Selective Production of Secondary Amine by the Photocatalytic Cascade Reaction Between Nitrobenzene and Benzyl Alcohol over Nanostructured Bi2MoO6 and Pd Nanoparticles Decorated with Bi2MoO6

The synthesis of secondary amine by the photoalkylation of nitrobenzene with benzyl alcohol using a simple light source and sunlight is a challenging task. Herein, a one-pot cascade protocol is employed to synthesize secondary amine by the reaction between nitrobenzene and benzyl alcohol. The one-pot cascade protocol involves four reactions: (a) photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline, (b) photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, (c) reaction between aniline and benzaldehyde to form imine, and (d) photocatalytic reduction of imine to a secondary amine. The cascade protocol to synthesize secondary amine is accomplished using Bi₂MoO₆ and Pd nanoparticles decorated Bi₂MoO₆ catalysts. The surface characteristics, oxidation states, and elemental compositions of the materials are characterized by several physicochemical characterization techniques. Optoelectronic and photoelectrochemical measurements are carried out to determine the bandgap, band edge potentials, photocurrents, charge carrier's separation, etc. An excellent yield of secondary amine is achieved with simple household white LED bulbs. The catalyst also exhibits similar or even better activity in sunlight. The structure-activity relationship is established using catalytic activity data, control reactions, physicochemical, optoelectronic characteristics, and scavenging studies. Bi₂MoO₆ and Pd nanoparticles decorated Bi₂MoO₆ exhibit excellent photostability and recyclability. The simple catalyst design with a sustainable and economical light source for the synthesis of useful secondary amine from the nitrobenzene and benzyl alcohol would attract the researchers to develop similar catalytic protocols for other industrially important chemicals.     

Synthesis of Benzimidazoles via Iron-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation Reaction of Imine Derivatives with o-Phenylenediamine

A simple and efficient protocol for preparing benzimidazoles via Fe(NO₃)₃ · 9H₂O-catalyzed aerobic oxidation reaction of imine derivatives with o-phenylenediamine. This process uses air as an economical and green oxidant, tolerates a wide range of substrates, and affords the targeted benzimidazoles in moderate to excellent yields.     

Insights into the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Amines with Nanoparticulate Iridium Oxide

The aerobic oxidation of amines offers a promising route towards many versatile chemical compounds. Within this contribution, we extend our previous investigations of iridium oxide‐catalyzed alcohol oxidation to amine substrates. In addition to demonstrating the versatility of this catalyst, particular attention is focused on the mechanisms of the reaction. Herein, we demonstrate that although amines are oxidized slower than the corresponding alcohols, the catalyst has a preference for amine substrates, and oxidizes various amines at turnover frequencies greater than other systems found in the open literature. Furthermore, the competition between double amine dehydrogenation, to yield the corresponding nitrile, and amine–imine coupling, to yield the corresponding coupled imine, has been found to arise from a competitive reaction pathway, and stems from an effect of substrate‐to‐metal ratio. Finally, the mechanism responsible for the formation of N‐benzylidene‐1‐phenylmethanamine was examined, and attributed to the coupling of free benzyl amine substrate and benzaldehyde, formed in situ through hydrolysis of the primary reaction product, benzyl imine.     

Visible‐Light‐Induced Selective Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Amines into Imines on TiO2

Imines are important intermediates for the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals. Selective oxidation of amines into their corresponding imines with dioxygen is one of the most‐fundamental chemical transformations. Herein, we report the oxidation of a series of benzylic amines into their corresponding imines with atmospheric dioxygen as the oxidant on a surface of anatase TiO₂ under visible‐light irradiation (λ>420 nm). The visible‐light response of this system was caused by the formation of a surface complex through the adsorption of a benzylic amine onto the surface of TiO₂. From the analysis of products of specially designed benzylic amines, we demonstrated that a highly selective oxygenation reaction proceeds via an oxygen‐transfer mechanism to afford the corresponding carbonyl compound, whose further condensation with an amine would generate the final imine product. We found that when primary benzylic amines (13 examples), were chosen as the substrates, moderate to excellent selectivities for the imine products were achieved (ca. 38–94 %) in moderate to excellent conversion rates (ca. 44–95 %). When secondary benzylic amines (15 examples) were chosen as the substrates, both the corresponding imines and aldehydes were detected as the main products with moderate to high conversion rates (ca. 18–100 %) and lower selectivities for the imine products (ca. 14–69 %). When tribenzylamine was chosen as the substrate, imine (27 %), dibenzylamine (24 %), and benzaldehyde products (39 %) were obtained in a conversion of 50 %. This report can be viewed as a prototypical system for the activation of C? H bonds adjacent to heteroatoms such as N, O, and S atoms, and oxofuctionalization with air or dioxygen as the terminal oxidant under visible‐light irradiation using TiO₂ as the photocatalyst.     

Nystatin—dextran conjugates: Synthesis and characterization

The coupling of nystatin (Nys), a water-insoluble antifungal agent, to dextran via an imine or amine bond was systematically investigated. Dextran was first oxidized to dialdehyde dextran using potassium periodate, purified from the oxidizing agent, and reacted with Nys to form the Schiff base. The Schiff base was reduced to the amine using borohydride. All reactions took place in water. The purification of the oxidized dextran from the oxidizing agent was essential to prevent oxidative degradation of Nys at the coupling step. The effects on the coupling yield of the following factors: dextran molecular weight, degree of oxidation (aldehyde content), Nys to dextran ratio, temperature, and reaction pH were studied. A 95% coupling yield was obtained at the optimized coupling conditions: pH 8.9 ± 0.1, 50% degree of oxidation, and initial ratio of Nys to dialdehyde dextran 1:2.5. In all experiments, dextran was decreased in molecular weight during the oxidation step. Both imine and amine forms of Nys-dextran conjugates were soluble in water and exhibited improved stability in aqueous solutions as compared to the unbound drug. The conjugates showed comparable minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. The conjugates were about 25 times less toxic than free Nys after a single injection in mice. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Easy Ruthenium-Catalysed Oxidation of Primary Amines to Nitriles under Oxidant-Free Conditions

A dehydrogenation of primary amine to give the corresponding nitrile under oxidant- and base-free conditions catalysed by simple [Ru(p-cym)Cl₂]₂ with no extra ligand is reported. The system is highly selective for alkyl amines, whereas benzylamine derivatives gave the nitrile product together with the imine in a ratio ranging from 14:1 to 4:1 depending on the substrate. Preliminary mechanistic investigations have been performed to identify the key factors that govern the selectivity.     

Oxidation of heterocyclic nitrogen Ylids to nitro heterocycles. Comparison of a sulfilimine and a phosphine imine

Oxidation of 3-amino-4-(4-chlorophenyl)furazan ( 1 ) with peroxytrifluoroacetic acid (ptfa) gave azoxy(4-chlorophenylfurazan) ( 6 ) as the major product along with a small amount of 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-nitrofurazan ( 5 ). The dimethylsulfilimine 2 derived from 1 gave near quantitative yields of 5 when subjected to oxidation with either ptfa or m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (mcpba). In contrast, both the trioctylphosphine imine 3 and the triphenylphosphine imine 4 derived from 1 were oxidized by mcpba to give 6 as the exclusive product.     

Graphite‐Supported Gold Nanoparticles as Efficient Catalyst for Aerobic Oxidation of Benzylic Amines to Imines and N‐Substituted 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydroisoquinolines to Amides: Synthetic Applications and Mechanistic Study

Selective oxidation of amines using oxygen as terminal oxidant is an important area in green chemistry. In this work, we describe the use of graphite‐supported gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/C) to catalyze aerobic oxidation of cyclic and acyclic benzylic amines to the corresponding imines with moderate‐to‐excellent substrate conversions (43–100 %) and product yields (66–99 %) (19 examples). Oxidation of N‐substituted 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinolines in the presence of aqueous NaHCO₃ solution gave the corresponding amides in good yields (83–93 %) with high selectivity (up to amide/enamide=93:4) (6 examples). The same protocol can be applied to the synthesis of benzimidazoles from the reaction of o‐phenylenediamines with benzaldehydes under aerobic conditions (8 examples). By simple centrifugation, AuNPs/C can be recovered and reused for ten consecutive runs for the oxidation of dibenzylamine to N‐benzylidene(phenyl)methanamine without significant loss of catalytic activity and selectivity. This protocol “AuNPs/C+O₂” can be scaled to the gram scale, and 8.9 g (84 % isolated yield) of 3,4‐dihydroisoquinoline can be obtained from the oxidation of 10 g 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline in a one‐pot reaction. Based on the results of kinetic studies, radical traps experiment, and Hammett plot, a mechanism involving the hydrogen‐transfer reaction from amine to metal and oxidation of M‐H is proposed.     

Drug Oxidation by Cytochrome P450BM3: Metabolite Synthesis and Discovering New P450 Reaction Types

There is intense interest in late‐stage catalytic C?H bond functionalization as an integral part of synthesis. Effective catalysts must have a broad substrate range and tolerate diverse functional groups. Drug molecules provide a good test of these attributes of a catalyst. A library of P450_BM3 mutants developed from four base mutants with high activity for hydrocarbon oxidation produced human metabolites of a panel of drugs that included neutral (chlorzoxazone, testosterone), cationic (amitriptyline, lidocaine) and anionic (diclofenac, naproxen) compounds. No single mutant was active for all the tested drugs but multiple variants in the library showed high activity with each compound. The high conversions enabled full product characterization that led to the discovery of the new P450 reaction type of oxidative decarboxylation of an α‐hydroxy carboxylic acid and the formation a protected imine from an amine, offering a novel route to α‐functionalization of amines. The substrate range and varied product profiles suggest that this library of enzymes is a good basis for developing late‐stage C?H activation catalysts.     

Structural and Morphological Transformations of Covalent Organic Nanotubes

Covalent organic nanotubes (CONTs) are porous one-dimensional frameworks connected through imine bonds via Schiff base condensation between aldehydes and amines. The presence of two amine groups at the ortho position in the structurally demanding tetraaminotriptycene (TAT) building block leads to multiple reaction pathways between the ditopic aldehyde and the tetratopic amine. We have synthesized five different monomers of CONT-1 by the Schiff base condensation reaction between TAT and o-anisaldehyde. The conversion of imine to imidazole bonding in a monomer is probed using NMR, mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Solid-state NMR provide insights into the CONTs’ structural connectivity. A theoretical investigation suggests that the π-π stacking could be the driving force for rapid imine to imidazole conversion within the CONT-1. Microscopic imaging sheds further light on the self-assembly process of the CONTs, indicating both head-to-head and side-by-side assembly.     

Voltammetric Oxidation of Drugs of Abuse I. Morphine and Metabolites

A detailed study of the electrochemical oxidative behavior of morphine in aqueous solution is reported. Through the synthesis of several metabolites and derivatives, pseudomorphine, morphine N‐oxide, normorphine, dihydromorphine and 2‐(N,N‐dimethylaminomethyl)morphine, and their voltammetric study it was possible to identify the oxidation peaks for morphine. The anodic waves are related with the oxidation of phenolic and tertiary amine groups. It is also possible to verify that a poorly defined peak observable during morphine oxidation is not a consequence of further oxidation of pseudomorphine but due to formation of a dimer during phenolic group oxidation. The results obtained and especially those regarding the formation of a new polymer based on a C? O coupling could be useful for clarifying the discoloration phenomenon occurring during storage of morphine solutions as well as leading to a better understanding of its oxidative metabolic pathways.     

A detailed chemical kinetic model for the supercritical water oxidation of methylamine: The importance of imine formation

A detailed chemical kinetic model has been developed for supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) of methylamine, CH₃NH₂, providing insight into the intermediates and final products formed in this process as well as the dominant reaction pathways. The model was adapted from previous mechanisms, with a revision of the peroxyl radical chemistry to include imine formation, which has recently been identified as the dominant gas-phase pathway in amine oxidation. The developed model can reproduce previous experimental data on methylamine consumption and major product formation to reasonable accuracy, although with deficiencies in describing the induction time. Our simulations indicate that oxidation of the ^•CH₂NH₂ radical to methanimine, CH₂NH, is the major channel in methylamine SCWO, with subsequent hydrolysis of CH₂NH providing the experimentally observed reaction products ammonia and formaldehyde. Integral-averaged reaction rates were used to identify major reaction pathways, and a first-order sensitivity analysis indicated that the concentration of CH₃NH₂ is most sensitive to OH radical kinetics. Overall, this work clarifies the importance of imine chemistry in the oxidation of nitrogen-containing compounds and indicates that they are necessary to model these compounds in SCWO processes.     

A Facile Circular Dichroism Protocol for Rapid Determination of Enantiomeric Excess and Concentration of Chiral Primary Amines

A protocol for the rapid determination of the absolute configuration and enantiomeric excess (ee) of α‐chiral primary amines with potential applications in asymmetric reaction discovery has been developed. The protocol requires derivatization of α‐chiral primary amines through condensation with pyridine carboxaldehyde to quantitatively yield the corresponding imine. The Cu^I complex with 2,2′‐bis (diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐dinaphthyl (BINAP? Cu^I) with the imine yields a metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer (MLCT) band in the visible region of the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum upon binding. Diastereomeric host–guest complexes give CD signals of the same signs but different amplitudes, allowing for differentiation of enantiomers. Processing the primary optical data from the CD spectrum with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) allows for the determination of the absolute configuration and identification of the amines, and processing with a supervised multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP‐ANN) allows for the simultaneous determination of the ee and concentration. The primary optical data necessary to determine the ee of unknown samples is obtained in two minutes per sample. To demonstrate the utility of the protocol in asymmetric reaction discovery, the ee values and concentrations for an asymmetric metal‐catalyzed reaction are determined. The potential of the application of this protocol in high‐throughput screening (HTS) of ee is discussed.     

Syntheses and characterizations of a novel 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazoline and a Co(III) complex

The 2-furan-2-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazoline-2-carbaldehyde oxime (HL) and complex of tridentate ligand containing oxime, imine, and amine donors resulting from reactions with cobalt(II) salt have been synthesized and characterized by spectral methods (FT-IR, NMR, UV-Vis, mass), elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductivity, and thermal analysis (TG, DTA) techniques. The molecular structure of HL was elucidated from single-crystal X-ray diffraction. X-ray crystallographic analysis shows that the molecule crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group C2/c. In the complex, chloride was not coordinated as confirmed by conductivity measurements. The metal is coordinated to the oxime, imine, and amine nitrogen atoms and decomposes with loss of the organic ligand and halogen to leave metal oxide. The metal to ligand ratio was 1?:?2 by elemental analysis and mass spectrum.     

Organophotoredox-Mediated Amide Synthesis by Coupling Alcohol and Amine through Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohol

The combination of an organic photocatalyst [4CzIPN (1,2,3,5-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,6 dicyanobenzene) or 5MeOCzBN (2,3,4,5,6-pentakis(3,6-dimethoxy-9 H-carbazol-9-yl)benzonitrile)], quinuclidine, and tetra-n-butylammonium phosphate (hydrogen-bonding catalyst) was employed for amide bond formations. The hydrogen-bonded OH group activated the adjacent C−H bond of alcohols towards hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) by a radical species. The quinuclidinium radical cation, generated through single-electron oxidation of quinuclidine by the photocatalyst, employed to abstract a hydrogen atom from the α-C−H bond of alcohols selectively due to a polarity effect-produced α-hydroxyalkyl radical, which subsequently converted to the corresponding aldehyde under aerobic conditions. Then the coupling of the aldehyde and an amine formed a hemiaminal intermediate that upon photocatalytic oxidation produced the amide.     

Gas-Phase Generation and Characterization of Nitrileimine,HCNNH: A new,stable isomer of diazomethane

A new isomer of diazomethane 1 , the nitrile imine, HCNNH ( 2 ) is reported to be a stable molecule in the gas phase. Upon neutralizing the α-distonic HCNNH⁺ cation in a beam experiment, this long-time predicted ylide can be generated. The experiments are supported by theoretical calculations (DFT/HF hybride method) on the neutral and cationic diazomethane 1 , nitrile imine 2 , and N-isocyano amine 3 as well as the transition states for their interconversion.     

Application and Mechanistic Studies of a Water‐Oxidation Catalyst in Alcohol Oxidation by Employing Oxygen‐Transfer Reagents

By using a dimeric ruthenium complex in combination with tert‐butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) as stoichiometric oxidant, a mild and efficient protocol for the oxidation of secondary benzylic alcohols was obtained, thereby giving the corresponding ketones in high yields within 4 h. However, in the oxidation of aliphatic alcohols, the TBHP protocol suffered from low conversions owing to a competing Ru‐catalyzed disproportionation of the oxidant. Gratifyingly, by switching to Oxone (2 KHSO₅ ? KHSO₄ ? K₂SO₄ triple salt) as stoichiometric oxidant, a more efficient and robust system was obtained that allowed for the oxidation of a wide range of aliphatic and benzylic secondary alcohols, giving the corresponding ketones in excellent yields. The mechanism for these reactions is believed to involve a high‐valent Ru^V–oxo species. We provide support for such an intermediate by means of mechanistic studies.     

Inhibited Oxidation of Cumene and Polymerization of Styrene Investigated by Solution Microcalorimetry

The application of solution microcalorimetry was demonstrated on two model examples – inhibited oxidation of cumene and radical polymerization of styrene.From the experimental dependences of the rate of heat release on time, the rate constants k ₇ of the interaction of an inhibitor with radicals of substrate (RO ₂ ^. or R^.) in oxidation or in polymerization were determined for the set of inhibitors of N-aryl N-(2-quinone) amine series. It was shown that these compounds are weak inhibitors of oxidation of cumene and rather efficient inhibitor of polymerization of styrene.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of NADH by Oxidized s‐Adenosyl‐L‐Methionine (SAMe): Application to NADH and SAMe Determinations

s‐Adenosyl‐L ‐methionine (SAMe) is an adenosine analogue with therapeutical activity against affective disorders and liver dysfunctions. It can be oxidized on graphite electrode yielding a strongly adsorbed electroactive oxidation product for which a quinone‐imine structure is proposed. This compound is capable of electrocatalyzing the NADH oxidation at low potentials, lowering the overvoltage by about 300 mV. An amperometric method for NADH determination at +0.1 V (Ag|AgCl|KCl_sat) is developed using an oxidized‐SAMe‐modified electrode in pH 9. Linear calibration plots were obtained with a detection limit of 2.4 nM. The electrode response time and the relative standard deviation of the slope of the calibration plot for 5 different modified electrodes were 12 s and 5.6% respectively. The catalytic scheme also provides the first method to determine SAMe itself by adsorptive differential pulse voltammetry. The linear range was found to be 42.4–424 nM with a reproducibility of 6.9%. The method was applied to SAMe determination in a pharmaceutical formulation.     

Mechanistic aspects of oxidation of N-substituted 5H-dibenz[c,e]azepines by aldehyde oxidase

5H-Dibenz[c,e]azepine ( 2 ) and its N-ethyl and N-(2-ethoxyethyl) analogues 3 and 4 were prepared and evaluated as substrates for aldehyde oxidase. Quaternization of 2 with ethyl iodide furnished 3 , while 4 was prepared by lithium aluminum hydride reduction of N-(2-ethoxy)ethyldiphenimide followed by mercuric acetate oxidation of the resultant amine 6 . The rates of oxidation of 2 and 3 were similar, suggesting a lack of selectivity by the enzyme for the respective imine and iminium functional groups in these compounds. The rate of oxidation of 3 decreased with increasing pH while the extent of “hydration” of this substrate increased over a similar pH range, signifying a preference by the enzyme for 3 over its carbinolamine equilibrium partner. Experiments with deuterium labelled analogues of 2 and 3 indicated that azomethine hydrogen loss from these substrates during enzymatic oxidation was not rate determining. Thus 5H-dibenz[c,e]azepine-5,5,7-d₃ ( 7 ), prepared by lithium aluminum deuteride reduction of diphenimide ( 5 ), and its N-ethyl analogue 8 , had respective enzymatic oxidation rates which did not differ from those of their non-deuterated counterparts.