Thermodynamic equilibrium between locally excited and charge transfer states in perylene–phenothiazine dyads

• Issei Fukunaga,
• Shunsuke Kobashi,
• Yuki Nagai,
• Hiroki Horita,
• Hiromitsu Maeda and
• Yoichi Kobayashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1577–1586, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.121

• donor–acceptor dyads based on perylene (Pe) and phenothiazine (PTZ), in which triphenylamine (TPA) units and a phenyl spacer were introduced to modulate donor strength and spatial separation. Among the series, Pe–PTZ(TPA)2 exhibits a distinct thermal equilibrium between the locally excited (LE) state of

• the LE state of the PTZ moiety. In contrast, Pe-Ph–PTZ(TPA)2, in which the donor–acceptor distance is increased by a phenyl spacer, does not show clear equilibrium behavior. These results underscore the crucial role of excited-state structural relaxation in tuning photoinduced charge separation, and

• various donor–acceptor (D–A) architectures, π-orthogonal molecules, where the donor and acceptor moieties are spatially decoupled, have attracted considerable attention [4][5][6][7]. This orthogonal arrangement can minimize ground-state electronic interactions while facilitating efficient photoinduced

Wittig reaction of cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl

• Taito Moribe,
• Junichiro Hirano,
• Hideaki Takano,
• Hiroshi Shinokubo and
• Norihito Fukui

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1454–1461, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.107

• peripherally modified CBBC derivatives have also been prepared and were shown to have fascinating properties [17][18][19][20][21]. For example, carbazole-substituted donor–acceptor-type CBBC derivatives exhibit both efficient circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence

Advances in nitrogen-containing helicenes: synthesis, chiroptical properties, and optoelectronic applications

• Meng Qiu,
• Jing Du,
• Nai-Te Yao,
• Xin-Yue Wang and
• Han-Yuan Gong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1422–1453, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.106

• conjugated systems, enabling the design of donor–acceptor helicenes with tunable photophysical properties. In 2020, Ema and co-workers developed a series of chiral carbazole-based BODIPY analogues 35a–f, derived from helical carbazole-based BF2 dyes [49] (Table 11). These analogues exhibit red-shifted

• -performance chiral optoelectronic materials. In 2023, Zhang’s group introduced a new class of helically chiral double hetero[4]helicenes 74a and 74b exhibiting CP-TADF, constructed on a distinct donor–acceptor core architecture [88] (Table 25). These compounds demonstrate excellent configurational stability

Recent advances in amidyl radical-mediated photocatalytic direct intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer

• Hao-Sen Wang,
• Lin Li,
• Xin Chen,
• Jian-Li Wu,
• Kai Sun,
• Xiao-Lan Chen,
• Ling-Bo Qu and
• Bing Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1306–1323, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.100

• activation energy modulation during transition state formation. Specifically, donor/acceptor electronic configurations in the substrate could either stabilize or destabilize the transient hybrid state, thereby thermodynamically governing the energy barrier for intermolecular HAT progression. When the partial

Recent advances in oxidative radical difunctionalization of N-arylacrylamides enabled by carbon radical reagents

• Jiangfei Chen,
• Yi-Lin Qu,
• Ming Yuan,
• Xiang-Mei Wu,
• Heng-Pei Jiang,
• Ying Fu and
• Shengrong Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1207–1271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.98

• transformations, (4) electrochemical approaches, and (5) metal-free or electron donor–acceptor (EDA)-driven systems. The substrate scope, limitations, and mechanistic aspects of these radical cascade cyclization strategies are critically examined. Review N-Arylalkenes: alkyl C(sp3)–H radicals Early investigations

• methods utilizing electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes and peroxide initiators have recently gained attention due to their operational simplicity and environmental friendliness. In 2024, Song’s group and co-workers presented a novel metal-free, visible-light-promoted method for synthesizing

• difluoroamidated oxindoles via electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes (Scheme 37) [23]. The method involved the use of N-phenylacrylamides and bromodifluoroacetamides as starting materials, with N,N,N’,N’-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) acting as the electron donor. The reaction proceeded efficiently under

Optimized synthesis of aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals by omission of solubilizing alcohol cosolvents

• Julius Krenzer and
• Thomas J. J. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1201–1206, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.97

• ; condensation; Einhorn-type acylation; 2-methyl N-benzyl benzothiazolium salts; Introduction Aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals, in particular N-benzyl derivatives 1, are very short donor–acceptor chromophores that have recently found a renaissance due to their peculiar intense solid-state emission and significant turn

Salen–scandium(III) complex-catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) annulation of aziridines and aldehydes

• Linqiang Wang and
• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1087–1094, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.86

• alcohols and aldehydes [11] and through [2 + 3] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and carbonyl dipolarophiles [12]. Recently, the [2 + 3] annulation of aldehydes and donor–acceptor dialkyl 2-aryl-1-sulfonylaziridine-2,2-dicarboxylates, which generate azomethine ylides, has been developed for the synthesis

Synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-diones by domino C–N coupling/hydroamination reactions

• Ruben Manuel Figueira de Abreu,
• Robin Tiedemann,
• Peter Ehlers and
• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1010–1017, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.82

• shift, while the emission band of 4j was slightly red-shifted. The N,N-dimethylaminophenyl-substituted compounds 4k and 4l showed the strongest bathochromic shifts of the emission spectra, which might be due to the occurrence of donor–acceptor interactions between the electron-deficient uracil and the

On the photoluminescence in triarylmethyl-centered mono-, di-, and multiradicals

• Daniel Straub,
• Markus Gross,
• Mona E. Arnold,
• Julia Zolg and
• Alexander J. C. Kuehne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 964–998, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.80

• almost barrier-free transition into the CT state. However, here a conical intersection with the ground state can occur, which enables non-radiative relaxation to the ground state and therefore low ϕ (see point 3 in Figure 9). This simple three-state model can explain a large variety of different donor

• –acceptor radical systems; however, it breaks down for very large donor systems. In a dendronized carbazole donor, where the Cz units are coupled to the para-positions with respect to the N-position (first generation: TTM-Cz, second generation: TTM-tercarbazole (G2TTM), third generation: hepta-carbazole

Study of tribenzo[b,d,f]azepine as donor in D–A photocatalysts

• Katy Medrano-Uribe,
• Jorge Humbrías-Martín and
• Luca Dell’Amico

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 935–944, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.76

• Katy Medrano-Uribe Jorge Humbrias-Martin Luca Dell'Amico Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Francesco Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy 10.3762/bjoc.21.76 Abstract Since the discovery of donor–acceptor (D–A) type molecules in the field of materials science, they have found

• demonstrate that these simple D–A structures exhibit promising photocatalytic properties, comparable to those of more complex D–A–D systems. Keywords: donor–acceptor system; photocatalyst design; photoredox catalysis; organic photocatalyst; Introduction In recent years, photocatalysis has emerged as a

• –properties dependence to modulate its optical and photoredox properties [4]. For instance, molecules with donor–acceptor (D–A) structures, classically used as OLED emitters, have gained relevance by finding alternative applications in the field of photocatalysis [5]. In this type of structure, the electron

Silver(I) triflate-catalyzed post-Ugi synthesis of pyrazolodiazepines

• Muhammad Hasan,
• Anatoly A. Peshkov,
• Syed Anis Ali Shah,
• Andrey Belyaev,
• Chang-Keun Lim,
• Shunyi Wang and
• Vsevolod A. Peshkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 915–925, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.74

• attention due to their modular hydrogen bond donor/acceptor profile that can be tuned by varying the nitrogen position and the degree of unsaturation as well as by fusion with other rings [3]. Benzodiazepines, which contain a seven-membered diazepine core fused to a benzene ring, are recognized as

Recent advances in controllable/divergent synthesis

• Jilei Cao,
• Leiyang Bai and
• Xuefeng Jiang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 890–914, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.73

• species Int-44. This reactive intermediate then engages with a Ti(IV)-enolate complex through radical recombination, ultimately delivering 2-aza-bicyclo[3.1.1]heptene (BCHepe) while regenerating the Ti(III) catalyst to complete the catalytic cycle. (2) Scandium-catalyzed pathway: Activation of the donor

• –acceptor BCB via Sc(OTf)3 coordination to its carbonyl group facilitates nucleophilic attack by vinylazide 33, forming an imino-diazonium intermediate Int-40 accompanied by a δ-carbanion. Transannular cyclization of this species affords 2-azidobicyclo[3.1.1]hexane (2-azidoBCHs). Subsequent thermal

Photochemically assisted synthesis of phenacenes fluorinated at the terminal benzene rings and their electronic spectra

• Yuuki Ishii,
• Minoru Yamaji,
• Fumito Tani,
• Kenta Goto,
• Yoshihiro Kubozono and
• Hideki Okamoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 670–679, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.53

• molecules displayed high hole mobility [20][21][22][23][24][25][26] and imide-fused phenacenes served as n-type organic semiconductors [27]. It was also disclosed that donor–acceptor-type phenacenes provided environment-dependent fluorophores showing solvatochromic fluorescence behavior [28][29]. Because

Photomechanochemistry: harnessing mechanical forces to enhance photochemical reactions

• Francesco Mele,
• Ana M. Constantin,
• Andrea Porcheddu,
• Raimondo Maggi,
• Giovanni Maestri,
• Nicola Della Ca’ and
• Luca Capaldo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 458–472, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.33

• observed in dilute solutions because of the formation of aggregates perturbing electronic transitions [51][52][53]. Moreover, at high concentrations, the formation of electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes [54] or exciplexes is expected to be favored, and the effect of mechanical forces on these is worth

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

• of the DCA, photodegraded species issued from DCA or DCA•−/substract donor–acceptor complex is debated (Scheme 4b). Nevertheless, the authors underline that the key feature of these transformations is going through the consecutive absorption of two red-light photons which enhances the photoredox

Quantifying the ability of the CF₂H group as a hydrogen bond donor

• Matthew E. Paolella,
• Daniel S. Honeycutt,
• Bradley M. Lipka,
• Jacob M. Goldberg and
• Fang Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 189–199, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.11

• (CF2H); fluorine; hydrogen bond donors; hydrogen bond strength; Introduction Hydrogen bonding interactions are ubiquitous non-covalent forces in chemistry and biology [1][2][3][4]. In canonical hydrogen bond (HB) donor–acceptor pairs, the donor typically comprises an electronegative heteroatom, such as

Synthesis of acenaphthylene-fused heteroarenes and polyoxygenated benzo[j]fluoranthenes via a Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura/C–H arylation cascade

• Merve Yence,
• Dilgam Ahmadli,
• Damla Surmeli,
• Umut Mert Karacaoğlu,
• Sujit Pal and
• Yunus Emre Türkmen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3290–3298, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.273

• -catalyzed annulation reaction between bromo-chloronaphthalene dicarboximides 6 and heteroarylboronic esters that enabled the syntheses of acenaphthylene-fused thiophene and indole derivatives 7 having donor-acceptor units (Scheme 1a) [40]. In 2021, Jin and co-workers developed an elegant Pd-catalyzed

Giese-type alkylation of dehydroalanine derivatives via silane-mediated alkyl bromide activation

• Perry van der Heide,
• Michele Retini,
• Fabiola Fanini,
• Giovanni Piersanti,
• Francesco Secci,
• Daniele Mazzarella,
• Timothy Noël and
• Alberto Luridiana

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3274–3280, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.271

• photochemistry has introduced new ways of generating radicals like photoredox catalysis and via electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes [10][11][12][13]. These advances, coupled with modern electrochemical methods, chemical reactor engineering and light emitting diodes (LED), have eliminated the need for thermal

Extension of the π-system of monoaryl-substituted norbornadienes with acetylene bridges: influence on the photochemical conversion and storage of light energy

• Robin Schulte,
• Dustin Schade,
• Thomas Paululat,
• Till J. B. Zähringer,
• Christoph Kerzig and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3061–3068, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.254

• sunlight. Furthermore, the photoisomerization quantum yield is very low and therefore not suitable for an application [7][8][14]. One promising way to overcome these disadvantages is the introduction of a donor–acceptor system at the norbornadiene double bonds, which has resulted in the development of new

Tunable full-color dual-state (solution and solid) emission of push–pull molecules containing the 1-pyrindane moiety

• Anastasia I. Ershova,
• Sergey V. Fedoseev,
• Konstantin V. Lipin,
• Mikhail Yu. Ievlev,
• Oleg E. Nasakin and
• Oleg V. Ershov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3016–3025, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.251

• solutions of compounds 1a–i in toluene (top) and DMSO (bottom) taken under a 365 nm UV lamp. Normalized solid-state emission spectra of compounds 1a–i (bottom) and photos of powders taken under a 365 nm UV lamp (top). Synthesis of donor–acceptor 1-pyrindane derivatives 1. Plausible equilibrium of compounds

The charge transport properties of dicyanomethylene-functionalised violanthrone derivatives

• Sondos A. J. Almahmoud,
• Joseph Cameron,
• Dylan Wilkinson,
• Michele Cariello,
• Claire Wilson,
• Alan A. Wiles,
• Peter J. Skabara and
• Graeme Cooke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2921–2930, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.244

• leads to the formation of large crystalline domains which influence charge transport. However, the microscale domains reduce the donor–acceptor interface which ultimately impacts on efficient exciton dissociation in OPV devices [12]. Therefore, it is important to further investigate other fused π

Recent advances in transition-metal-free arylation reactions involving hypervalent iodine salts

• Ritu Mamgain,
• Kokila Sakthivel and
• Fateh V. Singh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2891–2920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.243

• assist in the deprotonation of intermediate II to produce final products 27, while K2S2O8 aids in the oxidation of the photocatalyst in the case of pyridine N-oxide. In another photoinduced reaction procedure, Murarka et al. reported the formation of aryl radicals from a tetrameric electron donor

• –acceptor (EDA) complex. The complex is formed of triphenylphosphine, sodium iodide and N,N,N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) with diaryliodonium reagents (DAIRs) [64]. This activates DAIRs 16 to generate an aryl radical which is utilized in the C–H arylation of various heterocycles 31 to yield the

Synthesis of spiroindolenines through a one-pot multistep process mediated by visible light

• Francesco Gambuti,
• Jacopo Pizzorno,
• Chiara Lambruschini,
• Renata Riva and
• Lisa Moni

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2722–2731, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.230

• optimized conditions. Based on the literature [28], the formation of an electron donor–acceptor complex between bromochloroform and N-Ar-THIQ seems essential for the reaction to occur. Since we did not observe the formation of any color during the irradiation of the solution of BrCCl3 and this specific THIQ

• Scheme 6. Based on the results reported by Zeitler [28], several mechanisms are involved in the oxidation of N-Ph-THIQ. The most probable involves the photoexcitation of the EDA (Electron Donor-Acceptor) complex promoting an electron transfer from N-Ph-THIQ to BrCCl3 to afford the amine radical cation