Research progress on calixarene/pillararene-based controlled drug release systems

• Liu-Huan Yi,
• Jian Qin,
• Si-Ran Lu,
• Liu-Pan Yang,
• Li-Li Wang and
• Huan Yao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1757–1785, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.139

• a hot topic [75]. PAs can be prepared via the Friedel–Crafts condensation, which involves combining 1,4-dimethoxybenzene with paraformaldehyde in the presence of a Lewis acid. The central axis of these aromatic hydrocarbon molecules possesses n fold rotational symmetry [76]. PAs possess highly

Convenient alternative synthesis of the Malassezia-derived virulence factor malassezione and related compounds

• Karu Ramesh and
• Stephen L. Bearne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1730–1736, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.135

• are commensal fungi that constitute the normal skin microbiota but may become pathogenic. These fungi, especially M. furfur, convert tryptophan into various alkaloid indoles such as malassezione, which may serve as virulence factors. To facilitate testing of malassezione as an aryl hydrocarbon

• others (11–19) (see Figure 1), which may serve as virulence factors [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Most significantly, some of these indoles have been shown to be potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligands [8][9][14][15], which can lead to induction of melanocyte apoptosis and inhibition of neutrophil

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

• molecules. Pe is a rigid aromatic hydrocarbon, and exhibits significant overlap between the HOMO and LUMO, resulting in a large singlet–triplet energy gap and a low-lying 3LE state. These characteristics likely cause the excited states of all compounds to relax preferentially to the 3LE state of the Pe

Calcium waste as a catalyst in the transesterification for demanding esters: scalability perspective

• Anton N. Potorochenko and
• Konstantin S. Rodygin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1520–1527, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.114

• , lactones and triglycerides with medium hydrocarbon radical lengths (C5, C9–10 and C12) and the results are summarized in Scheme 2. All reactions were carried out at the boiling point of methanol (65 °C), with different CS600 loading and reaction times. The transesterification of ethyl esters to the

Oxetanes: formation, reactivity and total syntheses of natural products

• Peter Gabko,
• Martin Kalník and
• Maroš Bella

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1324–1373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.101

• , anhydrous conditions and mild heating to afford the products in moderate to good yields. The reaction worked well for both aliphatic and aryl-substituted substrates but best results were obtained for shorter hydrocarbon side chains and 2,6-disubstituted phenyls. The authors demonstrated the applicability of

Recent advances and future challenges in the bottom-up synthesis of azulene-embedded nanographenes

• Bartłomiej Pigulski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1272–1305, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.99

• scaffolds of this type. Given the rapid progress in this field, with nearly half of the cited works published since 2020, this review focuses primarily on purely hydrocarbon structures, with less emphasis on heteroatom-containing molecules. Typically, only the final synthetic steps leading to the fused

• hydrocarbon-based azulene-embedded nanographenes. The synthesis of smaller non-alternant PAHs containing azulene moiety dates to the 1950s. The most common strategy involved synthesizing a partially saturated scaffold, which was then dehydrogenated in the final step. One of the earliest examples of the

• electrochemical gaps. These include: (1) the presence or absence of an azulene-like electronic structure; (2) the degree of aromaticity within the azulene subunit; and (3) the biradical character of molecule. Purely hydrocarbon PAHs containing ‘true’ aromatic azulene subunits (e.g., compounds 172, 22, and 104

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

• ) catalyst is then regenerated at the Pt cathode. Protonation of D gives intermediate E, and subsequent deprotonation at the anode yields the target compound 35a. N-Arylalkenes: difluoroalkyl/trifluoroalkyl radicals While the majority of radical cyclizations involve hydrocarbon-based radicals, 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

• unresolved questions that must be addressed to unlock the full potential of trityl-based radicals in advanced technological applications. Keywords: Chichibabin hydrocarbon; COF; Gomberg radical; MOF; Müller hydrocarbon; Thiele hydrocarbon; Introduction Gomberg-type, triarylmethyl-centered radicals

• , usually below 3%. Such perhalo- or nonahalo trityl radicals exhibit a D3 propeller symmetry, which allows assigning of individual orbital geometries (see Figure 1b). Furthermore, such radicals follow the alternant hydrocarbon rule of the Hückel theory [32][33], which dictates that the highest singly

• . While the transition to the |D1⟩ state is forbidden due to out-of-phase mixing of the degenerate HDMO–SOMO and SOMO–LUMO transitions (as explained by the alternant hydrocarbon rule), the in-phase transition to the |D2⟩ state is allowed, as seen in the respective UV–vis absorption spectra of these

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

• hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)/chiral copper dual catalytic system that achieved regiodivergent and enantioselective C(sp3)–C(sp3) and C(sp3)–N oxidative cross-couplings between N-arylglycine ester/amide derivatives and abundant hydrocarbon C(sp3)–H feedstocks (Scheme 6) [24]. This methodology also

Synthesis and characterizations of highly luminescent 5-isopropoxybenzo[rst]pentaphene

• Islam S. Marae,
• Jingyun Tan,
• Rengo Yoshioka,
• Zakaria Ziadi,
• Eugene Khaskin,
• Serhii Vasylevskyi,
• Ryota Kabe,
• Xiushang Xu and
• Akimitsu Narita

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 270–276, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.19

• by scanning electron microscopy. The intriguing optical properties of BPP and its derivatives may lead to their application as fluorophores. Keywords: benzo[rst]pentaphene; intramolecular charge transfer; nanocrystals; photoluminescence; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; Introduction Polycyclic

Surprising acidity for the methylene of 1,3-indenocorannulenes?

• Shi Liu,
• Märt Lõkov,
• Sofja Tshepelevitsh,
• Ivo Leito,
• Kim K. Baldridge and
• Jay S. Siegel

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3144–3150, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.260

• -perfluorophenylfluorene (28.14 in CH3CN). This work reports quantitative pKa values of BFC and FIC, places those values in a broadened context of CpH-cognate hydrocarbon acidity and presents a Clar–Loschmidt graph perspective to help understand the “surprises”. Keywords: acidity; aromatic hydrocarbon; Clar sextet

• ; Loschmidt group element; molecular graph; Introduction A classic textbook tetrad linking hydrocarbon acidity to aromatic stabilization energy comprises cyclopentadiene (CpH), indene (InH), fluorene (FlH), and diphenylmethane (DPMH) [1][2], with pKa values in DMSO equal to 18 [3], 20.1 [3], 22.6 [3], and

• values (i.e., show similar acidity). The extreme of this graph example is the five rim benzene elements and a Cp− core, pentabenzocorannulene (Scheme 3, upper) [19][20]. Such a CpH derivative should be a very acidic aromatic hydrocarbon, and computations for this study predict its pKa to be ca 1.1 in

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

• that are rather problematic under direct irradiation. The original target design, starting from the promising class of solely hydrocarbon-based, monoaryl-substituted norbornadienes, aimed primarily at the optimization of the absorption properties without adversely affecting the other advantageous MOST

N-Glycosides of indigo, indirubin, and isoindigo: blue, red, and yellow sugars and their cancerostatic activity

• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2840–2869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.240

• -glycosylated indirubins act as a ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and also directly inhibit several cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). A problem is generally the low water solubility of these compounds. The commercially available indirubin-3’-monoxime (34) shows a better solubility, due to the

Synthesis and reactivity of the di(9-anthryl)methyl radical

• Tomohiko Nishiuchi,
• Kazuma Takahashi,
• Yuta Makihara and
• Takashi Kubo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2254–2260, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.193

• aromatic hydrocarbon radicals, which can persist in air-saturated solutions for several days to months, have been synthesized by employing bulky substituents around the spin-localized carbon center [13][14][15]. These stable radicals have paved the way to elucidate the nature of radical species, advancing

• the field of radical chemistry. However, reducing the reactivity of radical species can mean losing one of their most attractive properties. Therefore, it is very important to explore aromatic hydrocarbon radicals that are sufficiently stable for handling, yet reactive under specific conditions

• . Previously, we reported aromatic hydrocarbon radicals with 9-anthryl (Ant) units at the spin-center carbon, exhibiting high stability (Figure 1a) [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Although bulky phenyl substitutions at the spin-center carbon can also provide high stability [13][14][15], the introduction of an Ant

Natural resorcylic lactones derived from alternariol

• Joachim Podlech

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2171–2207, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.187

• the detrimental effects of AOH [94][95][96]. AOH furthermore activated the nuclear translocation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) [97]. The possible anticancer effects of AOH through its cytotoxic, antiinflammatory, genotoxic, mutagenic

• hepatoma cells dependent on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor [96], and significantly increased the rate of DNA strand breaks in human carcinoma cells (HT29, A431) at concentrations ≥1 μM [88]. A reported mutagenicity against Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 [80] was later revised and attributed to

Factors influencing the performance of organocatalysts immobilised on solid supports: A review

• Zsuzsanna Fehér,
• Dóra Richter,
• Gyula Dargó and
• József Kupai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2129–2142, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.183

• ] reactions. POFs [102] are hydrocarbon systems that contain pores, of which COFs are a subgroup. POFs are widely applied in the fields of gas adsorption and storage, the separation of gases, catalysis, energy storage, photocatalysis, etc., and have many different types, such as hyper-cross-linked polymers

Allostreptopyrroles A–E, β-alkylpyrrole derivatives from an actinomycete Allostreptomyces sp. RD068384

• Marwa Elsbaey,
• Naoya Oku,
• Mohamed S. A. Abdel-Mottaleb and
• Yasuhiro Igarashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1981–1987, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.174

• many marine natural products [6][7], pyrroles substituted with long hydrocarbon chains (pyrrole lipids) are seldomly isolated, and their presence is limited to certain marine organisms [8]. A series of 3-alkylpyrrole-2-carbaldehydes/carboxylic acid/methylcarboxylate was reported from the marine sponge

2-Heteroarylethylamines in medicinal chemistry: a review of 2-phenethylamine satellite chemical space

• Carlos Nieto,
• Alejandro Manchado,
• Ángel García-González,
• David Díez and
• Narciso M. Garrido

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1880–1893, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.163

• second generation series, i.e., compounds 91–94 (Scheme 12), featuring simple hydrocarbon substituents was elaborated. This collection showed good activities, demonstrating the tolerance of introducing bulky moieties at position C2 or N1 of the imidazole ring. Researchers also described positive membrane

Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic quinones by continuous flow electrochemical oxidation: anodic methoxylation of polycyclic aromatic phenols (PAPs)

• Hiwot M. Tiruye,
• Solon Economopoulos and
• Kåre B. Jørgensen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1746–1757, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.153

• . The specific quinones formed were guided by the position of an initial hydroxy group on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. An available para-position in the PAPs gave p-quinones, while hydroxy groups in the 2- or 3-position led to o-quinones. The substrates were analysed by cyclic voltammetry for

Computation-guided scaffold exploration of 2E,6E-1,10-trans/cis-eunicellanes

• Zining Li,
• Sana Jindani,
• Volga Kojasoy,
• Teresa Ortega,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Khalil A. Abboud,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Dean J. Tantillo and
• Jeffrey D. Rudolf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1320–1326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.115

• rearrangement; DFT calculations; diterpene; electrophilic cyclization; eunicellane; Introduction The eunicellane diterpenoids are a family of nearly 400 natural products that present a conserved 6/10-bicyclic hydrocarbon framework [1][2][3]. Mostly known from soft corals [2], but with a growing number of

• appears to be the dominant form in nature (≈98%). Perhaps the inherent reactivity seen for 2E-trans-eunicellanes contributes to their presumed rarity in nature, as certain conditions or transformations, either enzymatic or spontaneous, may alter the hydrocarbon skeleton. This idea is supported by the

• diterpenoids and their biosyntheses. (A) The 6/10-bicyclic hydrocarbon framework is conserved in eunicellane diterpenoids. Selected natural products consisting of cis- (red) and trans-eunicellane skeletons (blue) are shown. (B) Four types of diterpene synthases are known to form the eunicellane skeleton, each

Introduction of peripheral nitrogen atoms to cyclo-meta-phenylenes

• Koki Ikemoto and
• Hiroyuki Isobe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1207–1212, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.103

• appearing at 250 nm (Figure 2). As shown with the reference spectra of [6]CMP and [8]CMP, the absorption at 280 nm was absent for the corresponding hydrocarbon congeners. These results showed that the nitrogen-dopants induced novel transitions for photoexcitation. Crystallographic analyses revealed the

• conformation with an average dihedral angle of 45.0°, which was slightly larger than that of 3a (30.4°). The shapes of nitrogen-doped [n]CMPs did not deviate from those of hydrocarbon [n]CMPs, with similar average dihedral angles (32.4° for [6]CMP and 40.6° for [8]CMP) [15]. Likewise, the crystal packings of

• 3a and 3b resembled those of the hydrocarbon congeners, forming one-dimensional columns of stacked macrocycles (Figure 3b). The electronic effects of the nitrogen dopants in 3a were examined with X-ray charge density analyses [10][16]. For the crystal structures shown in Figure 3, we used a standard

Stability trends in carbocation intermediates stemming from germacrene A and hedycaryol

• Naziha Tarannam,
• Prashant Kumar Gupta,
• Shani Zev and
• Dan Thomas Major

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1189–1197, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.101

• several significant processes, terpenoids play an indispensable role in cell-wall and membrane biosynthesis, sensing, plant defense, electron transport, or conversion of light into chemical energy [1][2]. Based on the number of hydrocarbon units, terpenes are classified into various families like

• in a terpene hydrocarbon, or through nucleophilic water attack, yielding a terpene alcohol [5]. To date, about 80,000 terpenes and terpenoids have been discovered [3], approx. 10% of which are sesquiterpenes, composed of 15-carbon skeletons [6][7]. Sesquiterpenes are mainly distributed in plants and

Bismuth(III) triflate: an economical and environmentally friendly catalyst for the Nazarov reaction

• Manoel T. Rodrigues Jr.,
• Aline S. B. de Oliveira,
• Ralph C. Gomes,
• Amanda Soares Hirata,
• Lucas A. Zeoly,
• Hugo Santos,
• João Arantes,
• Catarina Sofia Mateus Reis-Silva,
• João Agostinho Machado-Neto,
• Leticia Veras Costa-Lotufo and
• Fernando Coelho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1167–1178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.99

• synthesis has been reported for several transformations, such as epoxide opening [56], ketal formation and deprotection [57][58], Mannich reaction [59], intramolecular Sakurai cyclization [60], alcohol oxidation [61], aromatic hydrocarbon nitration [62], imine allylation [63], Knoevenagel condensation [64

Spin and charge interactions between nanographene host and ferrocene

• Akira Suzuki,
• Yuya Miyake,
• Ryoga Shibata and
• Kazuyuki Takai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1011–1019, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.89

• depletion, is attracting much attention due to its potential for creating a new class of functional materials with various guest molecules [1]. In particular, nanosized graphene called nanographene, the macroscopic limit of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules, is a magnetic host material with spins

(Bio)isosteres of ortho- and meta-substituted benzenes

• H. Erik Diepers and
• Johannes C. L. Walker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 859–890, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.78

• -oxabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes To further increase the water solubility of 1,5-BCHs, Mykhailiuk and co-workers proposed 1,5-disubsituted-3-oxabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes (3-oxa-1,5-BCHs) as isosteres for ortho-benzenes, introducing an oxygen atom into the hydrocarbon scaffold (Figure 10) [45]. Exit vector analysis

• angle θ of 3-oxa-1,5-BCHs of roughly 80° is even larger than in 1,5-BCHs and is a significant deviation from ortho-benzenes. Like their hydrocarbon 1,5-BCH analogues, 3-oxa-1,5-BCHs (±)-74 can be accessed via an intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition, and saponified to acids (±)-72 (Scheme 6A) [45