Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.6
4.6
Journals
Molecules
Special Issues
Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules
molecules-logo
Submit to Molecules Review for Molecules Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Organic Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2025) | Viewed by 4672

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guigen Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061, USA
Interests: synthetic methodologies; new chiral reagents; asymmetric synthesis and catalysis; new chirality and aggregational control of chirality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Guofu Zhong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo 315200, China
Interests: synthetic organic chemistry; asymmetric catalysis; biocatalysis and medicinal chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous drugs and biomaterials utilize nitrogen-containing structural units to impart specific biomedical functional properties. Examples include small amino compounds that can be cyclic or noncyclic, chiral or achiral, and either monomeric or oligomeric. Simultaneously, in the field of materials science, electrical and optical properties can also depend heavily on the availability of these nitrogen-containing compounds. Research into organic circularly polarized luminescent (CPL) materials has emerged as a particularly active and significant area of interest. The development of novel synthetic methodologies for these relevant compounds has been a focus within the organic chemistry community for many decades. As such, this Special Issue welcomes, but is not limited to, submissions from the following range of areas:

  • C(sp2)-H and C(sp2)-H functionalization with nitrogen-containing groups.
  • Asymmetric synthesis and catalysis approaches to amino products.
  • N-heterocycles inside and outside rings.
  • Noncyclic amino compounds, including α- and β-amino acid derivatives.
  • New protection and deprotection of known and new protection groups.
  • Solid-phase and solution-phase peptide synthesis.
  • New properties of known and new amino products.

Prof. Dr. Guigen Li
Prof. Dr. Guofu Zhong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • asymmetric synthesis
  • N-heterocycles
  • noncyclic amino compound
  • amino compound
  • new synthetic methodologies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 819 KB  
Article
Nitrogen Monoxide Releasing Nitric Ester Derivatives of Ibuprofen and Naproxen as COX Inhibitors, Anti-Inflammatory and Hypolipidemic Compounds
by Paraskevi Tziona, Panagiotis Theodosis-Nobelos, Dimitris Lepesiotis, Antonis Gavalas and Eleni A. Rekka
Molecules 2025, 30(18), 3744; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183744 - 15 Sep 2025
Viewed by 241
Abstract
Nitric esters are among the compounds that can liberate nitrogen monoxide (NO) in the organism. Due to the vasodilatation caused by nitrogen monoxide, NO-donors have been shown to protect endothelial function, acting as vasodilators, promoting efficient oxygen supply to tissues, to lower blood [...] Read more.
Nitric esters are among the compounds that can liberate nitrogen monoxide (NO) in the organism. Due to the vasodilatation caused by nitrogen monoxide, NO-donors have been shown to protect endothelial function, acting as vasodilators, promoting efficient oxygen supply to tissues, to lower blood pressure, and to inhibit platelet aggregation. Incorporation of a NO-liberating moiety in the structure of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs results in anti-inflammatory agents that are safer for the gastrointestinal system. In this research, ibuprofen and naproxen, two commonly applied non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), non-selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenases, were used to design novel anti-inflammatory agents able to release NO in the organism. Thus, the NSAIDs were amidated with beta-alanine and L-proline, which were able to incorporate the 2-nitro-oxyethyl moiety as the NO donor. The resulting compounds were anti-inflammatory agents, found to be more potent than the mother drugs, demonstrating remarkable inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 over cyclooxygenase-1 and the ability to release NO in vitro. Furthermore, two of the most active anti-inflammatory compounds proved to be effective hypolipidemic agents, decreasing plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol in hyperlipidemic rats significantly. The most effective compound in all the above tests was the ibuprofen derivative 5, which inhibited COX-2 by 95%, decreased inflammation by 73%, and reduced all lipidemic indices by more than 50%. Furthermore, docking experiments of compound 5 on the active sites of COX-1 and COX-2 showed that it interacts intensely with the binding site of COX-2, and the binding energy is equivalent to that of the relevant to celecoxib selective COX-2 inhibitor 4-[5-(4-bromophenyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl] benzenesulfonamide (SC-5580). In conclusion, the performed structural modifications resulted not only in the improvement of the anti-inflammatory activity, compared with the parent NSAID, but also acquired strong hypolipidemic activity. Thus, the combination of structural characteristics resulting in a decrease in lipidemia, with possible inhibition of atherosclerosis, due to their anti-inflammatory activity and vasodilatation ability, via the liberated NO, may constitute a useful rationale for new compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 1629 KB  
Communication
Visible-Light-Induced Singlet Oxygen-Promoted Arylation and Alkylation of Quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and Quinolines
by Renjun Tan, Hequn Yang, Min Jiang and Peijun Song
Molecules 2024, 29(21), 5113; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29215113 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1695
Abstract
We report a green and efficient visible-light-driven method for the arylation and alkylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and quinolines. This catalyst-free process utilizes air as the oxidant, offering mild reaction conditions, environmental sustainability, and broad functional group compatibility. The approach enables the synthesis of aryl [...] Read more.
We report a green and efficient visible-light-driven method for the arylation and alkylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and quinolines. This catalyst-free process utilizes air as the oxidant, offering mild reaction conditions, environmental sustainability, and broad functional group compatibility. The approach enables the synthesis of aryl and alkyl derivatives of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and quinolines with high to excellent yields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 3799 KB  
Review
Nickel-Catalyzed Cyanation of Aryl Halides
by Zhenqiang Ma, Cuimeng Huo, Duo Zhou, Jingyi Zhang, Hongjun Kong, Wenke Ren, Fengbo Qu, Tingting Liu, Hui Chen and Xilong Wang
Molecules 2025, 30(16), 3440; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30163440 - 20 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1048
Abstract
Nickel-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides has emerged as a powerful and sustainable method for the synthesis of aryl nitriles—valuable motifs widely found in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials. Compared to traditional cyanation methods that involve harsh conditions and toxic reagents, nickel catalysis enables [...] Read more.
Nickel-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides has emerged as a powerful and sustainable method for the synthesis of aryl nitriles—valuable motifs widely found in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials. Compared to traditional cyanation methods that involve harsh conditions and toxic reagents, nickel catalysis enables mild, efficient, and versatile transformations. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in this field, categorized by different cyanide sources, including metal cyanides (NaCN, KCN, Zn(CN)2, K4[Fe(CN)6]) and non-metal or organic cyanide sources (e.g., MeCN, nitriles, BrCN, CO2/NH3). Key developments in catalyst systems, ligand design, mechanistic insights, and green chemistry aspects are highlighted. Remaining challenges and future directions are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules)
►▼ Show Figures

Scheme 1

28 pages, 7433 KB  
Review
N,N- and N,O-Bidentate-Chelation-Assisted Alkenyl C–H Functionalization
by Yawei Zhang, Chengxing Peng, Xiaoli Li, Xiuying Liu, Liyuan Ding, Guofu Zhong and Jian Zhang
Molecules 2025, 30(8), 1669; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30081669 - 8 Apr 2025
Viewed by 950
Abstract
Chelation-assisted olefinic C–H functionalization has been demonstrated to be a powerful method of constructing multi-substituted alkenes from simpler ones. This strategy produces complex alkenes in a regio- and stereoselective manner, followed by C–H endo- and exo-cyclometallation. Among the various directing groups developed, N,N- [...] Read more.
Chelation-assisted olefinic C–H functionalization has been demonstrated to be a powerful method of constructing multi-substituted alkenes from simpler ones. This strategy produces complex alkenes in a regio- and stereoselective manner, followed by C–H endo- and exo-cyclometallation. Among the various directing groups developed, N,N- and N,O-bidentate directing groups are the most widely used to selectively promote C–H functionalization due to their fine, tunable, and reversible coordination with the metal center. In this review, we discuss various N,N- and N,O-bidentate directing group-assisted olefinic C–H bond functionalization reactions, including alkenylation, alkylation, arylation, thiolation, silylation, halogenation, and cyclization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules)
►▼ Show Figures

Scheme 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop