Preparative-scale synthesis of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene oxide

Bromination of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene in 20% oleum, followed by treatment with acetic acid furnishes 2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropyl acetate in quantitative yield, which upon acid hydrolysis and cyclization with alkali affords 3,3,3-trifluoropropene oxide (TFPO) in 63% overall yield.     

双氧水氧化环己烯催化合成己二酸研究进展

评述了近年来以环己烯为底物,双氧水为氧源,分别采用钨酸盐、钨酸、杂多酸及杂多酸盐、功能化分子筛和负载离子液体等为催化剂催化合成己二酸的研究进展.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen bonded complexes of dimethyl disulfide or dimethyl peroxide with nitric acid

Ab initio and DFT calculations performed on the title systems revealed two types of structures for both DMDS-HNO₃ and DMDO-HNO₃ complexes. In both structures two hydrogen bonds are formed between the OH group interacting with one of sulfur (or oxygen) atoms and methyl CH group being a proton donor to one of the oxygen atoms of the NO₂ group of nitric acid. Depending on the location of the interacting methyl group with respect to the S or O acceptor of the main O-H?S(O) bond, the seven or eight-membered ring structures are formed. For all the structures, the most pronounced changes in geometric parameters upon interaction are observed for the proton donor molecule. The calculated binding energies are between −20.86 and −29.95 kJ/mol at MP2 and between −17.52 and −27.47 kJ/mol at B3LYP using the 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set. The complexes involving disulfide are slightly weaker by ca. 6.7-8.6 kJ/mol than the corresponding peroxide complexes. The performed NBO analysis reveals that the charge transferred to σ*(OH) orbital of the nitric acid molecule comes mainly from the high p-character lone pair orbital of sulfur or oxygen atom being the hydrogen bond acceptor site in the disulfide or peroxide molecule.     

Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by Sn-aniline complex

Sn-aniline complex was prepared by a simple procedure.Cyclic and acyclic ketones were oxidized into lactones or esters with very high selectivity and yield with 30% hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Sn-aniline complex.     

Convenient preparation of arylnitromethanes by oxidation of benzaldoximes with urea hydrogen peroxide

Arylnitromethanes were prepared by oxidation of aldoximes with sodium perborate or with urea hydrogen peroxide in the presence of boric acid. The use of urea hydrogen peroxide complex provides better and more stable yields of nitro compound and allows one to halve an acetic acid consumption. Only E-aldoximes are oxidized to arylnitromethanes while Z-isomers are transformed into complex mixtures not containing arylnitromethanes.     

Aluminum(III) triflate-catalyzed selective oxidation of glycerol to formic acid with hydrogen peroxide

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel production and is an important readily available platform chemical. Valorization of glycerol into value-added chemicals has gained immense attention. Herein, we carried out the conversion of glycerol to formic acid and glycolic acid using H₂O₂ as an oxidant and metal (III) triflate-based catalytic systems. Aluminum(III) triflate was found to be the most efficient catalyst for the selective oxidation of glycerol to formic acid. A correlation between the catalytic activity of the metal cations and their hydrolysis constants (K_h) and water exchange rate constants was observed. At 70 °C, a formic acid yield of up to 72% could be attained within 12 h. The catalyst could be recycled at least five times with a high conversion rate, and hence can also be used for the selective oxidation of other biomass platform molecules. Reaction kinetics and ¹H NMR studies showed that the oxidation of glycerol (to formic acid) involved glycerol hydrolysis pathways with glyceric acid and glycolic acid as the main intermediate products. Both the [Al(OH)_x]ⁿ⁺ Lewis acid species and CF₃SO₃H Brønsted acid, which were generated by the in-situ hydrolysis of Al(OTf)₃, were responsible for glycerol conversion. The easy availability, high efficiency, and good recyclability of Al(OTf)₃ render it suitable for the selective oxidation of glycerol to high value-added products.     

A convenient synthesis of 3,3,3-trifluoroalanine derivatives

A one-pot synthesis of N-substituted 3,3,3-trifluoroalanine esters from alkyl trifluoropyruvates and carboxamides or substituted ureas was developed.     

Studies of the oxidation of palladium complexes by the advanced oxidation process Pretreatment of model catalysts for precious metal analysis

The advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the pretreatment of model palladium catalysts has been studied. Most standard metal analysis techniques are for metal ions free of organic ligands. Spent palladium catalysts contain organic ligands that need to be removed prior to analysis. AOP uses a combination of hydrogen peroxide and UV light to generate radicals that decompose such ligands, freeing up metals for further analysis. Palladium acetate Pd(OAc)₂, palladium acetylacetonate Pd(acac)₂, and tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium (Pd₂(dba)₃) were chosen as model precious metal catalysts for investigation. AOP was found to decompose ligands in Pd(OAc)₂, Pd(acac)₂ and give accurate Pd(II) quantification, while ligand decomposition and oxidation of Pd(0) to Pd(II) were demonstrated in treatments involving Pd₂(dba)₃. The effects of solubility of the palladium complexes, continuous addition of H₂O₂ during AOP treatments, sample pH, concentration of H₂O₂, and length of UV irradiation are reported.     

Synthesis of novel organoselenium as catalyst for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with 30% H2O2

A novel diselenide was synthesized in good yield via only four steps from phenol, and was employed as the catalyst for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with 30% H₂O₂ to obtain lactones in good yields.     

Heterogeneous oxidation of cyclohexanone catalyzed by TS-1:Combined experimental and DFT studies

The reaction mechanism of the oxidation of cyclohexanone catalyzed by titanium silicate zeolite TS-1 using aqueous H2O2 as the oxidant was investigated by combining density function theory (DFT) calculations with experimental studies. DFT calculations showed that H2O2 was adsorbed and activated at the tetrahedral Ti sites. By taking into account the adsorption energy, molecular size, steric hindrance and structural information, a reaction mechanism of Baeyer-Villiger oxidation catalyzed by TS-1 that involves the activation of H2O2 was proposed. Experimental studies showed that the major products of cyclohexanone oxidation by H2O2 catalyzed by a hollow TS-1 zeolite wereε-carprolactone, 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, and adipic acid. These products were analyzed by GC-MS and were in good agreement with the proposed mechanism. Our studies showed that the reaction mechanism on TS-1 zeolite was different from that on Sn-beta zeolite.     

Morphological behaviour of poly(lactic acid) during hydrolytic degradation

The hydrolytic degradation and the morphological behaviour of a packaging grade of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were characterized by a series of techniques. During the initial degradation process (stage 1) at a temperature near the glass transition temperature (T_g), the molecular weight of PLA decreased as degradation time increased following a bulk erosion mechanism while the crystallinity increased simultaneously, but no observable weight loss occurred at stage 1. Mainly α-form PLA crystal structure was formed for the crystalline PLA with a low content of d stereo-isomers, but the material displayed a lower regularity, smaller domain size, lower melting temperatures T_m and different motional dynamics as compared to the original PLA with a similar level of crystallinity achieved by annealing. The amorphous PLA with a higher amount of d stereo-isomers also yielded the α crystalline phase as well as stereo-complex crystals at stage 1. When the molecular weight and the crystallinity reached a stable level, PLA started erosion into the degrading aqueous medium. During this stage of degradation (stage 2), the crystalline structure in PLA residues was further modified and both pH and temperature influenced the modification. The degradation at stage 2 was likely to follow a surface erosion mechanism with lactic acid as the major product of the weight loss. Besides the crystallinity effect on the degradation, temperature also played a key role in determining the rate of PLA degradation in both stages. The process was very slow at temperatures below the T_g of PLA but the rate was greatly enhanced at temperatures above the T_g.     

Biomimetic oxidation of metribuzin with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrinatoiron(III) chlorides

The biomimetic oxidation of metribuzin, a pre- and post-emergence herbicide with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrinatoiron(III) chlorides [TAPFe(III)Cl], has been studied yielding 6-t-butyl-3-methylthio-1,2,4-triazine-5(4H)-one, 4-amino-6-t-butyl-3,5(2H,4H)-dione and 6-t-butyl-1,2,4-triazin-3,5(2H,4H)-dione under various reaction conditions.     

Oxodiperoxo tungsten complex-catalyzed synthesis of adipic acid with hydrogen peroxide

An amphiphilic oxodiperoxo complex of tungsten using 8-quinolinol (QOH) as ligand has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, gravimetry, chemistry titration, TG/DSC, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Oxidation of cyclohexene, cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone, cyclohexene oxide and 1,2-cyclohexane-diol to adipic acid in one-step was conducted by this complex catalyst using 30 wt.% hydrogen peroxide in the absence of organic solvent and phase-transfer catalyst. The effect of the reaction conditions on the oxidation of cyclohexene was studied by varying the amount of the catalyst, reaction temperature, reaction time and the amount of hydrogen peroxide. The results showed that oxodiperoxo tungsten complex with QOH as ligand could achieve 89.8% yield of adipic acid at 90°C by refluxing for 20 h.     

Mild acetal cleavage using B-chlorocatecholborane in the synthesis of rearrangement-sensitive 2-arachidonoylglycerol

A mild method for the cleavage of an acetal to afford a rearrangement sensitive diol using B-chlorocatecholborane was developed for the synthesis of the endogenous cannabinoid neurochemical messenger 2-arachidonoylglycerol. The tendency for rearrangement of 2-arachidonoylglycerol to the corresponding 1-arachidonoylglycerol was precluded with this reagent. Features of the partial recyclization to an isomeric acetal provide mechanistic detail.     

Direct synthesis of phenols by iron-catalyzed biphasic oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons with hydrogen peroxide

The hydroxylation of a series of aromatic hydrocarbons with hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by iron complexes with pyrazine-3-carboxylic acid N-oxide, was investigated, operating in a biphasic reaction medium.

The new catalyst showed a high selectivity to the corresponding phenols, minimizing the over-oxidation reactions to polyoxygenated derivatives and tars which, along with dimers formation, are the major limitations of the classical Fenton’s reagent for a practical synthetic application.

In the case of alkylbenzenes, the competitive side chain oxidation at the benzylic positions also occurred. Electron rich substrates, such as anisole, were oxidized with very poor selectivity.

The reactions were carried out in a biphasic system that allows a convenient recovery and recycling of the catalyst by phase separation techniques. The catalyst showed a complete retention of activity after six consecutive reaction cycles.

The new catalyst appears as a promising tool for the direct synthesis of phenols, in alternative to the conventional multi-step methods.     

A novel bimediator amperometric sensor for electrocatalytic oxidation of gallic acid and reduction of hydrogen peroxide

A novel bimediator amperometric sensor is fabricated for the first time by surface modification of graphite electrode with thionine (TH) and nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF). The electrochemical behavior of the TH/NiHCF bimediator modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The TH/NiHCF bimediator modified electrode exhibited a pair of distinct redox peaks for NiHCF and TH with formal potentials of 0.33 V and −0.27 V vs. SCE at a scan rate of 50 mV s⁻¹ in 0.1 M NaNO₃ and 0.1 M NH₄NO₃ respectively. The electrocatalytic activity of the bimediator modified electrode towards oxidation of gallic acid with NiHCF and reduction of hydrogen peroxide with TH was evaluated and it was observed that the modified electrode showed an electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of gallic acid in the concentration range of 4.99 × 10⁻⁶–1.20 × 10⁻³ M with a detection limit of 1.66 × 10⁻⁶ M (S/N = 3) and reduction of H₂O₂ in the concentration range of 1.67 × 10⁻⁶–1.11 × 10⁻³ M with a detection limit of 5.57 × 10⁻⁷ M (S/N = 3). The bimediator modified electrode was found to exhibit good stability and reproducibility.     

A tandem C-H insertion—acetal cleavage sequence: stereocontrolled synthesis of substituted tetrahydrofurans

A short sequence involving Rh(II) mediated carbene insertion followed by Lewis acid promoted reductive acetal cleavage with Et₃SiH provides a stereoselective method for the construction of 2,3,5-trisubstituted tetrahydrofuran rings.     

Selective and mild oxidation of thiols to sulfonic acids by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by methyltrioxorhenium

Aromatic and aliphatic thiols are oxidized in acetonitrile at 20 °C by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of methyltrioxorhenium as the catalyst to yield the corresponding sulfonic acids in high isolated yields (85-94%).     

Effective oxidation of alcohols by Iron(III)-Schiff base-triphenylphosphine complexes

Iron(III)-Schiff base-triphenylphosphine complexes catalyze the oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds in presence of hydrogen peroxide in good yields.     

Stereoselective synthesis of trifluoromethyl-substituted 1,2-diamines by aza-Michael reaction with trans-3,3,3-trifluoro-1-nitropropene

Aza-Michael addition of optically pure 4-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone to 3,3,3-trifluoro-1-nitropropene proceeds smoothly at low temperature with a high yield. Diastereoselectivity of the addition depends on the base used and lithiated species proved to be highly efficient affording 92% de. Optically pure 1,2-diamino-3,3,3-trifluoropropane is prepared in 58% yield from the aza-Michael addition product through a three-step procedure.