Discovery of a Metalloenzyme-like Cooperative Catalytic System of Metal Nanoclusters and Catechol Derivatives for the Aerobic Oxidation of Amines

We have discovered a new class of cooperative catalytic system, consisting of heterogeneous polymer-immobilized bimetallic Pt/Ir alloyed nanoclusters (NCs) and 4-tert-butylcatechol, for the aerobic oxidation of amines to imines under ambient conditions. After optimization, the desired imines were obtained in good to excellent yields with broad substrate scope. The reaction rate was determined to be first-order with respect to the substrate and catechol and zero-order for the alloyed Pt/Ir NC catalyst. Control studies revealed that both the heterogeneous NC catalyst and 4-tert-butylcatechol are essential and act cooperatively to facilitate the aerobic oxidation under mild conditions.     

Copper-catalyzed hydroformylation and hydroxymethylation of styrenes

Hydroformylation catalyzed by transition metals is one of the most important homogeneously catalyzed reactions in industrial organic chemistry. Millions of tons of aldehydes and related chemicals are produced by this transformation annually. However, most of the applied procedures use rhodium catalysts. In the procedure described here, a copper-catalyzed hydroformylation of alkenes has been realized. Remarkably, by using a different copper precursor, the aldehydes obtained can be further hydrogenated to give the corresponding alcohols under the same conditions, formally named as hydroxymethylation of alkenes. Under pressure of syngas, various aldehydes and alcohols can be produced from alkenes with copper as the only catalyst, in excellent regioselectivity. Additionally, an all-carbon quaternary center containing ethers and formates can be synthesized as well with the addition of unactivated alkyl halides. A possible reaction pathway is proposed based on our results.

A copper-catalyzed hydroformylation and hydroxymethylation of alkenes has been realized.     

Highly modular synthesis of C1-symmetric aminosulfoximines and their use as ligands in copper-catalyzed asymmetric Mukaiyama-aldol reactions

The development of C1-symmetric aminosulfoximines, their highly modular synthesis, and their application in enantioselective copper-catalyzed Mukaiyama-type aldol reactions between pyruvates and enolsilanes is described. In this context, the influence of the ligand architecture as well as the optimization of the reaction conditions are discussed. In detail, the dependence of the catalyst efficiency on the solvent, the metal source and the temperature are reported, and an interesting additive effect is highlighted. Furthermore, the substrate scope will be presented. With the optimized catalyst system, a number of aldol products with quaternary stereogenic centers have been obtained in high yields and with enantiomeric excesses up to 99 %.     

Copper-free Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by polymer-supported N-heterocyclic carbene palladium complex

A core-shell type of polymer-supported N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium catalyst was applied to Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions without copper cocatalyst under ambient atmosphere. This supported NHC-palladium complex efficiently catalyzed the copper-free Sonogashira reaction of various aryl iodides and bromides with terminal alkynes; the reaction exhibited high dependency on the temperature and the amount of base as well as its nature. In addition, this heterogeneous catalyst exhibited good reusability for the copper-free Sonogashira reaction.     

Atom-efficient electrophilic aromatic nitration by dinitrogen pentoxide catalysed by zirconium(IV) 2,4-pentanedionate

An atom-efficient, non-acidic, catalytic process is described for the nitration of electron deficient arenes such as o-nitrotoluene using a dinitrogen pentoxide-zirconium(iv) 2,4-pentanedionate system in dichloromethane solvent. Kinetic studies showed the nitration process to be first-order with respect to the aromatic substrate and higher than first-order with respect to the catalyst. Addition of the catalyst at ca. 0.1-1 mol% compared with both N(2)O(5) and the organic substrate results in an increase in the first-order rate constant for nitration by a factor of approximately 5000 with a turnover number of at least 500. The orientation of the nitration products (2,4-/2,6-dinitrotoluenes) is consistent with attack of nitronium ion. The apparently high order of reaction with respect to the catalyst suggests a possible heterogeneous process.     

Air-Stable Fe3O4@SiO2-EDTA-Ni(0) as an Efficient Recyclable Magnetic Nanocatalyst for Effective Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck Cross-Coupling via Aryl Sulfamates and Carbamates

The synthesis of inexpensive and novel air-stable Ni(0) nanoparticles immobilized on the EDTA-modified Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanocatalyst was investigated in Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions. This catalytic system displayed a greatly improved substrate scope for the carbon–carbon bond formations starting from a wide range of green and economical electrophiles aryl and heteroaryl carbamates and sulfamates via highly efficient method under mild, operationally simple reaction conditions. The synthesized heterogeneous catalyst was also fully characterized by FT-IR, TEM, XRD, DLS, FE-SEM, UV–Vis, EDX, XPS, TGA, NMR, VSM, ICP and elemental analysis techniques. The heterogeneous magnetic nanocatalyst can easily be recovered by an external magnetic field and reused for the next reactions for at least seven times with negligible leaching of catalyst and no substantial decrement in the activity. All these highlights have made the present protocol an interesting, simple and environmentally benign process with low catalyst loading and easy manipulations.     

Evidence of Kinetically Relevant Consistency in Thermal and Photo-Thermal HCOOH Decomposition over Pd/LaCrO3/C3N4 Composite

Photo-thermal catalysis has been an attractive alternative strategy to promote chemical reactions for years, however, how light cooperates with thermal energy is still unclear. We meet this demand by exploring reaction mechanism via pressure dependency studies as well as H/D exchange experiments with HCOOH decomposition as a probe over a palladium nanoparticle (Pd_n) and isolated Pd (Pd₁) decorated LaCrO₃/C₃N₄ composite catalyst, in which the H₂ formation rate shows a first-order dependence on HCOOH and inverse first-order dependence on CO partial pressures no matter the reaction was driven by thermal or photo-thermal energy. Additionally, negligible kinetic isotopic effects (KIEs: k_H/k_D) were determined under both dark and light conditions at 1.04 and 1.18 when the HCOOH was replaced by HCOOD. Besides, when the reactant HCOOH was further replaced by DCOOD, the KIE values of 1.55 (dark) and 1.92 (light) were obtained, which indicates that the HCOOH decomposition follows kinetically relevant (KR) of C−H bond rupture within HCOOH molecule under both thermal and photo-thermal reaction conditions and the catalytic surface was found to be densely covered by CO based on the pressure dependency studies as well as the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Clearly, the HCOOH decomposition driven by thermal and photo-thermal energy follows the same reaction mechanism. Nevertheless, light induced hot electrons and the derived thermal effect do cause the enhancement of the reaction activity in some circumstances compared with bare thermal catalysis, which clarifies the confusion on cooperation mechanism of photo and thermal energies from the kinetic perspective. Hot electrons induced by photo-illumination was confirmed by in situ FTIR CO chemisorption with ∼10 cm⁻¹ redshift identified of the CO feature once light was introduced. Meanwhile, the photo thermal reaction system suffers from severe electron-hole re-combination at high reaction temperatures and make the thermal effect of photo irradiation dominant with respect to the effect at low reaction temperatures. This research provides insight to the mechanism on how photo-thermal reaction works and draws attention to the photo-thermal reaction process in boosting catalytic activity.     

Silica supported perchloric acid （HClO4-SiO2）： A mild,reusable and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of amidoalkyl naphthols

An efficient and direct procedure has been developed for the preparation of amidoalkyl naphthols by a one-pot condensation of aryl aldehydes, 2-naphthol and urea or amides, in the presence of HClO4-SiO2 as a heterogeneous catalyst. The reactions were carried out under reflux and solvent-free conditions. The present methodology offers several advantages such as excellent yields, simple procedure, easy work-up and ecofriendly reaction condition. The catalyst is easily prepared, stable, reusable and efficient under the reaction conditions.     

Direct arylation reactions catalyzed by Pd(OH)2/C: evidence for a soluble palladium catalyst

[reactions: see text] Palladium hydroxide on carbon (Pearlman's catalyst) effectively catalyzes direct arylation reactions of aryl iodides and bromides, providing excellent arylation-to-hydrodehalogenation ratios (>30:1) with broad scope for both intra- and intermolecular arylation processes. Studies aimed at determining the nature of the active catalyst indicate that an active homogeneous palladium species is produced under the reaction conditions.     

Cu2O/SiC高效催化卤代芳烃与酚类的Ullmann偶联反应

卤代苯与酚类化合物反应制取二芳基醚是现代有机合成中的一个重要反应.传统的二苯醚合成方法是铜催化卤代苯与酚类化合物的Ullmann型C-O偶联反应,但是这种方法需要苛刻的反应条件.后来,人们发现了Pd(0)和Cu(Ⅰ)基催化剂,但是前者成本较高,且需要使用昂贵的配体,因此其应用受到了限制,而铜作为一种成本较低的催化剂受到了越来越多的关注.铜催化剂可以分为均相和非均相两大类.均相铜催化剂使用的是铜盐,并且需要加入配体,成本较高,且不易分离和循环利用.非均相铜催化剂研究较多的是CuO,Cu2O及Cu纳米颗粒,其中Cu2O纳米颗粒催化剂对Ullmann型C-O偶联反应具有很高的催化活性,但是它在潮湿的空气中容易被氧化,因此需要寻找一种合适的载体防止Cu2O纳米颗粒被氧化.SiC具有优良的化学稳定性及导电导热性能,并且作为载体己经成功应用到很多热催化及光催化反应中.本文以高比表面积的SiC为载体,以二乙二醇作为溶剂和还原剂,采用传统的两步液相还原法制备了Cu2O/SiC催化剂,并通过X射线衍射、X射线光电子能谱、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和H2程序升温还原等方法对Cu2O/SiC催化剂进行了表征.SEM和TEM结果表明,Cu2O纳米颗粒均匀分散在SiC表面,同时上述表征结果都表明Cu在SiC上主要以Cu2O的形式存在.将制备的Cu2O/SiC催化剂用于催化卤代芳烃与酚类的Ullmann C-O偶联反应中.以碘苯和苯酚的Ullmann C-O偶联反应为模型实验,考察了反应温度、反应时间、溶剂、碱的种类及用量和催化剂用量等条件的影响,得到了碘苯与苯酚UllmannC-O偶联反应的最优反应条件为:卤代芳烃14 mmol,酚类14 mmol,1.0当量的Cs2CO3,Cu2O/SiC(5 wt％) 10 mg,四氢呋喃10mL,在Ar气氛下150℃反应3h.在该条件下,二苯醚收率达到97％,转化频率(TOF)高达1136 h-1.Cu2O/SiC催化剂对Ullmann C-O偶联反应具有很好的普适性,并且对Ullmann C-S偶联反应也表现出很高的活性,TOF高达1186h-1.以碘苯和苯酚的Ullmann C-O偶联反应为基准实验,对催化剂的循环稳定性进行了考察.Cu2O/SiC催化剂五次循环后二苯醚的收率从97％降低至64％,这主要是由于活性组分Cu2O的流失所致.     

Reaction in Dry Media: Silica Gel Supported Ferric Chloride Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,8-Dioxo-octahydroxanthene Derivatives

Herein, we describe a green procedure for the one-pot preparation of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene derivatives by condensation of dimedone and substituted benzaldehydes in the presence of FeCl ₃ -SiO ₂ as an efficient and heterogeneous catalyst under microwave irradiation and thermal conditions. This method has the advantages of high yields, cleaner reactions, efficient and cost-effective method, simple methodology, short reaction times, easy workup, and greener conditions.     

Microwave activation of catalytic transformation of t-butylphenols

Kinetics of catalytic transformation of 2- and 4-t-butylphenol (2TBP and 4TBP) in the liquid phase on a heterogeneous KSF catalyst has been studied in detail under conventional and microwave conditions. The process includes dealkylation, isomerization and transalkylation reactions. Its kinetics has been described using the method of initial reaction rates. It was found that microwaves affect both the reaction rate and the selectivity. The results were explained in terms of “microwave-induced polarisation” assuming an interaction of microwaves with a highly polarised reagent molecule in adsorbed state on the acidic active site. Temperature and solvent effects were also examined. The reaction mechanism of t-butylphenol transformation is discussed on the basis of electrophilic aromatic substitution via bimolecular reactions.     

Preparation,characterization and use of sulfonylbis(1,4-phenylene)<Emphasis Type="Italic">bis</Emphasis>(sulfamic acid) as an eco-benign,efficient, reusable and heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of mono- and <Emphasis Type="Italic">bis</Emphasis>-chromenes

Sulfonylbis(1,4-phenylene)bis(sulfamic acid) (SPSA) is easily prepared and recognized as a new heterogeneous catalyst by the reaction of 4,4′-sulfonyldianiline with chlorosulfonic acid. This reagent was used for the synthesis of the mono- and bis-chromene derivatives. All reactions were performed under mild reaction conditions in high to excellent yields. The advantages of using the SPSA as a heterogeneous catalyst in these reactions are: being environmentally friendly, low cost, commercially availability and easy to separate from the mixture of the reaction and high reusable catalyst. Using this catalyst, results in acceptable reaction time and high yields with high purity of the obtained products without utilizing any organic solvents. The catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, mass and TGA studies. All the products were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H, ¹³C NMR, HRMS, melting point and elemental analyses.     

Synthesis of New and Novel N-Protected 1-Aminoalkyl-2-naphthol Derivatives

A series of three-component reactions has been carried out using HClO₄-SiO₂ as a versatile heterogeneous catalyst. A series of new and novel N-protected 1-aminoalkyl-2-naphthol derivatives have been prepared under thermal solvent-free reaction conditions. In all cases, the reaction conditions were very simple and high-yielding.     

GaN nanowires as a reusable photoredox catalyst for radical coupling of carbonyl under blacklight irradiation

Employing photo-energy to drive the desired chemical transformation has been a long pursued subject. The development of homogeneous photoredox catalysts in radical coupling reactions has been truly phenomenal, however, with apparent disadvantages such as the difficulty in separating the catalyst and the frequent requirement of scarce noble metals. We therefore envisioned the use of a hyper-stable III–V photosensitizing semiconductor with a tunable Fermi level and energy band as a readily isolable and recyclable heterogeneous photoredox catalyst for radical coupling reactions. Using the carbonyl coupling reaction as a proof-of-concept, herein, we report a photo-pinacol coupling reaction catalyzed by GaN nanowires under ambient light at room temperature with methanol as a solvent and sacrificial reagent. By simply tuning the dopant, the GaN nanowire shows significantly enhanced electronic properties. The catalyst showed excellent stability, reusability and functional tolerance. All reactions could be accomplished with a single piece of nanowire on Si-wafer.

A highly efficient re-usable semiconductor as a radical coupling catalyst in MeOH.     

Silica supported perchloric acid(HClO4-SiO2):A mild,reusable and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of axidoalkyl naphthols

An efficient and direct procedure has been developed for the preparation of amidoalkyl naphthols by a one-pot condensation of aryl aldehydes,2-naphthol and urea or amides,in the presence of HClO4-SiO2 as a heterogeneous catalyst.The reactions were carried out under reflux and solvent-free conditions.The present methodology offers several advantages such as excellent yields,simple procedure,easy work-up and ecofriendly reaction condition.The catalystis easily prepared,stable,reusable and efficient under the reaction conditions.     

Hydrogenation without a transition-metal catalyst: on the mechanism of the base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones

The hydrogenation of unsaturated organic substrates such as olefins and ketones is usually effected by homogeneous or heterogeneous transition-metal catalysts. On the other hand, a single case of a transition-metal-free and purely base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones was reported by Walling and Bollyky some 40 years ago. Unfortunately, the harsh reaction conditions (ca. 200 degrees C, >100 bar H(2), potassium tert-butoxide as base) limit the substrate spectrum of this reaction to robust, nonenolizable ketones such as benzophenone. We herein present a mechanistic study of this process as a basis for future rational improvement. The base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones was found to be irreversible, and it shows first-order kinetics with respect to the substrate ketone, hydrogen, and catalytic base. The rate of the reaction depends on the type of alkali ion present (Cs > Rb - K > Na > Li). Using D(2) instead of H(2) revealed a rapid base-catalyzed isotope exchange/equilibration between the gas phase and the solvent as a concomitant reaction. The degree of deuteration of the product alcohols did not indicate a significant kinetic isotope effect. It is proposed that both ketone reduction and isotope exchange proceed via similar six-membered cyclic transition states involving the H(2)(D(2))-molecule, the alkoxide base, and the ketone (solvent alcohol in the case of isotope exchange). Mechanistic analogies are pointed out which apparently exist between the base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones studied here and the Ru-catalyzed asymmetric ketone hydrogenation developed by Noyori. In both cases, heterolysis of the hydrogen molecule appears to be assisted by a Br?nsted-base (i.e., alkoxide), the latter being bound to the substrate ketone or the catalyst ligand, respectively, by a bridging Lewis-acidic alkali ion.     

Highly Active La(III)-Based Metal-Organic Framework as a Heterogeneous Lewis Acid Catalyst for Friedel-Crafts Alkylation

In this study, a novel La(III)-based two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework, [La_2/3(qptca)_1/2] (referred to as SLX-2), from LaCl₃ and 1,1′ : 4′,1′′ : 4′′,1′′′ : 4′′′,1′′′′-quinquephenyl]-2,2′′,2′′′′,5′′-tetracarboxylic acid (H₄qptca) was synthesized by conventional solvothermal method and thoroughly characterized by using X-ray single-crystal diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. The 2D SLX-2 features a unique lanthanum center exposed to the skeleton and was used as an efficient Lewis acid catalyst for the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indole and pyrrole with β-nitrostyrene along with a wide substrate scope, giving the desired products in good-to-high yields under the optimal reaction conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst was used for twenty cycles, with nearly no effect on its activity, and the reaction was heterogeneous in nature. Moreover, compared to the previous hydrogen-bond-donating MOF catalysts for such alkylation reactions, SLX-2 showed an excellent stability toward harsh acidic and basic environment, and gave comparable catalytic activities.     

Kinetics of phosphine hydroxymethylation with formaldehyde

The kinetics of phosphine hydroxymethylation with formaldehyde is studied. In the absence of a catalyst, phosphine reacts slowly with formaldehyde under normal conditions. Taken separately, amines, hydrochloric acid, and nickel chloride have a low catalytic activity, but the addition of a primary aliphatic amine to nickel chloride effectively increases the hydroxymethylation rate. A probable reaction mechanism is suggested.     

Regioselective reactions of methyl pyropheophorbide a with formaldehyde based on hydroxymethylation

Regioselective reactions of methyl pyropheophorbide a (MPPa) with formaldehyde based on hydroxymethylation have been studied. It was found that MPPa can react regioselectively with formaldehyde under different conditions to produce a series of 3-dioxane, 12-, 13²- or 20-hydroxymethyl and 12-/13²-alkenyl-substituted chlorins via Prins reaction, Blanc chloromethylation and aldol reaction, respectively. The first examples of direct C–C bond formation at 12-position of chlorophyll derivatives were also reported to give a series of 12-vinyl-substituted chlorins. These chlorins showed extend Qy absorptions and efficient singlet oxygen generation property, indicating their potential as photosensitizers for application in photodynamic therapy.