The combination of multicomponent approaches with light-driven processes opens up new scenarios in the area of synthetic organic chemistry, where the need for sustainable, atom- and energy-efficient reactions is increasingly urgent. Photoinduced multicomponent reactions are still in their infancy, but significant developments in this area are expected in the near future.

Photoinduced Multicomponent Reactions.

The first example of copper-mediated oxidative annulation of phenols and unactivated internal alkynes to afford benzofuran derivatives was reported. Various phenols and unactivated internal alkynes were successfully employed. Mechanistic studies disclosed a new strategy on annulations of alkynes with phenols through reversible electrophilic carbocupration of phenol followed by alkyne insertion and cyclization.

Benzofuran synthesis via copper-mediated oxidative annulation of phenols and unactivated internal alkynes

Introduction: Spirooxindole, a unique and versatile scaffold, has been widely studied in some fields such as pharmaceutical chemistry and synthetic chemistry. Especially in the application of medicine, quite a few compounds featuring spirooxindole motif have displayed excellent and broad pharmacological activities. Many identified candidate molecules have been used in clinical trials, showing promising prospects.Areas covered: This article offers an overview of different applications and developments of spirooxindoles (including the related natural products and their derivatives) in the process of drug innovation, including such as in anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antimalarial, and antiviral activities. Furthermore, the crucial structure-activity relationships, molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetic properties, and main synthetic methods of spirooxindoles-based derivatives are also reviewed.Expert opinion: Recent progress in the biological activity profiles of spirooxindole derivatives have demonstrated their significant position in present-day drug discovery. Furthermore, we believe that the multidirectional development of novel drugs containing this core scaffold will continue to be the research hotspot in medicinal chemistry in the future.

An overview of spirooxindole as a promising scaffold for novel drug discovery.

Recent advances in visible-light-mediated organic transformations in water

(Benz)imidazoles can be efficiently functionalized by (hetero)aryl chlorides via direct C–H bond arylation in the presence of a well-defined NHC-Pd(II)-Im complex. Under the optimal conditions, various activated, unactivated, and deactivated (hetero)aryl chlorides were successfully applied as the arylating reagents to achieve the 2-(hetero)aryl (benz)imidazoles in acceptable to high yields, giving a facile and alternative methodology for the direct C–H bond arylation of (benz)imidazoles.

Forid Saikh

Papers

Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine synthesis in aqueous ethanol by visible light

Synthesis of 3-methyl-4-arylmethylene isoxazole-5(4H)-ones by visible light in aqueous ethanol

A new synthesis of 2-aryl/alkylbenzofurans by visible light stimulated intermolecular Sonogashira coupling and cyclization reaction in water

Oxidative aromatization of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines by cupric bromide under mild heterogeneous condition

Studies on the interaction of a synthetic nitro-flavone derivative with DNA: A multi-spectroscopic and molecular docking approach.