Aurélien Huet , Benjamin Louis , Rana Deeba , Ahmed Ait Khouya , Yves Chenavier , Renaud Demadrille , Jacques Pécaut , Lionel Dubois , Julie Andrez
{"title":"Enabling C–C bond-forming strategies for tailored derivatisation of heptazine frameworks","authors":"Aurélien Huet , Benjamin Louis , Rana Deeba , Ahmed Ait Khouya , Yves Chenavier , Renaud Demadrille , Jacques Pécaut , Lionel Dubois , Julie Andrez","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00267f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00267f","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interest in melon-related graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) materials has recently increased significantly due to their appealing properties as metal-free photocatalysts. Heptazine derivatives are now used in a variety of applications, including photocatalysis, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), sensors, gas separation and lithium-ion batteries. However, the chemistry and functionalisation of these materials have been limited due to the difficulty of controlling the reactivity of the heptazine core. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of previously inaccessible C–C coupling reactions, including the Suzuki, Sonogashira, Stille, Kumada and Negishi reactions, which have been successfully applied to dialkylamine-substituted heptazines. These advances establish a robust platform for the derivatisation of a broader range of heptazines. Particular emphasis is placed on the Stille reaction, demonstrating the influence of aryl electronic effects on yields. The electron-withdrawing nature of the heptazine core was further confirmed by evaluating subsequent post-functionalisation (nitration, bromination, and a second Stille coupling) on selected substituted heptazines. Electrochemical (CV) and optical (UV-Vis absorption/emission) studies demonstrate a clear dependence of the electronic properties on the substituent. Overall, these findings deepen our understanding of the relationships between the structure and properties of heptazine materials, providing guidance for their targeted molecular design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3580-3588"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shivam A. Meena , Deepika Thakur , Manvi Sharma , Akhilesh K. Verma
{"title":"Capturing CO: palladium-catalyzed, BrCF2COOK-mediated one-pot carbonylative coupling for the synthesis of oxindoles","authors":"Shivam A. Meena , Deepika Thakur , Manvi Sharma , Akhilesh K. Verma","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00177g","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00177g","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We herein report an unprecedented palladium-catalyzed difluorocarbene transfer reaction that enables one-pot carbonylative coupling for the construction of structurally diverse and functionalized oxindole derivatives. The transformation proceeds under mild reaction conditions employing a palladium catalyst in combination with potassium bromodifluoroacetate (BrCF<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>2</sub>K), which serves as a bench-stable difluorocarbene precursor and an <em>in situ</em> carbon monoxide (CO) source. This dual functionality of BrCF<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>2</sub>K eliminates the need for external CO gas, thereby enhancing safety, cost-effectiveness, and operational simplicity. The reaction efficiently incorporates various coupling partners, including boronic acids, amines, alcohols, and alkynes, enabling the simultaneous introduction of carbonyl and functional groups into the oxindole core. The methodology exhibits a broad substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, and good to excellent yields, offering a versatile and practical approach for accessing valuable oxindole frameworks. Furthermore, basic hydrolysis of the reaction mixture (when methacryloyl was employed for double protection) furnished the free N–H products, which can serve as versatile intermediates for subsequent derivatization or functionalization, unlike their <em>N</em>-methyl-protected counterparts that lack such synthetic flexibility. Mechanistic insights and control experiments suggest the involvement of key Pd(<span>ii</span>) intermediates and <em>in situ</em> generated difluorocarbene species, which mediate sequential alkene insertion, carbene transfer, and carbonylation steps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3794-3801"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yanan Zhang , Aojie Zhang , Yue Zhang , Qing Liu , Fachao Yan , Qiang Liu , Lizhi Zhang , Maojin Tian , Zengdian Zhao , Hui Liu
{"title":"Rotating magnetic field-enhanced PPh3-mediated deoxygenative C–N coupling of nitroarenes with boronic acids","authors":"Yanan Zhang , Aojie Zhang , Yue Zhang , Qing Liu , Fachao Yan , Qiang Liu , Lizhi Zhang , Maojin Tian , Zengdian Zhao , Hui Liu","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00188b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00188b","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diarylamines are privileged motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials, yet their synthesis typically relies on transition-metal-catalyzed C–N couplings that require prefunctionalized anilines. We report a solvent-free electromagnetic mechanochemical protocol that enables PPh<sub>3</sub>-promoted deoxygenative C–N coupling of nitroarenes with boronic acids under a rotating magnetic field. The synergistic action of electromagnetic induction and mechanical collision activates simple triphenylphosphine to promote C–N bond formation without silanes, light, electrochemistry, or designer phosphines. Notably, bromo- and iodo-substituted substrates—often incompatible with conventional metal-catalyzed systems—remained completely intact, highlighting the exceptional halogen tolerance of this protocol. The reaction proceeds smoothly in air and without solvent, demonstrating a robust, sustainable, and magnetically driven strategy for C–N bond construction from simple and abundant feedstocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3674-3682"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147755312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cu(ii)-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of enaminones and N-tosylaziridines leading to2,3-dihydropyrroles","authors":"Xu Zhang , Shiru Zhao , Guo Lv , Mengxin Chen , Wenguang Li , Xuefeng Xu","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00319b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00319b","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A copper-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between <em>N</em>-tosylaziridines and enaminones has been developed for the synthesis of functionalized 2,3-dihydropyrroles under ambient conditions. This approach proceeds <em>via</em> a facile nucleophilic ring-opening step and tolerates a range of enaminones bearing diverse functional groups and substitution patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3668-3673"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sen Li , Shilin He , Yangzheng Lin , Jinbao Han , Jiating Li , Shaohui Lin , Lei Shi , Zhen Guo
{"title":"Spin-selective generation of triplet alkenylcarbenes: olefin cyclopropanation through visible light photosensitization of alkenyldiazo compounds","authors":"Sen Li , Shilin He , Yangzheng Lin , Jinbao Han , Jiating Li , Shaohui Lin , Lei Shi , Zhen Guo","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00337k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00337k","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alkenyldiazo compounds are interesting precursors for generating alkenylcarbenoid intermediates, but their direct photochemical activation can result in competitive formation of 1<em>H</em>-pyrazoles <em>via</em> 1,5-electrocyclization and cyclopropenes <em>via</em> singlet carbene-mediated 2π-electrocyclization. Herein, we report the spin-selective generation of triplet free alkenylcarbenes from alkenyldiazo compounds through their energy transfer with visible light-activated 4DPAIPN. The spin state of free alkenylcarbenes can be controlled by introducing an electron-withdrawing group to the γ-position of alkenyldiazo reagents. This strategy is applied to the cyclopropanation with exogenous alkenes, providing a photochemical metal-free approach to synthesize alkenylcyclopropanes. The reaction tolerates many sensitive functional groups, such as free alcohol, secondary amine, carboxylic acid, and bioactive scaffolds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3786-3793"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"α-Borylcarbene precursors: design, generation, and synthetic opportunities","authors":"Ryuya Miyazaki , Kei Muto , Junichiro Yamaguchi","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00368k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00368k","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>α-Boryl carbenes combine the high reactivity of carbenes with the synthetic versatility of organoboron compounds, enabling unique strategies for molecular construction. However, their practical use has long been limited by the intrinsic instability of α-boryl diazo intermediates and the difficulty of generating these carbenes in a controlled manner. In recent years, significant progress has been achieved through the development of well-designed precursors that balance stability with efficient carbene generation. This review summarizes recent advances in α-boryl carbene precursor design and reactivity. The discussion is organized according to precursor classes, including diazo compounds and sulfonyl hydrazones, alkynes, cyclopropenes, and haloalkanes. Key design principles that enable controlled carbene formation are highlighted together with representative synthetic transformations. These developments demonstrate how molecular design has transformed α-boryl carbene chemistry into a practical platform for organoboron synthesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3825-3845"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147732078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tullio Crovetto , Lukas Biesen , Andrea Messina , Lisa Moni , Chiara Lambruschini , Bernhard Mayer , Thomas J. J. Müller , Renata Riva
{"title":"Post-Ugi synthesis of furo[2,3-c]isoquinolines with expanded π-conjugation displaying emission upon induced aggregation","authors":"Tullio Crovetto , Lukas Biesen , Andrea Messina , Lisa Moni , Chiara Lambruschini , Bernhard Mayer , Thomas J. J. Müller , Renata Riva","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00311g","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00311g","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Furo[2,3-<em>c</em>]isoquinolines are tricyclic heteroaromatic structures that can be obtained by coupling the Ugi reaction with a complex Pd-mediated secondary transformation. These compounds are usually blue emitters, which can be converted to green emitters by modulating the electronic properties of the substituents as well as their position on the scaffold. Here, we present a different strategy for tuning the emission properties, which is the extension of the conjugation of the scaffold after the formation of the tricyclic heterocycle. This allowed us to synthesize a new library of highly conjugated and structurally complex fluorophores displaying considerable emission light-up upon induced aggregation. The electronic structure of absorption and emission of the chromophores was rationalized by cLR-CAM-B3LYP calculations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3763-3773"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147736069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Long-Jin Zhong , Shun-Dan Li , Xiao-Han Ma , Peng-Fei Huang , Quan Zhou , Ke-Wen Tang , Chang-Hui Liu , Yu Liu
{"title":"Visible-light-induced acylation of active olefins by a C–C bond cleavage/Smiles rearrangement radical relay strategy via EDA complexes","authors":"Long-Jin Zhong , Shun-Dan Li , Xiao-Han Ma , Peng-Fei Huang , Quan Zhou , Ke-Wen Tang , Chang-Hui Liu , Yu Liu","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00222f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00222f","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photoinduced C–C bond activation of acyl oxime esters to generate aliphatic and aryl acyl radicals typically requires noble metal photocatalysts or synthetically elaborate organic dyes. In contrast, electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex photochemistry has emerged as a powerful strategy in organic synthesis, offering operational simplicity and the potential to generate radicals <em>via</em> single electron transfer under visible-light irradiation without any photocatalysts. Herein, we report the first visible-light-induced EDA-complex-promoted acylation of 1,8-enynes through a C–C bond cleavage/Smiles rearrangement radical relay strategy. This photocatalyst- and initiator-free protocol aligns with green chemistry goals by avoiding stoichiometric oxidants, minimizing synthetic steps, and using visible light as a traceless energy source. The system tolerates both aliphatic and aryl acyl radicals simultaneously, enabling efficient access to a variety of acylated nitrogen-containing heterocycles in good to excellent yields. Notably, the transformation embodies high step-economy <em>via</em> the concurrent cleavage of four covalent bonds and formation of four new bonds in a single photochemical operation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3602-3608"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147726508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ran Ding , Chuan-Hao Zhang , Jia-Qi Yuan , Pei-Li Li , Xiao-Qing Yu , Zi-Rong Li , Hui Gao
{"title":"Synthesis of 8-membered tetrahydroazocines via manganese-mediated regioselective sulfonylation/cyclization of N-substituted enamides with sodium sulfinites","authors":"Ran Ding , Chuan-Hao Zhang , Jia-Qi Yuan , Pei-Li Li , Xiao-Qing Yu , Zi-Rong Li , Hui Gao","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00401f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00401f","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intermolecular radical cascade cyclization of tethered alkynes involving the cracking of aryl or vinyl C(sp<sup>2</sup>)–H has become an important pathway for the synthesis of benzene-fused or CC bond-containing heterocyclic building blocks. While major progress has been made in the construction of 5–7-membered heterocycles, the construction of 8-membered heterocycles such as tetrahydroazocines has remained elusive and challenging. Herein, we report the manganese-mediated sulfonylation/cyclization of <em>N</em>-substituted enamides to synthesize 8-membered tetrahydroazocines, involving chemoselective sulfonyl radical addition to the C–C triple bond and 8-<em>endo</em>-trig cyclization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3697-3702"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147755317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karolína Salvadori , Sabrina Pricl , Aura Tintaru , Alena Krupková , Václav Eigner , Pavel Matějka , Pavel Lhoták , Olivier Siri
{"title":"Self-aggregation and host–guest behavior of tetraureido-substituted tetranitro-azacalix[4]arenes","authors":"Karolína Salvadori , Sabrina Pricl , Aura Tintaru , Alena Krupková , Václav Eigner , Pavel Matějka , Pavel Lhoták , Olivier Siri","doi":"10.1039/d6qo00354k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6qo00354k","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The reaction of tetranitro-tetraminoazacalix[4]arene with a series of aromatic isocyanates leads to the formation of tetraureido-receptors, whose isolation was efficiently achieved (∼80% yield) by organic solvent nanofiltration when conventional chromatographic methods proved ineffective. The receptors exhibit a pronounced tendency to self-aggregate in solution, and the extent and stability of the formed assemblies are strongly modulated by the nature of the aryl substituents. A combined experimental (dilution NMR, DOSY) and theoretical investigation revealed that dimer formation arises from a cooperative interplay between π–π interactions and hydrogen bonding, with aromatic stacking providing the dominant stabilizing contribution. Molecular dynamics simulations highlight significant differences in the stability of selected dimers, rationalizing their distinct aggregation tendencies. X-ray analysis reveals that while π–π stacking remains significant even in the solid state, the ureido motifs preferentially coordinate solvent molecules. Importantly, receptor self-association does not prevent anion recognition. Even in the strongly hydrogen-bond-competitive solvent (DMSO), the receptors efficiently bind anions, exhibiting a selectivity sequence H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> > BzO<sup>−</sup> > AcO<sup>−</sup> ≫ Cl<sup>−</sup>, that cannot be rationalized solely by anion basicity. These findings demonstrate that tetraureido tetranitro-azacalix[4]arene architectures represent substitution-tunable supramolecular systems that combine controlled self-assembly with robust anion complexation ability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"13 12","pages":"Pages 3683-3696"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147755318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}