Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry Blog

Issue 32 is now published, read it here today!

The front cover of this issue (right) highlights the work of E. Peter Kündig et al. who present the total syntheses of the Lythracea alkaloids (+)-vertine and (+)-lythrine, which is the first reported total synthesis of (+)-lythrine.

Asymmetric synthesis of (+)-vertine and (+)-lythrine
Laëtitia Chausset-Boissarie, Roman Àrvai, Graham R. Cumming, Laure Guénée and E. Peter Kündig
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25880C

The inside cover (left) is courtesy of Sheshanath V. Bhosale et al. whose Emerging area review provides an update on the progress in the field of core-substituted naphthalenediimides from 2010, covering supramolecular chemistry, sensors, photo-induced electron transport in artificial photosystems, and solar cell applications.

Recent progress of core-substituted naphthalenediimides: highlights from 2010
Sheshanath V. Bhosale,  Sidhanath V. Bhosale and Suresh K. Bhargava
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25798J

Both of these articles will free to access for the next 6 weeks so take a look and let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry issue 31, it’s here and waiting to be read!

Secondary alcohols having bulky substituents on both sides of the hydroxy group are inherently poor substrates for most lipases. In a paper by Tadashi Ema et al., highlighted on this week’s front cover of OBC (right), the detailed rational design and creation of mutant lipases that display remarkably enhanced catalytic activity and enantioselectivity for poor substrates bearing bulky substituents on both sides of the hydroxy group is presented.

Redesign of enzyme for improving catalytic activity and enantioselectivity toward poor substrates: manipulation of the transition state
Tadashi Ema, Yasuko Nakano, Daiki Yoshida, Shusuke Kamata and Takashi Sakai
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25614B

The inside front cover (left) highlights the Communication of Wen-Xiong Zhang and Zhenfeng Xi et al., presenting the first metal-free one-pot sequential coupling of various amines, carbodiimides and acyl dichlorides, providing a simple and straightforward path to cyclic di-oxoguanidines via an unexpected 2,2-dichloroimidazolidindione intermediate.

Metal-free synthesis of cyclic di-oxoguanidines via one-pot sequential transformation of amines, carbodiimides and acyl dichlorides
Fei Zhao, Yang Wang, Wen-Xiong Zhang and Zhenfeng Xi
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25799H

Both of these featured articles are FREE to access for the next 6 weeks, why not have a read and let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

View the complete issue online now……

The front cover of this issue of OBC highlights the work of Tirumala G. Varadarajua and Jih Ru Hwu, demonstrating an efficient and convergent route for the synthesis of the natural product (+)-lithospermic acid, developing two different synthetic routes for the diastereoselective synthesis of the trans-dihydrobenzo[b]furan segment of lithospermic acid.

Synthesis of anti-HIV lithospermic acid by two diverse strategies
Tirumala G. Varadaraju and Jih Ru Hwu
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25575H

The Communication highlighted on the inside cover of this issue comes from Pandi Muthupandi and Govindasamy Sekar, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and presents the synthesis of an unusual dinuclear chiral iron complex that was used to asymmetrically hydrophosphorylate aldehydes to synthesis optically active α-hydroxy phosphonates.

Synthesis of an unusual dinuclear chiral iron complex and its application in asymmetric hydrophosphorylation of aldehydes
Pandi Muthupandi and Govindasamy Sekar
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25810B

Other great content in this week’s issue of OBC includes:

Emerging Area
Chiral quaternary phosphonium salts: a new class of organocatalysts
Dieter Enders and Thanh Vinh Nguyen
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25823D

Perspective
Self-assembly driven by an aromatic primary amide motif
Myungeun Seo, Jeyoung Park and Sang Youl Kim
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB25117E

Read the FUL ISSUE today!

The latest issue of OBC is now available to access, and here’s a quick peek…

Steaming its way on to the front cover is this image (right) from Alejandro Parra & José Alemán et al. Their perspective gives the reader a general overview of some of the most relevant topics in the applications of chiral metallic organophosphates, and includes a selection of the most outstanding uses of these catalysts.

Metallic organophosphates as catalysts in asymmetric synthesis: a return journey
Alejandro Parra, Silvia Reboredo, Ana M. Martín Castro and José Alemán
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2012, 10, 5001–5020

And coming into bloom on the inside cover is this image (left) highlighting the work Hongjie Zhang et al. describing the isolation and structure elucidation of 3 novel abietane diterpenoids, rubesanolides C–E (1–3) from the leaves of the medicinal plant Isodon rubescens

Rubesanolides C–E: abietane diterpenoids isolated from Isodon rubescens and evaluation of their anti-biofilm activity
Juan Zou, Lutai Pan, Qiji Li, Jianxin Pu, Ping Yao, Min Zhu, Jeffrey A. Banas, Hongjie Zhang and Handong Sun
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2012, 10, 5039–5044

Read both for FREE for the next 6 weeks!

As well as many excellent papers, there is also this perspective by Ramakrishna Edupuganti and Franklin A. Davis on the synthesis and applications of masked oxo-sulfinamides in asymmetric synthesis.

Find the complete OBC issue 26 here…