Efficient solid-phase synthesis and structural characterization of segetalins A–H, J and K

• Liangyu Liu,
• Wanqiu Lu,
• Quanping Guo and
• Zhaoqing Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2612–2617, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.202

• signatures (217 nm minima) in 1, 3, 4; (ii) enhanced β-sheet stability from constrained macrocycles in 2, 7, 8, 10; (iii) universal α-helix induction by TFE in 1–10, with 5 and 6 retaining helicity in aqueous buffers. Conclusion We have developed an efficient and reliable solid-phase synthesis strategy for

Silica gel with covalently attached bambusuril macrocycle for dicyanoaurate sorption from water

• Michaela Šusterová and
• Vladimír Šindelář

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2604–2611, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.201

• remains a major challenge due to the strong hydration of anions. Here, we report the preparation of silica gel functionalized with covalently anchored bambusuril macrocycles. In aqueous solution, this material efficiently sorbs dicyanoaurate(I), the key anion in gold mining, even in the presence of

• ; gold mining; macrocycles; Introduction Inorganic anions play essential roles in a variety of biological and biochemical mechanisms and are also involved in many industrial and manufacturing processes. Due to their significant environmental impact, it is important to monitor their presence and control

Synthesis and characterization of a isothiouronium-calix[4]arene derivative: self-assembly and anticancer activity

• Giuseppe Granata,
• Loredana Ferreri,
• Claudia Giovanna Leotta,
• Giovanni Mario Pitari and
• Grazia Maria Letizia Consoli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2535–2541, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.195

• , Via Paolo Gaifami 9, 95126 Catania, Italy 10.3762/bjoc.21.195 Abstract Calix[n]arenes are polyphenolic macrocycles known for their remarkable synthetic versatility, which supports their broad application in various areas, including drug discovery. Their unique conformational features, functionality

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

• ; carbazole macrocycles; conformational selection; induced-fit; supramolecular chemistry; Introduction Macrocyclic compounds have garnered significant attention in supramolecular chemistry and anion recognition owing to their tunable cavity geometries and binding capabilities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8

• ]. Notably, the anion-binding performance of these macrocycles is inherently governed by their conformational dynamics [9][10]. Flexible hosts adaptively adjust their cavities via induced-fit mechanisms to accommodate diverse guests, while rigid hosts rely on preorganized spatial complementarity for

• peaks appeared, indicating that photoelectron transfer occurred between iodine ions and the macrocycles [27][28], and fluorescence quenching was due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect between iodine ions and acceptors, resulting in non-radiative dissipation of excited state energy rather

Rotaxanes with integrated photoswitches: design principles, functional behavior, and emerging applications

• Jullyane Emi Matsushima,
• Khushbu,
• Zuliah Abdulsalam,
• Udyogi Navodya Kulathilaka Conthagamage and
• Víctor García-López

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2345–2366, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.179

• ]rotaxanes consist of a macrocycle and an axle held together purely by mechanical bonding without covalent linkage. More complex architectures, such as [3]rotaxanes, may feature two macrocycles threaded onto a single axle or one macrocycle threaded onto two axles (Figure 1) [16][17][18][19]. Integrating

• that for the [2]rotaxane, the macrocycle shuttles along the axle very rapidly [32]. Two decades after the first reports of azobenzene-based rotaxanes, numerous studies have been published in which azobenzene units are incorporated into the axle to control the shuttling of various macrocycles. In some

• systems, the azobenzene functions also as a recognition site for macrocycles such as cyclodextrins [18][33][34][35][36][37][38][39], or CBPQT4+ [40][41][42], while in others, it serves merely as part of the axle structure without directly participating in macrocycle recognition. Examples of the latter

Measuring the stereogenic remoteness in non-central chirality: a stereocontrol connectivity index for asymmetric reactions

• Ivan Keng Wee On,
• Yu Kun Choo,
• Sambhav Baid and
• Ye Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1995–2006, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.155

• , asymmetric synthesis of “inherently chiral” macrocycles have gained growing attention [22]. Practically, such reactions that yield “inherently chiral” macrocycles can be treated similarly as planar chirality (Scheme 6). The synthesis of calix[4]arenes via C–H arylation [23] is [31] (Scheme 6A), following the

Synthesis of N-doped chiral macrocycles by regioselective palladium-catalyzed arylation

• Shuhai Qiu and
• Junzhi Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1917–1923, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.149

• Road, Hong Kong, China Materials Innovation Institute for Life Sciences and Energy (MILES), HKU-SIRI, Shenzhen, China 10.3762/bjoc.21.149 Abstract A series of nitrogen (N)-doped macrocycles was successfully synthesized through palladium-catalyzed arylation. X-ray crystallographic characterization

• revealed the formation of isomeric products depending on the substituents on the N atoms. Notably, two intrinsically chiral macrocycles MC1 and MC3 with C1 symmetry were successfully obtained. These macrocycles exhibit exceptional photophysical properties, particularly remarkable high fluorescence quantum

• ; inherent chirality; N-doped macrocycle; nonplanarity; regioselective cyclization; Introduction Chiral macrocycles have attracted significant research interest owing to their diverse applications in enantioselective recognition [1][2], catalysis [3][4], and circularly polarized luminescence [5][6

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of helically chiral, planarly chiral and inherently chiral molecules

• Wei Liu and
• Xiaoyu Yang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1864–1889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.145

• and materials science [32]. These macrocycles typically consist of a substituted aromatic ring and a macrocyclic side chain (ansa chain), with the planar chirality arising from the restricted flipping of the substituted aromatic ring caused by steric constraints imposed by the ansa chain. Recent

• advances in asymmetric catalytic synthesis of planarly chiral macrocycles have attracted significant attention, leading to the development of several distinctive strategies, such as (dynamic) kinetic resolution and asymmetric macrocyclizations [33][34][35][36]. In 2022, our group reported the

• enantioselective synthesis of planarly chiral macrocycles through a dynamic kinetic resolution approach [15]. Despite bearing an amino group on the phenyl ring, the configuration of the macrocyclic paracyclophane 32 was found to be unstable at room temperature. Consequently, by employing a CPA-catalyzed asymmetric

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

• stimuli have garnered significant interest from researchers and have broad applications in the biomedical field. Aromatic macrocycles, including calixarenes and pillararenes, are considered ideal candidates for the construction of supramolecular drug delivery systems because of their simple synthesis

• , ease of modification, electron-rich and hydrophobic cavities, and highly selective molecular recognition. In recent years, numerous supramolecular drug delivery systems utilizing aromatic macrocycles have been developed. This review article provides an overview of the advancements of controlled drug

• of controlled-release technologies, with the aim of offering a reference for the utilization of aromatic macrocycles in drug-controlled release applications. Keywords: aromatic macrocycle; controlled-release drug delivery systems; stimulus response; supramolecular chemistry; Introduction Drugs are

3,3'-Linked BINOL macrocycles: optimized synthesis of crown ethers featuring one or two BINOL units

• Somayyeh Kheirjou,
• Jan Riebe,
• Maike Thiele,
• Christoph Wölper and
• Jochen Niemeyer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1719–1729, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.134

• , 45141 Essen, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.21.134 Abstract Chiral macrocycles hold significant importance in various scientific fields due to their unique structural and chemical properties. By controlling their size, shape, and substituents, chiral macrocycles offer a platform for designing and synthesizing

• highly efficient catalysts, chemosensors, and functional materials. We have recently made strides in developing macrocyclic organocatalysts; however, their synthesis remains challenging. In this work, we aimed to discover a straightforward method for producing a diverse range of chiral macrocycles

• , thereby enabling further exploration in the field of interlocked and macrocyclic organocatalysts. We successfully established optimized synthetic routes for the synthesis of chiral macrocycles containing one or two stereogenic units, featuring varying ring sizes and substituents (21 examples in total

Synthesis of an aza[5]helicene-incorporated macrocyclic heteroarene via oxidation of an o-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene icosamer

• Yusuke Matsuo,
• Aoi Nakagawa,
• Shu Seki and
• Takayuki Tanaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1561–1567, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.119

• , Japan 10.3762/bjoc.21.119 Abstract The intramolecular oxidative fusion reaction of macrocyclic heteroaromatic arrays has provided strained polycyclic heteroaromatic macrocycles as promising functional molecules. In this study, we prepared an ortho-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene hybrid icosamer, as the

• largest macrocycle ever synthesized is a dodecameric hybrid array of 1,2-phenylene, 2,5-thienylene, and 2,5-pyrrolylene units [22][23]. The intramolecular oxidative coupling of these arrays afforded heterohelicene-incorporated macrocycles D and E, depending on the relative arrangements of the pyrrole and

• clarity. (b) NCI plot of 5; (left) top view, (right) side view (isosurface: 0.50, range: −0.03 < sign(λ2)ρ < 0.03). UV–vis absorption and emission spectra of (a) 4 and (b) 5 in DMSO. Synthesis of o-phenylene-pyrrole-thiophene hybrid macrocycles. Synthesis of aza[5]helicene-incorporated macrocyclic

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

• Cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl (CBBC) represents a readily available chiral figure-eight macrocycle containing two carbonyl groups. However, the transformation of the carbonyl groups has been unexplored. Herein, we conducted the Wittig reaction of CBBC with methylenetriphenylphosphorane to furnish two chiral macrocycles

• formation between carbonyl and alkene units. Keywords: bathtub; chirality; cyclobisbiphenylenecarbonyl; figure-eight; Wittig reaction; Introduction Figure-eight π-conjugated molecules represent chiral macrocycles with a twisted crossover structure [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15

• ]. Various figure-eight π-systems including aromatic hydrocarbons, belt-type extended π-systems, and porphyrinoids have been reported. The structural twisting in figure-eight macrocycles leads to cross-linked conjugation at the molecular center and a highly symmetric chiral structure with D2-symmetry

Gold extraction at the molecular level using α- and β-cyclodextrins

• Susana Santos Braga

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1116–1125, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.89

• , which still depends solely on the highly pollutant cyanide leaching process. An emerging strategy for gold recovery is through supramolecular chemistry, with studies indicating that macrocycles such as 18-crown-6 [23], cucurbit[6]uril [24], cucurbit[8]uril [25], and cyclodextrins can isolate gold with

Supramolecular assembly of hypervalent iodine macrocycles and alkali metals

• Krishna Pandey,
• Lucas X. Orton,
• Grayson Venus,
• Waseem A. Hussain,
• Toby Woods,
• Lichang Wang and
• Kyle N. Plunkett

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1095–1103, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.87

• at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States 10.3762/bjoc.21.87 Abstract This study explores the solution- and solid-state assembly of phenylalanine-based hypervalent iodine macrocycles (HIMs) with lithium and sodium cations. The metal cation binding of HIMs was evaluated by addition of

• help assemble higher order supramolecular hypervalent iodine macrocycles [16][17][18]. Examples of hypervalent iodine macrocycles (HIMs) include those synthesized by Ochiai [16], Tykwinski and Zhdankin [17], and our group’s extension of those works (Figure 1A and B) [18][19]. The main driving force for

• systems, these macrocycles display dynamic behavior even in the absence of extra anions, with monomers swapping between macrocycles to participate in dynamic covalent chemistry. As a demonstration of even higher supramolecular assemblies, we also showed π-extended HIMs enable the co-assembly of

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

• structurally diverse macrocycles through the dynamic self-assembly of α,α’-linked oligopyrrolic dialdehydes and alkyldiamines (Scheme 10) [39]. Their investigation revealed distinct solvent-mediated selectivity in product formation. Condensation of the pyridine-bridged oligopyrrolic dialdehyde 37 with simple

Dicarboxylate recognition based on ultracycle hosts through cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions

• Wen-Hui Mi,
• Teng-Yu Huang,
• Xu-Dong Wang,
• Yu-Fei Ao,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• De-Xian Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 884–889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.72

• selectivity for heptanedioate (C72−) was attributed to cooperative hydrogen bonding, anion–π interactions, and a size-matching effect, as supported by DFT optimizations. Keywords: anion–π interactions; anion recognition; hydrogen bonding; dicarboxylates; ultracycles; Introduction Macrocycles containing more

• than 50 atoms in the macrocyclic skeleton are denoted as ultracycles [1]. These very large macrocycles are prevalent in nature and exhibit unique functions. For instance, the archaeal lipid GDGT-0 enables archaea to thrive in extreme environments [2]; cycloamyloses enhance the stability of drug

• , synthetic ultracycles remain relatively unexplored due to the significant synthetic challenges [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Among these, very large macrocycles constructed from smaller macrocyclic building units are particularly underexplored. Such macrocycle-containing ultracycles are

Unraveling cooperative interactions between complexed ions in dual-host strategy for cesium salt separation

• Zhihua Liu,
• Ya-Zhi Chen,
• Ji Wang,
• Qingling Nie,
• Wei Zhao and
• Biao Wu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 845–853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.68

• binding Na+ and K+ by oligourea foldamers and macrocycles [37][38][39]. However, in the solid−liquid extraction of Li2SO4 in DMSO, addition of crown ether did not help to increase the extraction efficiency. This is because ion-dipole interactions are negligible in high polar solvent, and Li+ binding is

• found to be co-stabilized by three 18-crown-6 macrocycles. Next, a solid–liquid extraction experiment was conducted for Cs2SO4 salts. A solution of hexaurea receptor L and two equivalents of 18-crown-6 in CHCl3 were prepared, and solid Cs2SO4 was added into the solution. Under stirring at 60 °C for 5

Acyclic cucurbit[n]uril bearing alkyl sulfate ionic groups

• Christian Akakpo,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 717–726, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.55

• [n])), and those prepared by metal ligands and H-bonding self-assembly processes [1][2][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Macrocycles have played key roles in important real-world products including the household deodorizer FebreezeTM, glucose monitors, and as solubilizing excipients [21

• acyclic CB[n] are not macrocycles, they are preorganized into a C-shaped geometry by virtue of their polycyclic chemical structure and display binding affinities approaching those of macrocyclic CB[n]. M1 and analogues display outstanding biocompatibility and have been used for a number of in vivo

Origami with small molecules: exploiting the C–F bond as a conformational tool

• Patrick Ryan,
• Ramsha Iftikhar and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 680–716, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.54

• groups in different relative locations around the macrocycle (e.g., 37, Figure 5), and it can be applied to larger macrocycles too [73]. Most strikingly, this effect has been exploited to modulate the aromas of fragrance compounds (e.g., compounds 38 and 39, Figure 5) by fine-tuning the shape of the

• orthogonal in 47 [84], leading to different overall molecular shapes for compounds 46 and 47. Another illustration of this phenomenon is seen with the macrocycles 48 and 49, which are simplified analogues of a known BACE-1 inhibitor [85]. In the non-fluorinated macrocycle 48, the aryl ether moiety features a

Formaldehyde surrogates in multicomponent reactions

• Cecilia I. Attorresi,
• Javier A. Ramírez and
• Bernhard Westermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 564–595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.45

• the MCR product is possible thus increasing the versatility of these reactions in terms of structural diversity and molecular complexity. In this context, a wide variety of heterocycles and macrocycles as important biological scaffolds have been synthesized [6]. One of the most important components

Beyond symmetric self-assembly and effective molarity: unlocking functional enzyme mimics with robust organic cages

• Keith G. Andrews

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 421–443, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.30

• imprinted polymers (MIPs) [60] has been discussed elsewhere and will not be covered. Perspective Cavity catalysis: current state of the art Functionalized macrocycles Since Cramer’s work with cyclodextrins [61][62][63], there has been significant interest in using macrocyclic confinement to modulate

• substrate reactivity [64]. Cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, cavitands, and calixarenes are representative [64][65][66][67][68][69][70], and typical features of these macrocycles are high symmetry and a hydrophobic cavity with polar edge groups. They tend to be synthesized as covalent cyclic oligomers in

• mixtures of ring sizes, either by enzymatic synthesis (cyclodextrins) or thermodynamic synthesis, and are used after separation of the different ring sizes. Since the macrocycles are generically hydrophobic on the interior, they can perform catalysis by dual-confinement of two hydrophobic substrates from

Hydrogen-bonded macrocycle-mediated dimerization for orthogonal supramolecular polymerization

• Wentao Yu,
• Zhiyao Yang,
• Chengkan Yu,
• Xiaowei Li and
• Lihua Yuan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 179–188, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.10

• covalently linked polymers. So far, the design of such monomers has relied heavily on three-dimensional macrocycles, and the use of two-dimensional shape-persistent macrocycles for this purpose remains rather rare. Here, we demonstrate a dimerization motif based on a hydrogen-bonded macrocycle that can be

• polymerization concentration of 17 μM. These polymers were highly concentration-dependent. Establishing this new dimerization motif with shape-persistent H-bonded macrocycles widens the scope of noncovalent building blocks for supramolecular polymers and augurs well for the future development of functional

• materials. Keywords: hydrogen-bonded macrocycle; orthogonal self-assembly; shape-persistent; supramolecular polymer; Introduction Host–guest interactions, particularly those involving macrocycles as hosts [1], have found a myriad of applications in supramolecular chemistry [2][3][4] owing to their ability

Advances in the use of metal-free tetrapyrrolic macrocycles as catalysts

• Mandeep K. Chahal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3085–3112, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.257

• Mandeep K. Chahal School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NH, UK 10.3762/bjoc.20.257 Abstract This review provides an overview of recent progress made in the field of catalysis using metal-free tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, focusing on calix[4]pyrroles

• applied in various fields, including organometallic catalysis, dye-sensitized solar cells, sensing, artificial olfactory systems, photodynamic therapy (PDT), anticancer drugs, biochemical probes, and electrochemical devices. Relevant examples of these two pyrrolic macrocycles as metal-free organocatalysts

• two macrocycles as metal-free catalysts. Keywords: calix[4]pyrroles; electrocatalysis; free-base porphyrins; organocatalysis; photocatalysis; tetrapyrrolic macrocycles; Introduction Tetrapyrrolic macrocycles are a class of cyclic compounds that contain four pyrrolic units in their ring. Examples of

Tailored charge-neutral self-assembled L₂Zn₂ container for taming oxalate

• David Ocklenburg and
• David Van Craen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3007–3015, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.250

• -driven self-assemblies like cages or containers while numerous classic organic receptors for oxalate exist. This discrepancy is astonishing because metallocontainers or metallocages have advantages over classic macrocycles or organocages like a higher modularity and good preorganization paired with a

• calcium oxalate [6][7][8]. Unsurprisingly, the detection of oxalate was studied with numerous classic organic receptors involving acyclic hosts [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], macrocycles [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33], and cages [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42

C–C Coupling in sterically demanding porphyrin environments

• Liam Cribbin,
• Brendan Twamley,
• Nicolae Buga,
• John E. O’ Brien,
• Raphael Bühler,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Mathias O. Senge

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2784–2798, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.234

• substrates in their void. Keywords: C–C coupling; conformational analysis; nonplanar porphyrin; Pd-catalysis; porphyrin; Introduction Porphyrins are tetrapyrrolic macrocycles that perform essential processes in nature, such as oxygen transport in hemoglobin and photosynthesis [1]. Porphyrins are often

• described as planar 18π aromatic macrocycles; however, molecular structure analysis frequently reveals nonplanar ring distortion [2][3]. In fact, porphyrins with nonplanar ring distortions are vital for many natural processes to occur, e.g., nonplanarity can alter oxygen affinity of the metal iron core [4

• ] and almost planar [19] dodecasubstituted porphyrins have been reported. Despite the increasing interest in the chemical and physical properties of nonplanar porphyrins only limited synthetic methods are available for the functionalization of these macrocycles [6]. An attractive approach to accomplish