Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 28, Issue 13, 2024

Photochemical reactions offer unparalleled opportunities to access elusive chemical pathways and develop innovative strategies for constructing complex molecules. Within organic synthesis, photochemical reactions have become indispensable tools for accessing complex molecular structures, such as pharmaceuticals and natural products. The ability of sulfur ylides to participate in these diverse processes has made them indispensable tools in the synthetic chemist's toolbox. The use of sulfur ylides in photochemical transformations has garnered significant attention in the synthetic organic chemistry community, and they serve as powerful intermediates in several chemical transformations. This review article presents a comprehensive overview of the photochemical reactions mediated by sulfur ylides. Herein, we describe the key aspects of the reactivity of sulfur ylides in the presence of light. The reactivity of these compounds can be classified into three categories: sulfur ylides as energy acceptors, as electron donors, and as trapping reagents.

^#Dedicated to Professor Warner Bruce Kover on his 85^th anniversary and for having inspired several generations of organic chemists.

Sporotrichosis, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease and classified among significant fungal health concerns, remains both underestimated and underreported. There is a profound impact of sporotrichosis on public health, affecting both humans and domestic animals. The causative agents are fungi within the Sporothrix genus, primarily transmitted through traumatic exposure to contaminated soil, plants, decomposing materials, or through scratches from infected animals, notably cats. While sporotrichosis is a global concern, its prevalence is particularly noteworthy in tropical and subtropical regions. The limited treatment options for sporotrichosis, with itraconazole as the preferred choice, underscore the challenges posed by fungal infections. Issues such as toxicity and drug resistance further complicate effective management. Consequently, this review aims to elucidate key objectives: identification of novel synthetic compounds revealed in the literature, highlighting ongoing efforts to develop new treatments against sporotrichosis, examining promising anti-sporothrix natural products, and providing an overview of endeavors to repurpose approved drugs. The key findings from the study underscore the urgent need for diversified and effective drugs for the treatment of Sporotrichosis.

Friedel-crafts acylation (FCAcyl) is the most widespread method used to prepare aryl ketones and aldehydes. However, depending on the type of group attached to the benzene, their derivatives influence the electronic characteristics and structural orientations of the compounds during acylation; thus, the groups are very important for the success of the reaction. The existence of strong electron-donating groups, such as polyhydroxy/polyalkoxyphenols and anilines on the aromatic ring, makes this reaction difficult. To overcome these problems and with the aim of obtaining aromatic ketones from benzene compounds, appropriate methodologies were described. Therefore, this review consists of showing the importance and applicability of the Houben-Hoesch and Sugasawa reactions as alternatives for the Friedel-crafts acylation of polyhydroxy/polyalkoxyphenols and anilines, respectively. The main advances used in the original methodologies were also described. The use of these reactions as an alternative to the renowned Friedel-crafts acylation reactions should be taken into consideration as an important synthetic tool because there is the possibility of reducing steps, with consequent improvement of yield, in addition to optimizing reaction performance.

The reactivity of aldehydes and ketones carries great potential for multicomponent heterocyclizations. These reactions are convergent and highly versatile in the development of synthetic methodologies for compound families, displaying variations in substituents in their structures. Therefore, they have been regarded as an important tool in the field of Green Chemistry. Furthermore, they prove to be very useful in studies of biological activity, where small structural modifications can result in significant differences. Many heterocyclizations date back to the mid-19^th and early 20^th centuries. In this review, we aim to demonstrate, through some of these reactions, their continuously growing potential and improvements concerning synthetic development. Additionally, we present the original studies as reported, enabling us to appreciate the evolution of chemical representations over the years until reaching the standardization we have today.