Tethering of nickel(II) Schiff-base complex onto mesoporous silica: An efficient heterogeneous catalyst for epoxidation of olefins

A new hybrid catalyst has been prepared by tethering a nickel(II) Schiff-base complex via post-synthesis modification of mesoporous silica, MCM-41. The Schiff-base has been derived from salicylaldehyde and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) which is chemically anchored on MCM-41 via silicon alkoxide route. The anchored Schiff-bases imposed a stable planar coordination geometry around the central nickel ions. The catalyst has been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV-Vis, small angle X-ray diffraction (SAX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. The SAX and TEM measurement showed the mesoporosity of the catalyst. The activity of the catalyst has been assessed in the epoxidation of olefins using tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (tert-BuOOH) as oxidant in heterogeneous condition. Immobilized nickel catalyst was found to be catalytically more active and selective compared to the similar type of nickel(II) complex as well as Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O in homogeneous media. The catalyst can be recycled and reused several times without significant loss of activity.     

Nano crystalline ZnO catalyzed one pot multicomponent reaction for an easy access of fully decorated 4H-pyran scaffolds and its rearrangement to 2-pyridone nucleus in aqueous media

A green and highly efficient protocol has been developed for the synthesis of 4H-pyran scaffolds installing a one-pot three-component coupling reaction of an aldehyde, malononitrile, and a 1,3-diketo compound using nano structured ZnO as the catalyst in aqueous alcoholic medium. A greener method to synthesize 3,4-dihydropyridin-2-one has also been developed by rearranging 4H-pyran derivatives in aqueous medium applying p-TSOH as the right catalyst source. A wide spectrum of functional groups was tolerated in both the developed synthetic protocols with good to excellent yield of the targeted molecules.     

Synthesis of dihydrochromeno[4,3-b]pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinolines via intramolecular aza Diels-Alder reaction

An efficient and convenient one-pot intramolecular aza Diels-Alder approach for the synthesis of dihydrochromeno[4,3-b]pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinolines has been reported. Particularly valuable features of this methodology include simple execution, inexpensive catalyst, and good product yields.     

Indium(III) chloride-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of carbon-carbon multiple bonds by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in water—a safer alternative to ozonolysis

An efficient and general method for the oxidative cleavage of alkenes and alkynes using tert-butyl hydroperoxide and indium(III) chloride as catalyst in water to give the corresponding carboxylic acids or ketones has been achieved. The reaction conditions are compatible with sensitive moieties such as peptide bonds, tert-butyl carboxylic esters and N-Boc-protected tryptophan. The catalyst could be recycled.     

Heck-type cross-coupling between halo-exo-glycals and endo-glycals: a practical way to achieve C-glycosidic disaccharides

An effective Heck-type cross-coupling reaction between halo-exo-glycals and endo-glycals to achieve C-glycosidic disaccharides has been developed. Using Pd(OAc)₂ as the catalyst, dppp as ligand and K₂CO₃ as base, the reactions gave C-glycosidic products in good to excellent yields with exclusive stereochemistry.     

Strontium triflate catalyzed one-pot condensation of β-naphthol, aldehydes and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

An efficient one-pot condensation of β-naphthol, aldehydes, and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds has been achieved with strontium triflate as a catalyst, thus a variety of 8,9,10,12-tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen-11-one or 8,9-dihydrobenzo-[f]cyclopenta[b]chromen-10(11H)-one derivatives were prepared in good yields.     

Chemoselective O-tert-butoxycarbonylation of hydroxy compounds using NaLaTiO4 as a heterogeneous and reusable catalyst

A facile, efficient and chemoselective protocol for O-tert-butoxycarbonylation of various hydroxy compounds has been developed using NaLaTiO₄ (layered perovskite) as a novel catalyst. The catalyst showed remarkable activity and reusability affording high yields of the desired products under mild reaction conditions.     

Titanium superoxide: a heterogeneous catalyst for anti-Markovnikov aminobromination of olefins

A new facile procedure for the aminobromination of olefins in high yields has been described using p-toluene sulfonamide (p-TsNH₂) and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as nitrogen and bromine sources, respectively, and titanium superoxide as a truly heterogeneous catalyst. The formation of anti-Markovnikov product exclusively in all the cases studied possibly proceeding through a free radical reaction pathway is remarkable.     

An efficient and selective tosylation of alcohols with p-toluenesulfonic acid

Silica chloride has been found to be an efficient catalyst for facile tosylation of alcohols directly with p-toluenesulfonic acid in methylene chloride under reflux. The process is associated with selective tosylation of secondary alcohols over primary alcohols.     

Novel cleavage of (E)-allyl vic-diols to aldehydes using the 2nd-generation Grubbs catalyst

Secondary (E)-allyl vic-diol cleavage in the presence of the 2nd-generation Grubbs catalyst has been developed. The position of a vic-diol adjacent to CC plays a crucial role in the cleavage reaction compared to an alkyl vic-diol based on a model compound.     

An efficient regioselective reaction of indole with 2H-chromenes for the synthesis of new 4H-chromenes in environmentally benign media

An efficient regioselective, catalyst free, and green protocol has been developed for the synthesis of a novel class of 4H-chromene scaffolds at room temperature in ionic liquid. The method is general and applicable for a series of 2H-chromenes as well as indole derivatives.     

Efficient epimerization of pyrene and other aromatic C-nucleosides with trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane

Trifluoroacetic acid has been found to be an efficient and non-oxidative catalyst for the epimerization of pyrene and other C-nucleosides in dichloromethane at ambient temperature. Aspects of the epimerization mechanism are also elucidated.     

Scope, limitations and mechanistic aspects in the selective homogeneous palladium-catalyzed reduction of alkenes under transfer hydrogen conditions

A new and efficient mild Pd/P(t-Bu)₃ catalyst for selective reduction of various alkenes under transfer hydrogen conditions has been developed leading to the corresponding saturated derivatives in chemical yields varying from 65 to 98%. Mechanistic rationale of this reaction has been also demonstrated.     

Efficient trans-acetoacylation mediated by ytterbium(III) triflate as a catalyst under solvent-free condition

A simple and efficient trans-acetoacylation method for the synthesis of β-keto ester derivatives has been described using ytterbium(III) triflate as a new catalyst under solvent-free condition. This method was found to be efficient and convenient for the synthesis of a wide variety of β-keto ester derivatives.     

Efficient iodine catalyzed chemoselective synthesis of aminals—an access to N,N-acetals by the addition of lactams to N-acyl imines

A highly efficient protocol has been developed for the synthesis of aminals from γ-butyrolactam and benzaldehyde using iodine as Lewis acid catalyst. The attack of γ-butyrolactam nucleophile to intermediate N-acyliminium ion was more favorable, when aryl aldehyde bears the electron donating group (EDG). Iodine plays a key role in these reaction transformations. This current mild protocol is environmentally benign and cost-effective method for the synthesis of industrially and pharmaceutically useful scaffolds.     

An efficient catalytic method for the synthesis of 2,7-dialkyl-2,3a,5a,7,8a,10a-hexaazaperhydropyrenes

An efficient method for the synthesis of 2,7-dialkyl-2,3a,5a,7,8a,10a-hexaazaperhydropyrenes in high yields (up to 95%) via the intermolecular cyclization of 1,4,5,8-tetraazadecalin with N,N-bis(methoxymethyl)-N-alkylamines in the presence of SmCl₃·6H₂O as the catalyst has been developed.     

A new synthesis of flavones and pyranoflavone by intramolecular photochemical Wittig reaction in water

A new synthetic approach toward the synthesis of flavones and pyranoflavone has been developed by light induced intramolecularphotochemicalWittigreaction in water onto aryloxycarbonyl groups and suitably substituted phosphonium bromides sans any phase transfer catalyst or promoter.     

Synthesis of fully substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carboxamide derivatives via a one-pot four-component reaction

A one-pot four-component reaction of an aliphatic or aromatic amine, diketene, an aromatic aldehyde and 1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst has been developed. In this reaction, a new class of fully substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carboxamide derivatives is produced under mild reaction conditions and in good yields at ambient temperature.     

A facile synthesis of steroidal D-ring fused pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines

A facile method for the synthesis of steroidal D-ring fused pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines through a microwave mediated reaction between steroidal β-bromovinyl aldehydes and pyrazoloamines using palladium(II) catalyst has been described.     

A practical procedure for the selective N-alkylation of 4-alkoxy-2-pyridones and its use in a sulfone-mediated synthesis of N-methyl-4-methoxy-2-pyridone

It has been found that selective N-alkylation of 4-alkoxy-2-pyridones can be achieved under anhydrous, mild conditions with tetrabutylammonium iodide and potassium tert-butoxide being employed as the catalyst and the base, respectively. The procedure was applied to the preparation of 4-methoxy-1-methyl-2-pyridone, a valuable building block for heterocycle synthesis.