Aerobic cascade oxidation of substituted cyclopentane-1,2-diones using metalloporphyrin catalysts

A method for the aerobic cascade oxidation of cyclopentane-1,2-diones using metal porphyrins as catalysts, yielding hydroxydiacids 2, ketoacid 3 and diketoacids 4 which are the intermediates of important biologically active compounds is reported. This method is operationally simple and can be employed under ambient conditions.     

Aerobic ligand-free Suzuki coupling catalyzed by in situ-generated palladium nanoparticles in water

A simple and efficient procedure for Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides/iodides with aryl- and alkylboronic acids catalyzed by in situ-generated palladium(0) nanoparticles in water without any ligand in open air to produce a variety of functionalized biaryls and alkyl-aryls has been developed. The boronic acids act here as the reducing agent for the formation of Pd nanoparticles. The reactions are remarkably fast (5 min) and high yielding. The catalyst is recyclable up to three runs without loss of efficiency.     

In situ generation of palladium nanoparticles: ligand-free palladium catalyzed ultrafast Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction in aqueous phase at room temperature

An ultrafast and highly efficient ligand-free Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction between aryl bromides/iodides and arylboronic acids using palladium chloride as catalyst in PEG400/H₂O in air at room temperature has been developed. TEM showed that palladium nanoparticles were generated in situ from PdCl₂/PEG400/H₂O without use of other reductants. The catalyst system can be recycled to reuse three times with good yields.     

First example of a palladium catalyzed coupling reaction between cationic porphyrins and alkynyls in aqueous medium

The first example of the palladium catalyzed (Sonogashira) carbon-carbon coupling reaction in aqueous medium between 5,10,15-tri-(4-N-methylpyridyl)-20-(4-bromophenyl)-porphyrin and a variety of terminal alkynyls is reported.     

Aerobic oxidation of alcohols using bismuth bromide as a catalyst

We developed an environmentally friendly method for aerobic oxidation of alcohols using a commercially available, relatively benign bismuth salt as a catalyst. We found that the catalytic combination of BiBr₃ with nitric acid is key for enhancing the reactivity. The reaction proceeds well under air, making the use of pure oxygen unnecessary. Each of the primary or secondary alcohols tested was oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones using this protocol.     

Solid-supported palladium nano and microparticles: an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for ligand-free Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reaction

Solid-supported nano and microparticles of Pd(0) (SS-Pd) were prepared and used as heterogeneous catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reactions of aryl halides (chloro, bromo and iodo) and phenyl boronic acid under mild and ligand-free conditions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis based studies were performed to observe the distribution of nano and microparticles of palladium over solid surface and their oxidation states. In addition, the catalyst could be reused up to seven runs without significant loss of activity and stable enough under moist conditions.     

Selective alcohol oxidation to aldehydes and ketones over base-promoted gold–palladium clusters as recyclable quasihomogeneous and heterogeneous metal catalysts

Bimetallic gold–palladium clusters, with an average size of 1.9 nm and composed of 80 mol% gold, proved to be highly active and selective metal catalysts for the organic phase oxidation with O₂ of aliphatic, allylic and benzylic alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl products. Polyvinylpyrrolidone stabilized gold–palladium clusters dispersed in N,N-dimethylformamide emerged as promising quasihomogeneous metal catalysts for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with full selectivity; they could be efficiently recycled with unaffected catalytic performance by solvent-resistant nanofiltration. Highly active and durable heterogeneous catalysts for the amide phase or solvent-free alcohol oxidation were prepared by the quantitative immobilization of the optimized gold–palladium clusters on the high surface area basic BaAl₂O₄ spinel support with preservation of the bimetallic clusters’ nanodispersion.     

The Aerobic Oxidation and C=C Bond Cleavage of Styrenes Catalyzed by Cerium(IV) Ammonium Nitrate (CAN)

The CAN‐catalyzed aerobic oxidation severed the C=C bond selectively through the single electron transfer mechanism, giving a green method to decompose olefins. Compared with the literature reported examples, this method required simple catalyst, cheap, abundant and clean oxidant and was very safe to operate due to the mild conditions.     

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 aryl phosphines via phosphination with triphenylphosphine by supported palladium catalysts

The palladium catalyzed phosphination of functionalized aryl bromides, triflates, and chlorides with triphenylphosphine to yield aryldiphenylphosphines was catalyzed by thermally stable palladium catalysts supported on charcoal and aluminia. The addition of NaI promoted both the rates and yields in the phosphination with Pd/C.     

Pd nanoparticles as catalysts for green and sustainable oxidation of functionalized alcohols in aqueous media

The previously described catalyst system for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, comprising palladium(II) acetate in combination with neocuproine in a 1:1 mixture of water and a water-miscible cosolvent such as ethylene carbonate or dimethylsulfoxide, was shown to involve palladium nanoparticles as the active catalyst. The latter are formed in situ or can be preformed by reduction of the palladium-neocuproine complex with hydrogen and they are stabilized by both the neocuproine ligand and the cosolvent. This catalyst system was successfully used for the selective aerobic oxidation of the steroidal secondary alcohols, nandrolone and 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one, to the corresponding ketones.     

Palladium-catalyzed oxidation of vinyl ether to acetate with hydrogen peroxide

The selective hydrogen peroxide oxidation of vinyl ethers to give acetates was developed using triphenylphosphine palladium and triethyl amine catalysts under mild reaction conditions.     

A highly efficient and recyclable silica-supported palladium catalyst for alcohol oxidation reaction

A silica supported palladium catalyst (SiO₂@APTES-Pd) showed excellent activity and reusability for selective oxidation of alcohols to corresponding carbonyl compounds with H₂O₂ as oxidant under base free environment. A wide range of alcohols including aliphatic alcohols are tolerated as substrates with a low loading of palladium (0.1 mol %).     

Lactose oxidation over palladium catalysts supported on active carbons and on carbon nanofibres

Liquid-phase lactose oxidation was investigated over supported Pd/C and Pd-carbon nanofibre catalysts, which were characterized by several methods. A complex relationship between catalyst activity and catalyst acidity was established, i.e. optimum catalyst acidity resulted in the highest activity in lactose oxidation. In-situ catalyst potential measurements during lactose oxidation gave information about the extent of accumulation of oxygen on the metal surface. These results could be correlated with catalyst deactivation, which was extensive over the most acidic catalysts at low reaction temperatures. Selectivity for the desired product, lactobionic acid, was a maximum of approximately 83% at 93% conversion. The main side-product was lactulose formed via isomerisation of lactose. Lower selectivity toward lactobionic acid was obtained when the rate of oxidation of lactose was low.     

Supported Palladium Oxide Nanoparticles in SBA‐15 as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

Palladium nanoparticles were first synthesized through the thermal decomposition method and subsequently immobilized on ordered mesoporous silica material, SBA‐15, to afford PdO/SBA‐15 catalyst. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption measurement, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The catalytic activity was tested for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols. Easy recovery, high yeilds and relatively short reaction times were observed for the mentioned catalyst.     

Aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohols through biosynthesized palladium nanoparticles mediated by Oak fruit bark extract as an efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst

In this study, green synthesis of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) is outlined through application of Oak fruit bark extract as a reducing, capping and stabilizing agent. The characteristics and properties of the biosynthesized Pd NPs were revealed by FESEM, EDX, XRD, TEM, UV–Vis, and FT-IR spectroscopies. So that, UV–Vis spectroscopy of the Pd colloidal solution confirmed reduction of Pd ions, and XRD and TEM analysis identified fcc unit cell structure forming 5–7 nm spherical Pd NPs. Furthermore, catalytic activity of the prepared catalyst was investigated through aerobic oxidation of alcohols, as model reactions. Catalytic evaluations demonstrated achievement of good yields from primary and secondary benzyl alcohols. In general, the devised synthesis method is advantageous from several perspectives. For example, the synthesized catalysts give high product yields and are efficient, they eliminate the need for surfactant, chemical reductants, ligand and organic solvents, the approach is economically inexpensive, it results in cleaner reaction profiles, application of the simply prepared heterogeneous catalyst is convenient, and the catalyst is recoverable and reusable for at least six times without any significant loss of its catalytic activity.     

Aerobic oxidation of phenol to quinone with copper chloride as catalyst in ionic liquid

Aerobic oxidation of 2,3,6-trimethyl-phenol to trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone with 2.5 mol% copper(II) chloride as catalyst in ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride, [BMIm]Cl, with n-butanol as co-solvent affording 86% yield provides a new alternative to the copper(II) chloride catalysed aerobic oxidation. The advantage of this catalytic system is that only a catalytic amount of copper(II) chloride is necessary. This catalytic system is also applicable for oxidation of 2-methyl-1-naphthol to 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. This catalytic reaction was systematically investigated under different conditions.     

Aerobic oxidative transformation of primary alcohols and amines to amides promoted by a hydroxyapatite-supported gold catalyst in water

In the presence of an easily prepared hydroxyapatite-supported gold catalyst, namely Au/HAP, various kinds of structurally diverse primary alcohols including benzylic and aliphatic ones, and amines involving aromatic and secondary ones could be converted into the corresponding amides in water with up to 99% yield. Meanwhile, on the basis of experimental observations and literatures, a plausible reaction pathway was described to elucidate the reaction mechanism.     

Selective oxidation of naphthalene derivatives with ruthenium catalysts using hydrogen peroxide as terminal oxidant

The selective oxidation of naphthalene and its derivatives to give naphthoquinones has been investigated in detail. The reaction can be carried out effectively in the presence of a catalytic amount of Ru complexes (0.2 mol%) and phase transfer catalysts (PTC) using H₂O₂ as the terminal oxidant and water as the solvent. The effect of different ruthenium complexes, phase transfer catalysts, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide were studied. Compared to previous procedures for this type of reactions, acidic solvents and high concentration of hydrogen peroxide are not necessary, which makes the reaction more environmentally friendly.     

Palladium catalyzed coupling reactions of cationic porphyrins with organoboranes (Suzuki) and alkenes (Heck)

The carbon-carbon coupling reaction in aqueous medium between 5,10,15-tri-(4-N-methylpyridyl)-20-(4-bromophenyl)-porphyrin and a variety of organoboranes, fluoroorganoboranes and alkenes using palladium catalyst (Suzuki and Heck) is explored.