The trans-influence in gold chemistry from a catalytic perspective

• Manfred Bochmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 838–856, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.66

• -relativistic computations on hydride complexes of heavy metals with 5d10 and 5d8 electron configuration to show that the 1H NMR chemical shift is dominated by relativistic spin–orbit (SO) effects. Weak trans-influence ligands, such as NO3−, Cl− or pyridine are strongly shielding, leading to negative values on

Unsymmetrical sulfoxides with sterically hindered catechol fragment: synthesis, structure, electrochemical properties, and antiradical activity

• Daria A. Burmistrova,
• Vasiliy A. Fokin,
• Oleg P. Demidov,
• Mikhail A. Kiskin,
• Maxim V. Arsenyev,
• Andrey I. Poddel’sky,
• Nadezhda T. Berberova and
• Ivan V. Smolyaninov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 828–837, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.65

• component of Oxone®) [37] – are commonly employed for this purpose. One of the most accessible approaches uses hydrogen peroxide along with catalytic systems based on transition metals [38]. Notably, this process is not stereoselective and affords chiral sulfoxides as a mixture of enantiomers. Besides

Synthesis of heterocycles based on azomethine ylides from α-amino acids (or amines) and carbonyl compounds

• Ekaterina V. Berezhnaya,
• Alexander I. Ponyaev,
• Vitali M. Boitsov and
• Alexander V. Stepakov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 705–741, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.55

• stereoselectivity. The cycloaddition proceeded with the formation of syn-endo cycloadducts 61 and was accompanied by the cleavage of the cinnamoyl group from triarylideneacetylacetone. In the context of the use of catalytic systems based on metals other than Cu and Ag for the (3 + 2) cycloaddition reactions of N

Photoorganocatalytic trifluoromethylation of (het)arenes in green conditions

• Egor N. Boronin,
• Svetlana E. Kaurkina,
• Milena M. Svetlakova,
• Anton S. Bolshakov,
• Maxim V. Arsenyev,
• Vasilii F. Otvagin,
• Alexey Yu. Fedorov,
• Timothy Noël and
• Alexander V. Nyuchev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 662–671, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.50

• ingredients (APIs) [1][2][3]. However, current approaches to accessing CF3-containing molecules frequently depend on costly and toxic rare metals, as well as on highly specialized trifluoromethyl sources [4][5]. This has stimulated an urgent demand for atom-economical and practical strategies to construct

• -based complexes to other transition metals and organic photocatalysts, as well as diverse CF3 sources. The major limitations of these methodologies include the high cost of catalysts and trifluoromethylating reagents, along with the use of toxic species such as transition-metal complexes and hazardous

Hydrogen production from formic acid catalyzed by NHC–Cu complexes

• Orlando Santoro and
• Catherine S. J. Cazin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 620–627, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.48

• from its dehydrogenation could be recycled by hydrogenation to methanol or formic acid [8][9][10]. The catalytic FA dehydrogenation has been mediated using several transition metals [11][12][13][14]. In this context, noble metals such as Ru [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], Ir [24][25][26][27][28

• ][29] and Rh [30][31] have shown to allow the selective transformation of formic acid into H2 and CO2 with high turnover frequencies (TOFs). In most cases, addition of a base (either amines or formate salts) is required to obtain high catalytic activity. Efficient systems based on inexpensive metals

• to 100,000) were achieved in the presence of a trialkylamine, no conversion was observed in the absence of additives. Other Fe-based systems proving highly performing in the FA dehydrogenation have been recently reviewed [11][21][34]. Furthermore, some reports concerning the use of non-noble metals

Continuous-flow carbonyl hydrogenation under subatmospheric to atmospheric hydrogen pressure enabled by robust heterogeneous Pt–Fe catalysts

• Hiroyuki Miyamura,
• Ryosuke Kajiyama,
• Shun-ya Onozawa,
• Yoshihiro Kon and
• Shū Kobayashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 575–582, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.43

• showed the highest TOF of >50 h−1 in this investigation, although overreduction occurred to some extent with this catalyst (Table 1, entry 8). Both the combination of metal species in bimetallic catalysts and the ratio of metals were important to optimize the catalytic performance with respect to

• was revived by a simple operation even if the catalyst became slightly deactivated. Interestingly, both the combination of metal species in the catalysts and the ratio of metals had a great impact on catalytic performance. The newly developed continuous-flow hydrogenation reaction under mild

Modern synthetic pathways towards eribulin and its subunits

• Sebastian Dominik Graf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 495–526, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.37

• reduction [85], epimerization of the secondary alcohol was effected via DMP-oxidation, and stereospecific reduction with Li(t-BuO)3AlH yielded 92. In comparison to the current pathway from 85 to 92, which involves the use of heavy metals adding considerable amounts of cost [19][66], this technique stands

Synthesis and uranyl(VI) extraction performance of a calix[4]pyrrole–tetrahydroxamic acid receptor

• Sara Karnib,
• Rana Baydoun,
• Wissam Zaidan,
• Nancy AlHaddad,
• Omar El Samad,
• Bilal Nsouli,
• Francine Cazier-Dennin and
• Pierre-Edouard Danjou

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 486–494, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.36

• matrices for a broad range of applications [9]. Notable examples include catalysis, chromogenic sensors and fluorescent sensors, as well as heavy metals extraction [12][13][14][15][16]. One CP molecule that has attracted the attention of several research groups is the meso-tetra-methyltetrakis(4

• receptors bearing both anion- and cation-binding sites, as well as systems capable of promoting ion-pair formation [23][24]. As effective chelating agents for a broad range of transition metals, hydroxamic acids constitute an important class of organic compounds that have attracted considerable attention

Recent advances in the cleavage of non-activated amides

• Eun-Sol Choi and
• Hyo-Jun Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 352–369, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.23

• substrate scope, mechanistic features, and unique advantages or limitations, with the goal of providing a comprehensive overview of current strategies and future opportunities for amide-bond manipulation. Review Transition-metal catalysis Various transition metals that function as Lewis acids have been

• specific reaction conditions. The Maes group introduced a tert-butyl nicotinate (N-t-Bu nic) moiety as a directing group to coordinate with transition metals, thereby enhancing electrophilicity and promoting esterification (Scheme 23) [75]. In the presence of a Zn catalyst, the amide is activated through

Arene activation via π-bond localization: concepts and opportunities

• Paul Meiners,
• Julian J. Melder and
• Tobias Morack

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 257–273, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.19

• following sections therefore focus on the selective disruption of aromaticity through the formation of transition metal–arene π-complexes. Transient and reversible coordination of transition metals to aromatic π-systems is a key feature of many catalytic transformations, with the oxidative addition of

• -Coordination-based dearomatization agents Among the numerous ways in which transition metals can engage with a subset of the arene π-system, selective η2-coordination by electron-rich fragments stands out as the most well-defined and widely exploited mode (Figure 4) [42]. The stability of such η2-arene

• ; Figure 4B) [44][45][46]. Collectively, these changes alter the innate reactivity of the arene, steering η2-coordinated systems toward electrophilic addition, cycloaddition, and hydrogenation processes. While many transition metals can engage aromatic rings through η2-coordination, only a handful have

Base-promoted deacylation of 2-acetyl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes and their oxygen-mediated hydroxylation

• Vladimir G. Ilkin,
• Margarita Likhacheva,
• Igor V. Trushkov,
• Tetyana V. Beryozkina,
• Vera S. Berseneva,
• Vladimir T. Abaev,
• Wim Dehaen and
• Vasiliy A. Bakulev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 192–204, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.13

• Sciences, 47 Leninsky ave., Moscow 119991, Russia North-Ossetian State University, 46 Vatutina st., Vladikavkaz 362025, Russia North Caucasus Federal University, 1 Pushkin st., Stavropol 355009, Russia Sustainable Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F

Total synthesis of natural products based on hydrogenation of aromatic rings

• Haoxiang Wu and
• Xiangbing Qi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 88–122, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.4

• -art systems depend on expensive transition metals such as platinum, ruthenium, or palladium, inflating the cost of large-scale applications. In addition, precious-metal catalysts often display poor selectivity, while heteroatoms in heteroarenes – acting as Lewis bases – tend to coordinate to the metal

• rings becomes achievable, enabling access to reduced products with well-defined configurations [38]. Although the repertoire of ligands capable of exerting precise stereocontrol remains limited, each provides distinct advantages that suit different metals and reaction conditions. From the perspective of

Advances in Zr-mediated radical transformations and applications to total synthesis

• Hiroshige Ogawa and
• Hugh Nakamura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 71–87, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.3

• from silicate minerals (ZrSiO4) in igneous rocks, which are widely distributed in the Earth's crust. Consequently, compared with certain rare metals whose sources are limited – such as iridium, rhodium, palladium, platinum, and ruthenium – zirconium is relatively inexpensive and readily available

• for heteroatoms – that offer the potential to enable chemical transformations previously unsolved. Nevertheless, compared to other transition metals like nickel and palladium, the development of zirconium-based catalysis is still in its early stages, leaving ample room for further exploration. The

Synthesis and applications of alkenyl chlorides (vinyl chlorides): a review

• Daniel S. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 1–63, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.1

• Scheme 28D, involving initial generation of a nitrogen-centered radical 165, which undergoes intramolecular addition to the pendant allene to form a vinyl radical intermediate 166. Subsequent interception of 166 by an N–Cl bond furnishes alkenyl chloride 164. 1.4 Reaction of alkenyl metals with chlorine

Thiazolidinones: novel insights from microwave synthesis, computational studies, and potentially bioactive hybrids

• Luan A. Martinho,
• Victor H. J. G. Praciano,
• Guilherme D. R. Matos,
• Claudia C. Gatto and
• Carlos Kleber Z. Andrade

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2618–2636, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.203

• compounds [79]. The colorimetric properties of rhodanine-derived compound 3n were used in the determination of silver [80] and gold [81] metals, and as a fluorescent sensor for detection of human serum albumin (HSA) [82]. Despite this, the TZD-derived compound 4n had its photophysical properties neglected

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of selenium-containing atropisomers via C–Se bond formations

• Qi-Sen Gao,
• Zheng-Wei Wei and
• Zhi-Min Chen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2447–2455, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.186

• has emerged as a powerful strategy for the rapid synthesis of functionally enriched axially chiral diaryl compounds. However, due to the potential strong coordination between organoselenium compounds and transition metals, the direct construction of C–Se bonds via metal-catalyzed C–H bond

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

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

• include the use of transition metals or photoredox catalysts. In photoredox catalysis, radical generation often involves single-electron transfer (SET) to or from a photoexcited state of a photoredox catalyst, usually a metal complex or organic molecule. Two other notable strategies for radical generation

• -photocatalysts [10][11][12] have been successfully incorporated into enantioselective radical reactions. The use of transition metals to catalyze enantioselective radical reactions can be considered a major advancement in the field of asymmetric catalysis. Several metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and

• titanium have been employed successfully to catalyze enantioselective radical reactions. Two earth abundant transition metals that have found extensive application in enantioselective radical reactions are copper and nickel. These metals, particularly Ni, can be used in radical–radical coupling reactions

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

• using a wide range of noble or non-noble metal catalysts [227]. For example, treatment of levulinic acid under vapor phase in a continuous fixed-bed with bifunctional mesoporous SBA-15 doped with metals such as Nb, Ti, and Zr having hydrogenation centers and acidic sites led to VA, with GVL and alkyl

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

• represent the most established approach to imino-pinacol coupling (Scheme 1), with zero-valent metals traditionally employed as reductants and various strategies extensively explored [2]. The use of alkali metals [3][4][5], as lithium and sodium, and alkaline earth metals [6], as magnesium, are

• characteristic of the earliest versions of this transformation. Several metals from the p- and the d-blocks of the periodic table, such as aluminum [7], indium [8], bismuth [7], zinc [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], and manganese [18][19], were later studied. The use of zinc, in particular, has attracted

Influence of the cation in hypophosphite-mediated catalyst-free reductive amination

• Natalia Lebedeva,
• Fedor Kliuev,
• Olesya Zvereva,
• Klim Biriukov,
• Evgeniya Podyacheva,
• Maria Godovikova,
• Oleg I. Afanasyev and
• Denis Chusov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1661–1670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.130

• issue is a fundamentally important factor. In the present work, the reactivity of the hypophosphites of alkali metals (Li, K, Rb, and Cs) in reductive amination was explored for the first time. A set of secondary and tertiary amines was synthesized from various types of carbonyl compounds and amines

• metals other than sodium have been severely understudied in reductive transformations. While at least the structure of LiH2PO2 is known [30][31], rubidium hypophosphite is not described in the literature. There is only a very limited number of KH2PO2 utilization examples in copolymerization [32] and

• alkali metals, such as Li, K, Rb, and Cs was studied in the reductive amination for the first time. The reactivity was strongly influenced by acidity and the nature of the alkali metal cation: under neutral conditions, the yield decreased from Na to Cs, while acidic conditions with H3PO2 reversed this

Synthesis of optically active folded cyclic dimers and trimers

• Ena Kumamoto,
• Kana Ogawa,
• Kazunori Okamoto and
• Yasuhiro Morisaki

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1603–1612, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.124

• substituent(s) at appropriate position(s) on the benzene rings [8]. Enantiopure planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanes have been used as chiral auxiliaries and chiral ligands for transition metals in the fields of organic and organometallic chemistry [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In 2012

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

• one of the most dynamic and versatile areas of contemporary chemical research. Once viewed primarily as a cost-effective alternative to noble metals, copper has emerged as a powerful and versatile catalyst, capable of mediating a wide array of chemical transformations through both two-electron and

Microwave-enhanced additive-free C–H amination of benzoxazoles catalysed by supported copper

• Andrei Paraschiv,
• Valentina Maruzzo,
• Filippo Pettazzi,
• Stefano Magliocco,
• Paolo Inaudi,
• Daria Brambilla,
• Gloria Berlier,
• Giancarlo Cravotto and
• Katia Martina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1462–1476, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.108

• devoted to benzoxazoles. When applied to benzoxazole, the reaction is catalysed by transition metals such as Ag(I) [20], Mn(II) [21], Fe(III) [22][23], Co [24], Ni(II) [25] and Fe(III) [26]. However, the use of Cu(II) has increased thanks to its high tolerance towards several functional groups, high

• . Additionally, using supported metals instead of metal salts can prevent the formation of chelates, which might otherwise impact the efficiency of the procedure. Moreover, this approach can provide bifunctional catalysis as the support itself contributes to the catalyst's reactivity, thus enhancing its overall

• microwave irradiation to enhance the protocol’s efficacy. The non-thermal effects and unique ability of MW irradiation to promote reactions catalysed by solid-supported metals have already been demonstrated [53]. As shown in Scheme 1, our research is in line with earlier studies that highlight the

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

• Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven B-3001, Belgium 10.3762/bjoc.21.104 Abstract A one-step method has been developed for the preparation of 2,3-dihydro-2-sulfonyl-3,4,5-substituted 1,2-thiazoles by the reaction of acryl thioamides and