Ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of l-leucine by a new oxidant,diperiodatoargentate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium

The kinetics of Ru(III) catalysed oxidation of l-leucine by diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA) in alkaline medium at 298 K and a constant ionic strength of 0.60 mol dm⁻³ was studied spectrophotometrically. The oxidation products are pentanoic acid and Ag(I). The stoichiometry is [l-leucine]:[DPA] = 1:2. The reaction is of first order in Ru(III) and [DPA] and has less than unit order in both [l-leu] and [alkali]. The oxidation reaction in alkaline medium has been shown to proceed via a Ru(III)–l-leucine complex, which further reacts with one molecule of monoperiodatoargentate(III) (MPA) in a rate determining step followed by other fast steps to give the products. The main products were identified by spot test and spectral studies. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanism are calculated. The catalytic constant (K_c) was also calculated for the Ru(III) catalysed reaction at different temperatures. From the plots of log K_c versus 1/T, values of activation parameters with respect to the catalyst have been evaluated. The activation parameters with respect to the slow step of the mechanism are computed and discussed, and thermodynamic quantities are also determined. The active species of catalyst and oxidant have been identified.     

Kinetic investigation of a PC(sp)P pincer palladium (II) complex in the Heck reaction

An investigation of the kinetics of the Heck reaction between 4-iodoanisole and styrene catalysed by {cis-1,3-bis[(di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl]-cyclohexane} palladium (II) iodide (1) has been performed in DMF-d₇ solution. Based on mercury poisoning experiments a heterogeneous palladium catalyst formed from the pre-catalyst is proposed. Saturation behaviour with respect to the olefin concentration suggests a mechanism consisting of a pre-equilibrium association of the olefin followed by a rate determining reaction with aryl halide. The equilibrium constant for the olefin association, K₁, and the rate constant for the subsequent oxidative addition step, k₂, were determined to (5.7 ± 2.5) × 10⁻³ and 18.4 ± 2.7 M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively.     

Palladium catalyzed alkynylation of aryl halides (Sonogashira reaction) in water

The palladium catalyzed alkynylation of aryl halides (Sonogashira reaction) has been achieved in pure water without any additives or phase transfer catalysts. The reaction, which requires only 0.5 mol % of Pd(PPh₃)₄ catalyst, is remarkably fast (30 min at 70 °C) producing high yields of the aryl alkyne products.     

1,4-Carbonylative addition of arylboronic acids to methyl vinyl ketone: a new synthetic tool for rapid furan and pyrrole synthesis

The rhodium catalysed 1,4-carbonylative addition of arylboronic acids to methyl vinyl ketone under carbon monoxide pressure was studied. High yields of 1,4-diketones were obtained using a catalytic system formed from Rh(COD)₂BF₄ (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) and triphenylphosphine even at very low catalyst loading (0.02 mol %). A short synthetic procedure combining this carbonylation reaction with a subsequent cyclisation step affords pyrroles or furans.     

Room temperature synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives using reusable cobalt hydroxide (II) and cobalt oxide (II) as efficient solid catalysts

Here we demonstrate the synthesis of benzimidazoles through the coupling of 1,2-phenylenediamine with aldehydes by using Co(OH)₂ and similarly CoO(II) as efficient solid catalysts in ethanol at room temperature. The Co(OH)₂ solid catalyst gave better yields (82-98%) in short reaction times (4-7 h) than CoO(II) catalyst (80-94%, 6-9 h). These commercially available cheap catalysts are more active than many reported expensive heterogeneous catalysts.     

Thorpe-Ingold effect in copper(II)-catalyzed formal hydroalkoxylation-hydroarylation reaction of alkynols with indoles

The use of Cu(OTf)₂ as a catalyst for tandem hydroalkoxylation-hydroarylation reaction of alkynes tethered with hydroxyl group is reported. The reaction proceeds at 60 °C or even at room temperature with 5 mol % catalyst loading and produces C-3-substituted indoles in good to high yields. The method was shown to be applicable to a broad range of indoles, containing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents, and alkynol substrates bearing sterically demanding substituents in the tether. Interestingly, it was found that Thorpe-Ingold effect is operating for this cyclization reaction. Easy availability and low cost of Cu(OTf)₂ make this method attractive and amenable for large-scale synthesis compared to known literature methods.     

Alkyne–azide cycloaddition catalyzed by a dinuclear copper(I) complex

A novel dinuclear copper complex Cu^I₂(pip)₂ was used as a catalyst for alkyne–azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. High yields (95–99%) were obtained for various substrates at a low loading of 0.2 mol %. The unique structure, high stability of the dinuclear structure in solution, and easy preparation make this complex not only a high-efficiency catalyst but also a model for understanding the mechanism of the CuAAC reaction.     

Glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) using basic ionic liquids as catalysts

The glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was studied using several ionic liquids and basic ionic liquids as catalysts. The basic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydroxyl ([Bmim]OH), exhibits higher catalytic activity for the glycolysis of PET, compared with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bicarbonate ([Bmim]HCO₃), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([Bmim]Br). FT-IR, ¹H NMR and DSC were used to confirm the main product of glycolysis was bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) monomer. The influences of experimental parameters, such as the amount of catalyst, glycolysis time, reaction temperature, and dosages of ethylene glycol on the conversion of PET, yield of BHET were investigated. The results showed a strong influence of the mixture evolution of temperature and reaction time on depolymerization of PET. Under the optimum conditions of m(PET):m(EG): 1:10, dosage of [Bmim]OH at 0.1 g (5 wt%), reaction temperature 190 °C and time 2 h, the conversion of PET and the yield of BHET were 100% and 71.2% respectively. Balance between the polymerization of BHET and depolymerization of PET could be changed when the reaction time was more than 2 h and contents of catalyst and EG were changed.     

Determination of trace osmium by supramolecular catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetry of beta-CD-osmium-KBrO(3)-o-vanillin furfuralhydrazone

A supramolecular catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of osmium(IV) and the possible mechanism of catalytic reaction was discussed. The method is based on the fluorescence enhancing reaction of o-vanillin furfuralhydrazone (OVFH) with potassium bromate, which was catalysed by osmium(IV) in water medium. Beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) obviously sensibilized the determination at pH 6.10 and 55 °C. Under optimum conditions, beta-CD-osmium(IV)-KBrO₃-OVFH supramolecular kinetic catalytic reaction system had excitation and emission maxima at 337 and 490 nm, respectively. The linear range of this method was 0-120 ng ml⁻¹ with a R.S.D. of 1.1%, and the detection limit was 0.38 ng ml⁻¹. The effect of interferences was studied. Distillation was used to separate osmium from interfering elements in the samples. The proposed method was applied successfully to determine osmium(IV) in synthetic mixture and mineral samples, the results were well consistent with the reference standard values.     

Dicationic ((−)-sparteine)palladium-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-phenyl-1-trimethylsilyloxyethene, proceeding via a palladium enolate

A dicationic ((−)-sparteine)palladium complex underwent a superior catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-phenyl-1-trimethylsilyloxyethene performing satisfactorily, starting with ((−)-sparteine)PdCl₂ and AgSbF₆ as catalyst precursors (1 mol % loading) in the presence of 3 Å molecular sieves over the reaction.     

Dicationic (BINAP)palladium-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with a silyl enol ether: a simplified practical procedure

The dicationic ((R)-BINAP)palladium-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction of benzaldehyde with 1-phenyl-1-trimethylsilylethene has been reinvestigated regarding the reaction conditions in the presence of ((R)-BINAP)palladium chloride and AgSbF₆ with 3 Å molecular sieves. The simplified practical procedure with 1 mol % catalyst loading realized the high performance of 98% yield and 76% ee with reliable reproducibility.     

Ring opening of epoxides with alcohols using Fe(Cp)2BF4 as catalyst

Fe(Cp)₂BF₄ is an efficient catalyst for the alcoholysis of aromatic, aliphatic, and cyclic epoxides giving excellent yields of the corresponding β-alkoxy alcohols under ambient conditions. The methanolysis of styrene oxide using Fe(Cp)₂BF₄ as a catalyst (5 mol %) gave excellent yield of 2-methoxy-2-phenylethanol with complete regio-selectivity. The ring opening of cyclic epoxides gave 77–97% yields of trans-β-methoxy alcohols, in 0.5–6 h. The use of 1,2-epoxyhexane and 1,2-epoxydodecane as substrates gave both regioisomers in excellent yields. The first order rate of reaction with respect to catalyst was observed for the kinetics of ring opening of 1,2-epoxyhexane with methanol.     

Osmium(VIII) catalysed and uncatalysed oxidation of aspirin drug by diperiodatocuprate(III) complex in aqueous alkaline medium: A mechanistic approach

The kinetics of oxidation of a non-steroidal analgesic drug, aspirin (ASP) by diperiodatocuprate(III)(DPC) in the presence and absence of osmium(VIII) have been investigated at 298 K in alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.10 mol dm⁻³ spectrophotometrically. The reaction showed a first-order in [DPC] and less than unit order in [ASP] and [alkali] for both the osmium(VIII) catalysed and uncatalysed reactions. The order with respect to Os(VIII) concentration was unity. The effects of added products, ionic strength, periodate and dielectric constant have been studied. The stoichiometry of the reaction was found to be 1:4 (ASP:DPC) for both the cases. The main oxidation product of aspirin was identified by spot test, IR, NMR and GC–MS. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanisms were calculated for both reactions. Activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanisms were computed and discussed for both the cases. The thermodynamic quantities were also determined for both reactions. The catalytic constant (K_C) was also calculated for catalysed reaction at different temperatures and the corresponding activation parameters were determined.     

Gold(I)-catalyzed benzannulation of 3-hydroxy-1,5-enynes: an efficient synthesis of substituted tetrahydronaphthalenes and related compounds

We report a novel gold(I)-catalyzed benzannulation of 3-hydroxy-1,5-enynes to prepare tetrahydronaphthalenes. The reaction is catalyzed by 2.5 mol % Ph₃PAuCl and 2.5 mol % AgOTf in dichloromethane. We discovered that this process can be also catalyzed by 1 mol % Ph₃PAuCl and 1 mol % TfOH. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes the first report of an active gold catalyst generated from Au(PPh₃)Cl and triflic acid. This mild process is compatible with a variety of functional groups and proves to be an effective method to synthesize various meta-substituted aromatic rings in good yields.     

Conversion of pentynol to pentanone catalysed by Pd(II) metal centres

The cyclization of 3- or 4-pentyn-1-ol is catalysed by PdCl₂ or trans-[PdCl₂L₂] (L = R-camphorimine; R = Ph; Prⁱ; NMe₂) complexes at room temperature affording heterocyclic compounds, respectively, 2-methyl-2-pent-3-ynyloxy-tetrahydrofuran or 2-methyl-2-pent-4-ynyloxy-tetrahydrofuran which subsequently add water to give selectively 5-(2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran-2-yloxy)-pentan-2-one from both starting materials. By hydrolysis 5-(2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran-2-yloxy)-pentan-2-one undergoes ring cleavage to form 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone. The catalytic activity and selectivity of complexes trans-[PdCl₂L₂] (L = R-camphorimine) depend on the characteristics of the R group (NMe₂ > Prⁱ > Ph). The catalytic activity of PdCl₂ is comparable to that of trans-[PdCl₂L₂] (L = Ph-camphorimine) which is the less efficient catalyst.     

Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation using chiral diaminophosphine oxides: DIAPHOXs. Formal enantioselective synthesis of (−)-paroxetine

An Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation using chiral diaminophosphine oxide is described. Asymmetric allylic alkylation of terminal allylic carbonates proceeded using 5 mol % of Ir catalyst, 5 mol % of DIAPHOX 1i, 10 mol % of NaPF₆, 10 mol % of LiOAc, and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA), affording the corresponding branched products in excellent yield and in up to 95% ee. The developed catalytic asymmetric reaction was successfully applied to a formal enantioselective synthesis of (−)-paroxetine.     

[PdCl2{8-(di-tert-butylphosphinooxy)quinoline)}]: a highly efficient catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura reaction

The complex [PdCl₂(P-N)] containing the basic and sterically demanding 8-(di-tert-butylphosphinooxy)quinoline ligand (P-N) is a highly efficient catalyst for the coupling of phenylboronic acid with aryl bromides or aryl chlorides. The influence of solvent and base has been investigated, the highest rates being observed at 110 °C in toluene with K₂CO₃ as the base. With aryl bromides the reaction rates are almost independent on the electronic properties of the para aryl substituents, on the contrary, reduced reaction rates are observed when bulky substituents are present on the substrate. Nevertheless the coupling of 2-bromo-1,3,5-trimethylbenzene with phenylboronic acid can be carried out to completion in 2 h using a catalyst loading of 0.02 mol %. Under optimized reaction conditions, turnover frequencies as high as 1900 h⁻¹ can be obtained in the coupling of 4-chloroacetophenone with phenylboronic acid; lower reaction rates are obtained with substrates bearing EDG substituents on the aryl group.     

Ruthenium complexes of the general formula [RuCl2(PHOX)2] and their catalytic activity in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction

New ruthenium phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) complexes were synthesized and applied in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction. Four ruthenium complexes of the general formula [RuCl₂(PHOX)₂] were synthesized from [RuCl₂(dmso)₄] and the corresponding PHOX ligands through thermal ligand exchange. Two of the complexes were characterized structurally. Achiral PHOX ligands gave the ruthenium complexes as single isomers, whereas chiral PHOX ligands gave a mixture of isomers and also some incomplete substitution. After activation by chloride abstraction, one of the new ruthenium complexes was applied as catalyst in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction to give silyl-protected β-hydroxyl alcohols in 74–92% isolated yields (room temperature, 18–24 h reaction time, 1 mol % catalyst loading).     

Platinum-catalyzed double silylations of alkynes with bis(dichlorosilyl)methanes

Bis(dichlorosilyl)methanes 1 undergo the two kind reactions of a double hydrosilylation and a dehydrogenative double silylation with alkynes 2 such as acetylene and activated phenyl-substituted acetylenes in the presence of Speier’s catalyst to give 1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopentanes 3 and 1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopent-4-enes 4 as cyclic products, respectively, depending upon the molecular structures of both bis(dichlorosilyl)methanes (1) and alkynes (2). Simple bis(dichlorosilyl)methane (1a) reacted with alkynes [R¹-CC-R²: R¹ = H, R² = H (2a), Ph (2b); R¹ = R² = Ph (2c)] at 80 °C to afford 1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopentanes 3 as the double hydrosilylation products in fair to good yields (33-84%). Among these reactions, the reaction with 2c gave a trans-4,5-diphenyl-1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopentane 3ac in the highest yield (84%). When a variety of bis(dichlorosilyl)(silyl)methanes [(Me_nCl_3 − nSi)CH(SiHCl₂)₂: n = 0 (1b), 1 (1c), 2 (1d), 3 (1e)] were applied in the reaction with alkyne (2c) under the same reaction conditions. The double hydrosilylation products, 2-silyl-1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopentanes (3), were obtained in fair to excellent yields (38-98%). The yields of compound 3 deceased as follows: n = 1 > 2 > 3 > 0. The reaction of alkynes (2a-c) with 1c under the same conditions gave one of two type products of 1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopentanes 3 and 1,1,3,3-tetrachloro-1,3-disilacyclopent-4-enes (4): simple alkyne 2a and terminal 2b gave the latter products 4ca and 4cb in 91% and 57% yields, respectively, while internal alkyne 2c afforded the former cyclic products 3cc with trans form between two phenyl groups at the 3- and 4-carbon atoms in 98% yield, respectively. Among platinum compounds such as Speier’s catalyst, PtCl₂(PEt₃)₂, Pt(PPh₃)₂(C₂H₄), Pt(PPh₃)₄, Pt[ViMeSiO]₄, and Pt/C, Speier’s catalyst was the best catalyst for such silylation reactions.     

Vinyl polymerization of norbornene catalyzed by a series of bis(β-ketoiminato)nickel (II) complexes in the presence of methylaluminoxane

A series of nickel complexes with β-ketoiminato ligands based on pyrazolone derivative were synthesized and characterized, which are highly active catalyst precursors for norbornene polymerization under mild reaction conditions through a vinyl-type polymerization mechanism. The catalytic activity could be up to 3.38 × 10⁷ g polymer/mol Ni h. The molecular weight distributions of the polynorbornenes (M_w/M_n = 2.05-2.56) indicate the presence of a single active species in the polymerization process.