Visible-light-driven NHC and organophotoredox dual catalysis for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds

• Vasudevan Dhayalan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2584–2603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.200

• carbonyl compounds and pharmaceutically relevant intermediates. Moreover, this catalytic system operates under green and sustainable conditions, tolerating a broad range of functional groups and substrate scope, and utilizes low-cost, atom-economical, non-toxic starting materials. Keywords: dual catalysis

• ][2][3][4][5][6]. Recently developed photocatalysis affords sustainable, regioselective green methods for producing a wide range of functionalized carbonyl compounds and their related bioactive chiral intermediates under mild conditions, employing dual organic photoredox catalysis [7][8][9][10][11

• continued integration of this versatile photocatalytic platform with sustainable methods such as visible-light harvesting and the use of earth-abundant catalysts is expected to further enhance its impact across diverse research fields, including chemical biology, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, polymers

Transformation of the cyclohexane ring to the cyclopentane fragment of biologically active compounds

• Natalya Akhmetdinova,
• Ilgiz Biktagirov and
• Liliya Kh. Faizullina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2416–2446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.185

• of reactivity, they are environmentally sustainable alternatives to heavy metals. The advantage of hypervalent catalytic systems based on iodine lies in their reusability [63]. The oxidative contraction of the tetralone cycle 117 depended on the stoichiometric amounts of iodine(III)-based chiral

The high potential of methyl laurate as a recyclable competitor to conventional toxic solvents in [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions

• Ayhan Yıldırım and
• Mustafa Göker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2389–2415, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.184

• attracted attention as a potential alternative to conventional organic solvents on account of its environmentally friendly properties. The material is biodegradable, non-toxic and derived from renewable resources, thus making it a sustainable choice for a variety of applications. The primary benefit of this

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• ) should enable the development of methodologies that expand radical transformations to a larger number of substrates in green and sustainable ways. Nickel is an earth-abundant transition metal that has been used in several organic transformations [49][50][51][52]. Chiral nickel catalysts have been

• quenching, in some cases involving radical–polar crossover processes. The photoredox catalysts used in most of the synergistic catalysis are Ir and Ru-based systems that are expensive and less readily available. This limitation can be overcome by developing green and sustainable organophotoredox systems

• . The use of more sustainable photoredox catalysts – organic molecules or complexes of earth-abundant metals – is a key endeavor toward decreasing reliance on the iridium and ruthenium complexes commonly employed in photoredox methods. As a whole, asymmetric radical chemistry offers significant utility

Pathway economy in cyclization of 1,n-enynes

• Hezhen Han,
• Wenjie Mao,
• Bin Lin,
• Maosheng Cheng,
• Lu Yang and
• Yongxiang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2260–2282, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.173

• substrate class. Through mechanistic-guided modulation of catalysts, solvents, ligands, and angle strain, this approach achieves unprecedented reaction pathway control while demonstrating superior temporal and step efficiency compared to conventional methods. The work establishes a sustainable framework for

• conceptual framework and innovative applications of pathway economy in the cyclization chemistry of 1,n-enynes. The strategic integration of pathway economy principles not only redefines reaction design paradigms but also establishes a sustainable platform for precision organic synthesis. By judiciously

• accelerating reaction optimization. Furthermore, expanding this concept to other reaction manifolds – such as electrocyclic processes and photoredox catalysis – may uncover new avenues for molecular innovation. The pursuit of pathway-economical synthesis represents a paradigm shift toward sustainable and

Electrochemical cyclization of alkynes to construct five-membered nitrogen-heterocyclic rings

• Lifen Peng,
• Ting Wang,
• Zhiwen Yuan,
• Bin Li,
• Zilong Tang,
• Xirong Liu,
• Hui Li,
• Guofang Jiang,
• Chunling Zeng,
• Henry N. C. Wong and
• Xiao-Shui Peng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2173–2201, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.166

• Sindhu in 2022 [98] and sustainable syntheses of heterocycles from alkyne annulations through C–H activations were reported by Ackermann in 2024 [111]. Although few examples about the electrochemical formation of five-membered rings from alkynes were included in the above reviews [106][111], a systemic

• afforded 12a and regenerated (DMSO)nCuI. Notably, this reaction, using KI as the only additive and performing under ambient conditions in a non-volatile aqueous solvent, was a simple, selective, efficient and sustainable electrosynthesis of indole derivatives. 3-Selenylindoles were also formed by

• sustainable strategy for the preparation of 3-selenylindoles. In 2023, Satyanarayana also described a similar electrochemical cascade approach towards 3-selenylindoles from 2-alkynylanilines (Scheme 6) [202]. When graphite was used as anode, platinum as cathode and LiClO4 as electrolyte, the electrochemical

C2 to C6 biobased carbonyl platforms for fine chemistry

• Jingjing Jiang,
• Muhammad Noman Haider Tariq,
• Florence Popowycz,
• Yanlong Gu and
• Yves Queneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2103–2172, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.165

• : aldehydes; biobased chemistry; biomass; carbonyl; fine chemicals; ketones; multicomponent; platforms; sustainability; Introduction Shifting towards sustainable practices in the chemical industry relies on continued advancement of green chemistry sciences which aim to minimize the global environmental

• impact while maintaining the efficiency of the chemical processes [1]. Green Chemistry principles outlined by Anastas and Warner in their work “Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice (2000)” [2] notably highlight atom economy, waste minimization and the use of renewable feedstock as pillars of sustainable

• dedicated to the conversion of biomass-derived platform molecules [10][11]. Recent studies have also highlighted the potential of biobased aromatic compounds as sustainable alternatives to their fossil-derived counterparts [12][13][14][15]. Developing biobased solvents [16][17] and platform chemicals from

Understanding the origin of stereoselectivity in the photochemical denitrogenation of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene and its derivatives with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics

• Leticia A. Gomes and
• Steven A. Lopez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2007–2020, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.156

• ; stereoselectivity; Introduction Photochemical reactions utilize light as a sustainable energy source and are considered to be ‘green’ reactions [1][2]. Organic chromophores absorb light, accessing higher-lying excited state(s) that exhibit distinct reactivities, leading to bond breaking and formation, irreversibly

Stereoselective electrochemical intramolecular imino-pinacol reaction: a straightforward entry to enantiopure piperazines

• Margherita Gazzotti,
• Fabrizio Medici,
• Valerio Chiroli,
• Laura Raimondi,
• Sergio Rossi and
• Maurizio Benaglia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1897–1908, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.147

• -pinacol coupling reaction are efficient, they often require more than stoichiometric amounts of metal reductants and produce significant quantities of metal waste, which in some cases can present considerable environmental and safety concerns. To mitigate this issue, more sustainable approaches, such as

• sustainable alternative; however, unfortunately, the electrochemical application is limited to only a few examples (Scheme 3). The electroreductive coupling of imines was first reported in the early 20th century by Law [42]. However, this initial method led to the formation of vicinal diamines with low to

• scaffolds that are commonly used as chiral ligands. In this context we report the development of a more sustainable method – which avoids the use of lead bromide or lead electrodes – employing an undivided cell with two glassy carbon electrodes for the electroreductive intramolecular coupling of aromatic

Fe-catalyzed efficient synthesis of 2,4- and 4-substituted quinolines via C(sp²)–C(sp²) bond scission of styrenes

• Prafull A. Jagtap,
• Manish M. Petkar,
• Vaishnavi R. Sawant and
• Bhalchandra M. Bhanage

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1799–1807, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.142

• light of climate change and the ongoing energy crisis, there is an urgent need to reform energy and chemical production by prioritizing environmentally sustainable methods that are both practical and broadly implementable. Styrenes are industrially important bulk chemicals [39], with an estimated global

• biocatalysts, as well as enzymatic processes. Among these, molecular oxygen stands out as a greener and more sustainable oxidant due to its natural abundance, low cost, and environmentally friendly properties, making it an appealing option for both academic research and industrial applications. Recently, some

Approaches to stereoselective 1,1'-glycosylation

• Daniele Zucchetta and
• Alla Zamyatina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1700–1718, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.133

• Daniele Zucchetta Alla Zamyatina Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Resources, Institute of Organic Chemistry, BOKU University, 1190 Vienna, Austria 10.3762/bjoc.21.133 Abstract Nonreducing disaccharides are prevalent in non-mammalian glycans and glycolipids, serving as pivotal

Continuous-flow-enabled intensification in nitration processes: a review of technological developments and practical applications over the past decade

• Feng Zhou,
• Chuansong Duanmu,
• Yanxing Li,
• Jin Li,
• Haiqing Xu,
• Pan Wang and
• Kai Zhu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1678–1699, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.132

• requirements, and environmental considerations, with modern trends emphasizing the development of sustainable, recyclable solvent systems that minimize waste generation and energy consumption. Reactor forms: In continuous-flow nitration applications, tubular reactors (53%) and chip reactors (36%) are

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

• catalyst loadings from 1 wt % to 5 wt %. The CS600 catalyst was reused in 5 reaction cycles and the yield of ester 5a after the 5th reaction cycle was 89%. These results highlight the promise of carbide slag as a sustainable and affordable catalyst for the production of various valuable esters. The use of

• industrial wastes not only contributes to reducing environmental impact, but also provides new opportunities for the development of sustainable synthetic methods in the chemical industry. Further research can be focused on optimizing the process and exploring the applicability of this catalyst in other

Copper catalysis: a constantly evolving field

• Elena Fernández and
• Jaesook Yun

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1477–1479, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.109

• , decarboxylative functionalizations, and Chan–Lam coupling reactions. In doing so, the authors point out the combination of transition-metal catalysis and electrochemistry as an efficient, sustainable method for the oftentimes challenging formation of C–C and C–heteroatom bonds in complex molecules. Another Review

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

Reactions of acryl thioamides with iminoiodinanes as a one-step synthesis of N-sulfonyl-2,3-dihydro-1,2-thiazoles

• Vladimir G. Ilkin,
• Pavel S. Silaichev,
• Valeriy O. Filimonov,
• Tetyana V. Beryozkina,
• Margarita D. Likhacheva,
• Pavel A. Slepukhin,
• Wim Dehaen and
• Vasiliy A. Bakulev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1397–1403, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.104

• Bukireva str., Perm 614990, Russia Department of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Ural Federal University, 19 Mira str., Yekaterinburg 620002, Russia Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 22/20 S. Kovalevskoy str., Yekaterinburg 620108, Russia Sustainable

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

• quinolinone products. Beyond electrochemical protocols, photochemical activation – particularly visible-light photoredox catalysis – has become a powerful and sustainable strategy for generating carbon radicals under mild conditions. In 2023, Fan’s group discovered a radical cyclization of N-arylacrylamides

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

• . This can be obtained from renewable biomass and is therefore considered to be a "green" solvent. In 2-MeTHF (conditions (C)), product 1f was isolated with a yield of 95% and derivative 1h with a yield of 91%. This shows that the sustainable solvent is a potent alternative to 1,4-dioxane. With the new

• , kinetic control is warranted by conducting the condensation synthesis at room temperature for only short reaction times. Furthermore, 2-MeTHF was successfully implemented as a sustainable alternative to 1,4-dioxane. This modified protocol is clearly superior to the initial protocol (in 1,4-dioxane/ethanol

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

• expectedly unfeasible because it suffered acid hydrolysis during gold precipitation reaction. Conclusion The present review describes the available literature reports on the use of α- and β-cyclodextrins for sustainable isolation of gold. The majority of reports, as well as the developed processes of

Recent advances in synthetic approaches for bioactive cinnamic acid derivatives

• Betty A. Kustiana,
• Galuh Widiyarti and
• Teni Ernawati

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1031–1086, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.85

• sustainable approaches. Given the widespread incorporation of the cinnamic acid framework in various therapeutic agents, this review delivers critical insights into a molecular design for hit-to-lead optimization, offering detailed synthetic strategies for diverse functional modifications. By critically

• examining these methodologies, the paper underscores their role in expanding the utility of cinnamic acid derivatives and addressing prevailing challenges. Keywords: biologically active; cinnamic acid derivatives; environmentally sustainable; synthetic methodologies; Review 1 Introduction Cinnamic acid is

• applications in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, innovative synthetic methodologies, including environmentally sustainable approaches [21][22][23], advanced catalytic systems [24][25][26], photocatalysis [27][28][29], and cutting-edge technologies, such as flow chemistry [30][31], have contributed

Biobased carbon dots as photoreductants – an investigation by using triarylsulfonium salts

• Valentina Benazzi,
• Arianna Bini,
• Ilaria Bertuol,
• Mariangela Novello,
• Federica Baldi,
• Matteo Hoch,
• Alvise Perosa and
• Stefano Protti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1024–1030, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.84

• biocompatibility. The electrochemical properties of such materials have been then evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). For all the properties mentioned above, CDs emerged as low-cost and sustainable photocatalysts. Indeed, upon visible-light irradiation, the generated excited state CD* can operate as either

• types of CDs and aims to promote the use of these sustainable materials, it opens the way for further exploitation of such compounds in visible-light-catalyzed reactions. UV–vis spectra of the CDs. All the measurements have been performed in water, except for CD-a-GLU, where a H2O/acetonitrile 1:1

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

• providing illustrative examples across reaction classes, and emerging strategies for programming synthetic outcomes. The integration of these approaches promises to accelerate drug discovery and materials development through sustainable, atom-economic synthesis of complex molecular libraries. Review Ligand

Recent advances in the electrochemical synthesis of organophosphorus compounds

• Babak Kaboudin,
• Milad Behroozi,
• Sepideh Sadighi and
• Fatemeh Asgharzadeh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 770–797, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.61

• recent years on developing new methods for synthesizing organophosphorus compounds [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Developing sustainable and green methods for synthesizing organophosphorus materials is a growing field. Methods based on photocatalysis [36], flow-based

New advances in asymmetric organocatalysis II

• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 766–769, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.60

• from a brief Web of Science analysis of the 6,700 articles, published within the past 25 years, retrieved through a search of the keywords “asymmetric organocatalysis”. Organocatalysis is now part of various areas of chemistry, spanning as far as polymer, materials, as well as green and sustainable

Sequential two-step, one-pot microwave-assisted Urech synthesis of 5-monosubstituted hydantoins from L-amino acids in water

• Wei-Jin Chang,
• Sook Yee Liew,
• Thomas Kurz and
• Siow-Ping Tan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 596–600, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.46

• this study, we present an innovative, sustainable approach to synthesizing hydantoins (H2a–j) directly from amino acids. This method employs a column chromatography-free, two-step, one-pot microwave-assisted synthesis that delivers hydantoins in yields ranging from 34% to 89%. The protocol demonstrates

• significantly speeds up reaction times, making it a valuable advancement in green and sustainable chemistry. Experimental General procedure for the synthesis of (S)-5-benzylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (H2a) A 30 mL microwave reactor vial was charged with ʟ-phenylalanine (5 mmol), distilled water (7 mL), and