Catalytic Oxidative Annulations and Beyond: Sustainable Methods for N-Heterocycles
A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalysis in Organic and Polymer Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 212
Editors
Interests: heterocycle synthesis; medicine chemistry; synthesis methodology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are fundamental scaffolds in modern medicinal chemistry, agrochemicals, materials science, and catalysis. For decades, the development of efficient and selective synthetic methods to access these privileged structures has remained a central pursuit in organic chemistry. Among the diverse strategies available, catalytic oxidative annulation has emerged as a powerful and atom-economical approach, enabling the direct construction of C–C and C–N bonds from simple precursors without the need for pre-functionalization.
Traditional oxidative methods, however, often rely on stoichiometric amounts of toxic or expensive metal oxidants, require harsh conditions, and generate substantial waste. The current synthetic landscape urgently calls for a shift toward sustainable, step-economical, and environmentally benign alternatives. This Special Issue, “Catalytic Oxidative Annulations and Beyond: Sustainable Methods for N-Heterocycles”, aims to capture and accelerate this vital transition. We seek to highlight cutting-edge advances that redefine heterocycle synthesis through catalytic innovation, and welcome contributions addressing themes such as:
- Novel oxidative protocols using green oxidants (O2, air, electrochemical, or peroxide-based systems).
- Advanced catalytic systems—including photoredox, electrocatalysis, first-row transition metal catalysis, and organocatalysis—that promote dehydrogenative couplings and annulations.
- Metal-free catalytic strategies and innovative reaction designs enhancing selectivity and functional group tolerance.
- Mechanistic insights into sustainable catalytic oxidative transformations.
We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, communications, and insightful reviews that address these challenges and opportunities. Our goal is to assemble a forward-looking collection that will serve as a reference and inspiration for the community, driving the field toward a more efficient and catalysis-enabled sustainable future.
We look forward to receiving your work.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lianghua Zou
Dr. Qinglei Chong
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- oxidative annulation
- n-heterocycles
- sustainable chemistry
- c–h functionalization
- cross-dehydrogenative coupling
- photoredox catalysis
- atom economy
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