Themed collection Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry

Anthony Davis, Editorial Board Chair, and Becky Garton, Executive Editor, reflect on the 20^th anniversary of the launch of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Cysteine-selective thia-Michael addition provides opportunities in chemistry, biology, and medicine.

This review details the biological activity, biosynthesis and synthesis of isochromanone metabolites isolated from myxobacteria.

The radical chemistry of xanthates allows numerous approaches to tetralones, tetralins, and naphthalenes.

This review discusses the various types of noncovalent interactions in which sulfur atoms participate and their effects on protein stability, structure, folding and bioactivity.

Azetines are valuable 4-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles with unique reactivity and useful synthetic applications. Recent methods to access these compounds and a comprehensive review of their application as intermediates is presented.

The conformation of bisdifluoroacetamides is governed by dipole effects, rather than CH⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The first aromatic Claisen rearrangement of a 1,2-azaborine is described along with a quantitative kinetic comparison of the reaction of the azaborine with its direct all-carbon analogue.

Zn(II)-functionalized gold nanoparticles selectively bind the lipophilic, polyanionic biomarker PIP3 (orange) vs. hydrophilic ones, such as IP3 (red), with promising application in its extraction from biological fluids.

The first rearomatising (3 + 2) annulation of 3-nitroindoles and α,β-ynones has been achieved under metal-free conditions to access various α-arylidene cyclopenta[b]indoles.

Dimeric cyclization reactions show great potential to rapidly form highly substituted complex cyclic molecules from simple starting materials.

Simple squaramides bearing two fluorophores provide either colourimetric or fluorescent responses to oxoanions. Insertion of a methylene spacer between the fluorophore and squaramide leads to a ratiometirc fluorescent response to anions.

In vitro selection led to DNAzymes for N-alkylation of aliphatic amines by reductive amination and established a limit on the substrate scope of this catalysis.

This work details a novel approach to access the [7,6]-spirocyclic fragment of 13-desmethyl spirolide C. A more efficient synthesis of the key lactam dienophile is reported, and a comprehensive investigation of the Diels-Alder reaction is included.

Fulfilling stabilizing hydrogen bonds in a synthetic helix–turn–helix structure may concomitantly generate conformational frustration.

An efficient HOTf-catalyzed 1,4-addition reaction of difluoroenoxysilanes to chromones was developed, providing rapid access to valuable C2-difluoroalkylated chroman-4-ones. 3g showed antiproliferative effect on HCT116 cells with an IC₅₀ of 6.37 μM.

New second-generation “Temples” with bis-urea pillars and pyrenyl roof/floors show selective binding to polar aromatic compounds in aqueous media, with strong fluorescence responses.

The use of pentafluoropyridine (PFP) is reported in ester and thioester coupling reactions. The reaction proceeds via an in situ generated acyl fluoride intermediate.