Non-alkaline bleaching of wood pulp using pulsed RF dielectric heating: comparison with pulsed microwave enhanced bleaching

Non-alkaline bleaching of thermo-mechanical pulps using 40 MHz RF dielectric capacitor heating is described. Experimental data obtained under RF irradiation are compared with non-alkaline bleaching under pulsed microwave at 2.45 GHz. Optimal processing time is determined. Effectiveness of non-alkaline bleaching of TMP in RF is shown to be close to that in microwave. Neither microwave nor RF irradiation, under non-alkaline bleaching conditions, is shown to result in detriment to the physical properties of the pulp.     

Reactions of chloroalkyl-gem-dichlorocyclopropanes with amines

N-Alkylation of primary and secondary amines with monochloroalkyl-gem-dichlorocyclopropanes under conditions of thermal and microwave heating results in the corresponding amino-gem-dichlorocyclopropanes. With microwave irradiation heating, the reaction time has been decreased to 1 h, the yields of the amines containing gem-dichlorocyclopropane moiety being the same. Formation of the bicyclic amine in reaction of cis-2,3-dichloromethyl-gem-dichlorocyclopropane with primary amines under conditions of phasetransfer catalysis has been studied.     

Inductive heating with magnetic materials inside flow reactors

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles coated with silica gel or alternatively steel beads are new fixed-bed materials for flow reactors that efficiently heat reaction mixtures in an inductive field under flow conditions. The scope and limitations of these novel heating materials are investigated in comparison with conventional and microwave heating. The results suggest that inductive heating can be compared to microwave heating with respect to rate acceleration. It is also demonstrated that a very large diversity of different reactions can be performed under flow conditions by using inductively heated flow reactors. These include transfer hydrogenations, heterocyclic condensations, pericyclic reactions, organometallic reactions, multicomponent reactions, reductive cyclizations, homogeneous and heterogeneous transition-metal catalysis. Silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles are stable under many chemical conditions and the silica shell could be utilized for further functionalization with Pd nanoparticles, rendering catalytically active heatable iron oxide particles.     

Stability improvement of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in an organic medium under microwave radiation

The influence of microwave heating on the stability of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B was studied at 100 degrees in an organic medium. The microwave radiation was carried out before enzymatic reaction (storage conditions) or during the enzymatic catalysis (use conditions). In both cases, enzymatic stability was higher under microwave heating than under conventional thermal heating, in strictly identical operating conditions. Furthermore, the gain of enzymatic stability under microwave heating appears to be higher in a more polar solvent, which interacts strongly with the microwave field. Our results suggest that microwave radiation has an effect, not related to temperature, on the process of enzymatic inactivation.     

Highly regioselective Wittig reactions of cyclic ketones with a stabilized phosphorus ylide under controlled microwave heating

Significant base and temperature effects on the Wittig reactions of cyclohexanones with (carbethoxymethylene)triphenylphosphorane under microwave irradiation were observed. For the Wittig reactions carried out in a domestic microwave oven under solvent-free conditions, the initially formed exo-olefin products isomerized into the thermodynamically more stable endo-olefins due to uncontrolled high reaction temperature. In sharp contrast, under controlled microwave heating, both exo- and endo-olefins have been selectively synthesized by accurately regulating the reaction temperature with or without a base.     

Microwave-assisted enzyme-catalyzed reactions in various solvent systems

The work describes the accelerated enzymatic digestion of several proteins in various solvent systems under microwave irradiation. The tryptic fragments of the proteins were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Under the influence of rapid microwave heating, these enzymatic reactions can proceed in a solvent such as chloroform, which, under traditional digestion conditions, renders the enzyme inactive. The digestion efficiencies and sequence coverages were increased when the trypsin digestions occurred in acetonitrile-, methanol- and chloroform-containing solutions that were heated under microwave irradiation for 10 min using a commercial microwave applicator. The percentage of the protein digested under microwave irradiation increased with the relative acetonitrile content, but decreased as the methanol content was increased. These observations suggest that acetonitrile does not deactivate the enzyme during the irradiation period; in contrast, methanol does deactivate it. In all cases, the digestion efficiencies under microwave irradiation exceed those under conventional conditions.     

Efficient Acylation and One-Pot Synthesis of Dehydroandrographolide Succinate on a Large Scale Assisted with Microwave Radiation

A rapid and convenient method for acylation and large-scale synthesis of dehydroandrographolide succinate has been developed under microwave irradiation. It is a one-pot condensation and is compatible with dehydration and rearrangement of double bond in mild reaction conditions with good yield, high purity (up to 99.8%), time-savings, few pollutants and low cost. In addition, a number of acylation derivatives were synthesized under microwave irradiation.     

Synthesis of Sodium Diselenides and its Reaction with Benzoyl Chloride Under Phase Transfer Catalysis and Microwave Irradiation Conditions

A simple, fast and efficient procedure for the synthesis of dibenzoyl diselenides involves the reaction of selenium with sodium hydroxide under phase transfer catalysis and microwave irradiation conditions to give sodium diselenides, which reacts with benzoyl chloride at 0-3 °C and conventional conditions to afford the dibenzoyl diselenides. The effect of microwave irradiation power, reaction time, solvent and operational method on the reaction is investigated.     

Ethanol to Acetaldehyde Conversion under Thermal and Microwave Heating of ZnO-CuO-SiO2 Modified with WC Nanoparticles

The nonoxidative conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde under thermal and microwave heating was studied on mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO₂ catalysts modified with additives of tungsten carbide nanoparticles. The results revealed that the WC-modified catalyst exhibited superior activity and selectivity under microwave heating conditions. It is assumed that when microwave heating is used, hot zones can appear at the contact points of WC nanoparticles and active centers of the mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO₂ catalyst, which intensively absorb microwave energy, allowing the more efficient formation of acetaldehyde at moderate temperatures. Thermodynamic calculations of equilibrium concentrations of reagents and products allowed us to identify the optimal conditions for effective acetaldehyde production. The initial catalyst and the catalyst prepared by the coprecipitation of the oxides with the addition of WC were characterized by physicochemical methods (TPR-H₂, XRD, DRIFTS of adsorbed CO). The active centers of the oxide catalyst can be Cu⁺ cations.     

Solid-Liquid Phase Transfer Catalysis Without Solvent Coupled with Microwave Irradiation: A Quick and Efficient Method for Saponification of Esters

Hindered esters can be easily saponified in a few minutes using microwave activation under solid-liquid PTC conditions without solvent. A monomode microwave reactor (Maxidigest MX 350 Prolabo) is the most efficient. A non thermal effect of microwaves is evidenced by reference to classical heating.     

Esterification of dicarboxylic acids with benzyl alcohol under the action of the microwave radiation

Reaction of dicarboxylic acid with benzyl alcohol under the microwave irradiation proceeds faster as compared to the thermal conditions. The main reaction products are alkyl dicarboxylates, and the monoester and dibenzyl ether are formed as the side products. A proposal about the nature of the nonthermal effect in the reactions stimulated by the microwave irradiation is considered.     

One-Pot Synthesis of 1-Aminophosphinic acids using 50% Hypophosphorus Acid under microwave irradiation

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of α-aminophosphinic acids from hypophosphorus acid under solvent-free conditions using microwave irradiation. α-Aminophosphinic acids were obtained in high yield under mild conditions by reaction of hypophosphorus acid with aldehydes in the presence of amines under microwave irradiation.     

Natural organic acids promoted Beckmann rearrangement: Green and expeditious synthesis of amides under solvent-free conditions

Naturally occurring organic acids are reported to be highly efficient promoters of the Beckmann rearrangement. Citric, oxalic, tartaric, malic, succinic, malonic, and fumaric acids efficiently promote the Beckmann rearrangement under solvent-free conditions and thermal and microwave irradiation. Tartaric acid was found to be the best promoter of the Beckmann rearrangement under conventional conditions as well as under microwave irradiation. Compared with conventional heating, microwave irradiation provides higher reaction rate and slightly higher yields.     

Microwave-Assisted N-Cyclopropylation of Pyridinols with Cyclopropyl Boronic Acid

Copper(II)-mediated N-cyclopropylation of pyridinols involving copper(II) acetate, pyridine, and NaHMDS under microwave conditions in a dry air atmosphere is described.     

Microwave-Accelerated Organic Reactions

The use of microwave technology in accelerating organic reactions has received intense attention leading to immense growth recently. Accordingly, we have been interested in improving the efficacy of organic processes by microwave irradiation. Here we report our results on the microwave assisted 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrile oxides with allylic alcohols, the cleavage reaction of 1,3-diketones under alkaline conditions, and the formation of carbamates from isocyanates with alcohols. The reactions carried out under microwave irradiation, in general, required considerably less reaction time and afforded the desired products in higher yields than those under classical conditions. In all the cases we have studied, the procedures are simplified, the purity of the products are higher, and the cost of reaction is greatly reduced employing microwave.     

Microwave mediated facile one-pot synthesis of polyarylpyrroles from but-2-ene- and but-2-yne-1,4-diones

Several pyrrole derivates with multiple aryl substituents were prepared conveniently in a one pot-reaction from but-2-ene-1,4-diones and but-2-yne-1,4-diones via hydrogenation of the carbon-carbon double bond/triple bond followed by amination-cyclization. The reaction could be performed with ammonium formate or alkyl/arylammonium formates under Pd/C in polyethylene glycol-200 (PEG-200) under microwave irradiation. Using this procedure, different aryl-substituted pyrroles were prepared. Furthermore, studies on microwave vs thermal conditions indicate faster heating under microwave conditions was responsible for rate enhancement.     

Efficient oxidation of benzylic alcohols with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene under microwave irradiation

An efficient method for the oxidation of benzylic alcohols with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene under solvent-free microwave irradiation conditions is described.     

CARO'S ACID SUPPORTED ON SILICA GEL. PART 7: A VERSATILE REAGENT FOR THE AROMATIZATION OF HANTZSCH 1,4-DIHYROPYRIDINES UNDER NON-AQUEOUS CONDITION AND MICROWAVE IRRADIATION

Efficient oxidation of 1,4-dihydropyridines with Caro's acid on silica gel is achieved under nonaqueous conditions and in a domestic microwave oven. The reactions under microwave irradiation were shorter in duration and higher in yields than the reactions in conventional method, confirming the potentiality of microwave heating in aromatization of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines.     

Microwave-assisted ring-closing metathesis revisited. On the question of the nonthermal microwave effect

The ring-closing metathesis reactions (RCM) of six standard diene substrates leading to five-, six-, or seven-membered carbo- or heterocycles were investigated under controlled microwave irradiation. RCM protocols were performed with standard Grubbs type II and a cationic ruthenium allenylidene catalyst in neat and ionic liquid-doped methylene chloride under sealed vessel conditions. Very rapid conversions (15 s) were achieved utilizing 0.5 mol % Grubbs II catalyst under microwave conditions. Careful comparison studies indicate that the observed rate enhancements are not the result of a nonthermal microwave effect.     

Palladium-catalyzed microwave-assisted amination of 1-bromonaphthalenes and 5- and 8-bromoquinolines

[reaction: see text] 1-Aminonaphthalenes and 5- and 8-aminoquinolines were rapidly prepared from the respective aryl bromides in good yields by Pd-catalyzed aryl amination under microwave conditions. Consistent improvements in yields over those obtained under standard conditions were seen with quinoline substrates. In the cases where 5-bromo-8-cyanoquinoline was used as a substrate, no desired products were obtained under standard conditions with a number of different primary and secondary amines. However, microwave conditions provided the desired products in good to excellent yields.