Metal or ammonium alginates as Lewis base catalysts for the 1,2-addition of silyl nucleophiles to carbonyl compounds

Several metal (Na⁺, Ca²⁺) or ammonium (n-Bu₄N⁺) derivatives of alginic acid, an abundant bio-polymer obtained from the cell walls of brown algae, were synthesized. Their potential to act as organocatalysts to catalyze the 1,2-addition of various silyl derivatives to carbonyl compounds was evaluated for the first time. Ammonium alginate 1h is able to promote the reaction in modest to good isolated yields (up to 98%) affording access to a large range of substrates (β-cyano alcohols or ester, β-substituted methylacrylate or acrylonitrile, and cyanohydrin) by using only 5 mol % of catalyst.     

Green synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones using nano Fe3O4@meglumine sulfonic acid as a new efficient solid acid catalyst under microwave irradiation

Design, synthesis and characterization of nano Fe₃O₄@meglumine sulfonic acid as a new solid acid catalyst for the simple and green one pot multicomponent synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones was studied. New solid acid catalyst was prepared through a clean and simple protocol and characterized using FTIR, VSM, TGA, SEM, elemental analysis (CHN) and XRD techniques. Heterogenization of homogeneous catalyst as a green approach is a useful method for enhancing the efficiency of catalyst. Presented study was a new method for attachment of homogeneous highly soluble catalyst (meglumine sulfate) to the magnetite nanoparticle surfaces for preparing a heterogeneous and effective catalyst. Obtained heterogeneous and reusable solid acid catalyst has high performance in the synthesis of Biginelli compounds. The reaction was performed under microwave irradiation as a rapid and green condition. Easy work up as well as excellent yield (90–98%) of products in short reaction times (40–200 s) and reusable catalyst are the main advantages of presented procedure. Reaction products were characterized in details using physical and chemical techniques such as melting point, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and FTIR.     

Sulfated polyborate: An efficient and reusable catalyst for one pot synthesis of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines derivatives using ammonium carbonate under solvent free conditions

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of four-component 1,4-dihydropyridines of various aldehydes, β-ketoesters and ammonium carbonate catalyzed by sulfated polyborate with high yields under a solvent free condition at 90 °C is described. The key advantages of the present method are high yields, short reaction time, solvent free condition, easy workup, recyclability of catalyst and ability to tolerate a variety of functional groups which gives economical as well as ecological rewards.     

Optimization and modeling of synthesis parameters of neodymium(III) bromide by dry method using full factorial design analysis

The synthesis of neodymium(III) bromide (NdBr₃) by sintering brominating of neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃) with ammonium bromide (NH₄Br) was investigated. The influence of various synthesis parameters (temperature, contact time and stoichiometry) on the reaction yield was studied and optimized. The main interaction effects of the synthesis parameters on the reaction yield were also determined by a full 2³ factorial designs with six replicates at the center point.This study showed that the optimum conditions for the synthesis of NdBr₃ are following: contact time t = 60 min, stoichiometry in moles Nd₂O₃:NH₄Br = 1:24 and temperature T = 400 °C. The reaction yield for these parameters was equal to 97.80%. The first order model was obtained to predict the reaction yield as a function of these three parameters. It was shown that all parameters have a significant positive influence on reaction yield. In addition it was pointed out also that the interaction effects between them are significant.     

Kinetic spectrophotometric method for trace determination of thiocyanate based on its inhibitory effect

A kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of thiocyanate, based on its inhibitory effect on silver(I) catalyzed substitution of cyanide ion, by phenylhydrazine in hexacyanoferrate(II) is described. Thiocyanate ions form strong complexes with silver(I) catalyst which is used as the basis for its determination at trace level. The progress of reaction was monitored, spectrophotometrically, at 488 nm (λ_max of [Fe(CN)₅PhNHNH₂]^3?, complex) under the optimum reaction conditions at: 2.5 × 10^?3 M [Fe(CN)₆]^4?, 1.0 × 10^?3 M [PhNHNH₂], 8.0 × 10^?7 M [Ag⁺], pH 2.8 ± 0.02, ionic strength (μ) 0.02 M (KNO₃) and temperature 30 ± 0.1 °C. A linear relationship obtained between absorbance (measured at 488 nm at different times) and inhibitor concentration, under specified conditions, has been used for the determination of [thiocyanate] in the range of 0.8–8.0 × 10^?8 M with a detection limit of 2 × 10^?9 M. The standard deviation and percentage error have been calculated and reported with each datum. A most plausible mechanistic scheme has been proposed for the reaction. The values of equilibrium constants for complex formation between catalyst–inhibitor (K_CI), catalyst–substrate (K_s) and Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) have been computed from the kinetic data. The influence of possible interference by major cations and anions on the determination of thiocyanate and their limits has been investigated.     

An efficient and solvent-free one-pot synthesis of dihydropyrimidinones under microwave irradiation

An efficient synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one derivatives using formic acid as catalyst, from aldehydes,β-ketoester and urea(thiourea) without solvent under the irradiation of microwave is described. Compared with the classical Biginelli reaction, this new method has the advantage of good yields (77-94% for aromatic aldehydes) and short reaction time (3-8 min).     

Fast analysis of thiocyanate by ion-pair chromatography with direct conductivity detection on a monolithic column

Fast analysis of thiocyanate by ion-pair chromatography using a silica-based monolithic column and direct conductivity detection was carried out. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Chromolith Speed ROD RP-18e using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide （TBA）-phthalic acid-acetonitrile as eluent. The effects of eluent concentration, eluent pH value, column temperature and flow rate on retention time of thiocyanate were investigated. The optimized chromatographic conditions for the determination of thiocyanate were as follows： 0.25 mmol/L TBA-0.18 mmol/L phthalate-7% acetonitrile （pH 5.5） as eluent, column temperature of 30 ℃, and flow rate of 6.0 mL/min. Retention time of thiocyanate was less than 1 min under the conditions. Common anions （Cl^-, NO3 , SO42 and I^- ） did not interfere with the determination of thiocyanate. Detection limit （S/N = 3） of thiocyanate was 0.96 mg/L. Calibration graph between peak area and the concentration of thiocyanate was linear in the range of 2.0- 100.0 mg/L. Relative standard deviation （RSD） of chromatographic peak area was 1.4% （n = 5）. This method has been applied to the determination of thiocyanate in ionic liquids. Recoveries of thiocyanate after spiking were 100.5%.     

Palladium-catalyzed domino sequence for the synthesis of N-aryl quinolinone-3-carboxylate derivatives and their anti-proliferative activity

An efficient and an operationally simple Palladium-catalyzed domino reaction for the synthesis of N-aryl quinolinone-3-carboxylate derivatives has been developed via the reaction between diethyl 2-(2-bromobenzylidine) malonate and anilines. These newly synthesized compounds exhibited good to moderate anti-proliferative activity with GI₅₀ values ranging from 0.41 µM to 45.77 µM. Among them, compounds 6j, 6k and 6m demonstrated potential activity particularly against MCF-7 (breast) and KB (oral) cancer cell lines.     

Distorted perovskite structured organic–inorganic hybrid compounds for possible multiferroic behavior: [n-alkyl]2FeCl4

Perovskite structured compounds have shown multifunctional properties and therefore attracted attention recently because of their potential applications. To explore such materials we have prepared simple double salts, distorted perovskite structured compounds, Cn₂FeCl₄, Cn = n-propyl or n-butyl ammonium ions. (C₃)₂FeCl₄ crystallize in orthorhombic space group, Cmc2₁, having lattice constants a = 7.223(9) Å, b = 7.439(9) Å, c = 25.303(8) Å with unit cell volume of 1359.95 cm³, at room temperature. The overall structure consists of two-dimensional Fe(II)–chloride network, parallel to the ac-plane, interlayered by the ammonium ions. Magnetic measurements using SQUID magnetometer show that these compounds are antiferromagnets with T_N ～ 90 K. Preliminary studies using DSC and AC-conductivity have shown promising transitions above room temperature.     

Facile synthesis of α, β-unsaturated esters through a one-pot copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidation-Wittig reaction

An efficient one-pot synthesis of α, β-unsaturated esters through the aerobic oxidation – Wittig tandem reaction of alcohols and phosphorous ylide is developed. This new method operates under mild reaction conditions, and uses CuI/TEMPO (TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl) as co-catalyst and air (O₂) as the oxidant. It tolerates a wide range of functionalized benzylic alcohol and aliphatic alcohols.     

Determination of the optimum conditions for the synthesis of praseodymium(III) chloride

In the present work, we have synthesized praseodymium(III) chloride, PrCl₃, from the praseodymium oxide, Pr₆O₁₁, by dry method in the presence of ammonium chloride, NH₄Cl. This study includes the establishment of an assembly synthesis under inert gas. The thermal decomposing process of pure NH₄Cl was investigated by TG–DTG. The results showed that NH₄Cl begins to lose weight at 188 °C, large loss of weight ending at 302 °C when NH₄Cl is heated at the rate of 10 °C/min under N₂ atmosphere. For chlorination, NH₄Cl participates directly in the reaction, and HCl decomposed from NH₄Cl also contributes to the chlorination reaction. The influence of various synthesis parameters (temperature, contact time and chemical composition) on the reaction yield was studied, and the optimum conditions for synthesis were, thus, determined and discussed.     

Hypervalent iodine(III) catalyzed rapid and efficient access to benzimidazoles,benzothiazoles and quinoxalines: Biological evaluation of some new benzimidazole-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine conjugates

A rapid, simple and highly efficient method for the synthesis of a variety of 2-aryl-benzimidazoles, 2-aryl-benzothiazoles and quinoxalines has been developed using Koser’s reagent [PhI(OH)OTs] as catalyst. The present work highlights the potential of Koser's reagent ([PhI(OH)OTs]) for the synthesis of benzimidazoles, benzothiazoles and quinoxalines, etc. Short reaction time, high yields, importantly low catalyst loading, broad substrate scope and scalability are the salient features of this methodology. Particularly, this method has been employed successfully to synthesize highly structured indole-benzimidazole and quinoxaline-6-carboxamide derivatives as well as biologically important benzimidazole-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine conjugates in moderate to good yields. These remarkable features make the present methodology a valid contribution to the existing precedents for the synthesis of benzimidazoles, etc. In the MTT assay, benzimidazole-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine conjugates 3s, 3t and 3v were found to be active on MCF-7 (IC₅₀ values of 5.10 ± 0.10, 8.23 ± 0.02, and 10.75 ± 0.03 µM, respectively) and MDA-MB-231 cell lines (IC₅₀ values of 10.83 ± 0.13, 7.68 ± 0.05, and 7.87 ± 0.24 µM, respectively). Flow-cytometry analysis revealed that the treatment of MCF-7 cells with compound 3s showed moderate effect on the progression of G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle.     

Study of ammonium molybdate to minimize the phosphate interference in the selenium determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction

The use of ammonium molybdate to minimize the phosphate interference when measuring selenium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) with deuterium background correction was evaluated. Ammonium molybdate did not produce a selenium thermal stabilization; however, the presence of ammonium molybdate decreased the phosphate interference. The study was carried out with mussel acid digests and mussel slurries. Pd–Mg(NO₃)₂ was used as a chemical modifier at optimum concentrations of 300 and 250 mg l⁻¹, respectively, yielding optimum pyrolysis and atomization temperatures of 1200 and 2100 °C, respectively. A yellow solid (ammonium molybdophosphate) was obtained when adding ammonium molybdate to mussel acid digest solutions. This precipitate can be removed after centrifugation prior to ETAAS determination. Additionally, studies on the sampling of the solid ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) together with the liquid phase, as a slurry, were also developed. The volatilization of the solid AMP was not reached at temperatures lower than 2500 °C. By this way, phosphate, as AMP, is not present in the vapor phase at the atomization temperature (2100 °C), yielding a reduction of the spectral interference by phosphate. The proposed method was validated analyzing three reference materials of marine origin (DORM-1, DOLT-1 and TORT-1). Good agreement with the certified selenium contents was reached for all cases.     

Ag NPs decked GO composite as a competent and reusable catalyst for ‘ON WATER’ chemoselective synthesis of pyrano[2,3-c:6,5-c′]dipyrazol]-2-ones

We have synthesized and characterized Ag NPs decked GO composite and studied its role as reusable catalyst for the ‘ON WATER’ chemoselective synthesis of pyranodipyrazolones via the reaction of different carbonyl compounds with 3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one. This method illustrates significant selectivity for pyranodipyrazolones over arylmethylene bispyrazolols and arylmethylenepyrazolones. Synergistic effect of heterogenic nature of water with reactants and Ag NPs/GO had profuse outcome on reaction as indicated by high TOF (18.03 × 10^?5 mol g^?1 min^?1). Furthermore, catalyst was recycled for 7-times without significant loss of activity.     

Efficient Cu(OTf)2-catalyzed and microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of 3,4-fused chromenopyridinones under neat conditions

An efficient, solvent-free, environmentally benign, Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed and microwave-assisted fast synthesis of a fascinating class of a number of angularly fused chromenopyridinones having a carboxylate group at C-2 position on the pyridine ring via a one-pot [3+3] annulation reaction of several aminocoumarins/cyclic β-enaminones with different kinds of γ-aryl/styryl/heteroaryl-substituted-β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters as Michael acceptors under open atmosphere. This eco-friendly method delivers good to excellent yields of pyridine-fused-heterocycles within (15–40 min) without using any traditional oxidants and allows several important functionalities. Furthermore, by this method, stereoselective synthesis of trans-7,8-diaryl-8.9-dihydrochromeno[4,3-b]cyclopenta[e]pyridine-6,10-diones were obtained in an excellent diastereoselective manner (dr ≤ 99:1).     

A simple method for the synthesis of 4-arylselanyl-7-chloroquinolines used as in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and in vivo memory improvement

We described here an alternative method for the synthesis of 4-arylselanyl-7-chloroquinolines through reactions of 4,7-dichloroquinoline with organylselenols, generated in situ by the reaction of diorganyl diselenides with H₃PO₂ (50 wt% in H₂O). These reactions proceeded efficiently at 60 °C under N₂ atmosphere and are suitable to a range of diorganyl diselenides containing electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups, affording the corresponding 4-aryl-7-chloroquinolines in high yields. The synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and our results demonstrated that the 7-chloro-4-[(4-fluorophenyl)selanyl]quinoline inhibited the AChE activity and improved memory in mice, making this compound is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.     

Microwave-assisted,mild, facile,and rapid one-pot three-component synthesis of some novel pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4,7-triones

Novel pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4,7-triones were synthesized in 90–97% yield via a three-component reaction of an aromatic aldehyde, Meldrums acid, and barbituric acid in the presence of 10 mol % K₂CO₃ under microwave irradiation. This is the first protocol to be reported for the synthesis of title compounds and the significant features of the present protocol are simplicity, high yields, short reaction time, involvement of aqueous work-up procedure, environmentally benign nature, and no chromatographic purification.     

Forced proximity of nitroxide groups in pincer compounds with a xanthene spacer

We designed bisnitroxide compounds where the radical sites are located close to each other in a molecule. Two new pincer-type bisnitroxide compounds have been synthesized, involving xanthene-4,5-diyl as a spacer and tert-butyl phenyl nitroxides as arms. From the X-ray crystal structure analysis, the shortest intramolecular interatomic N?O and O?O distances respectively are 5.074(6) and 5.258(6) Å for the m,m′-derivative and 3.624(3) and 3.771(3) Å for the p,p′-derivative. The N?O distance in the latter satisfies the empirical criterion for possible dimerization/degradation reaction accompanied by dia-/paramagnetic transition. However, the magnetic study clarified paramagnetic behavior in all the temperature range. According to a singlet-triplet model, antiferromagnetic couplings were characterized with 2J/k_B = ?7.71(2) and ?8.83(4) K for the m,m′ and p,p′-derivatives, respectively. The present result suggests that a more flexible spacer is required for realization of possible dia-/paramagnetic transition.     

Sulfated polyborate catalyzed expeditious and efficient three-component synthesis of 3-methyl-4-(hetero)arylmethylene isoxazole-5(4H)-ones

A rapid and highly efficient methodology for the synthesis of 3-methyl-4-(hetero)arylmethylene isoxazole-5(4H)-ones has been developed using sulfated polyborate as a catalyst. The multicomponent reaction of an aromatic/heterocyclic aldehyde, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, and ethyl acetoacetate under a solvent free condition at 80 °C is described. This protocol has promising features for the reaction response such as shorter reaction time, easy work-up, ease of separation of pure product with high yields and simplicity in the experimental procedure. The products have been obtained in high yields (80–90%) and convenient reaction time (15–30 min). The method is operationally simple and eco-friendly.     

Dimethyl sulfoxide oxidation mediated by a copper(II) diamine complex: A possible source of problem in the synthesis of molecular magnetic compounds

In the present work we report a reaction in which dimethyl sulfoxide, initially used as solvent, undergoes oxidation to form sulfate, which then participates to the formation of a linear one-dimensional copper chain. Indeed, using [Cu(bipy)Cl₂], a building block largely applied in synthesis of molecular magnetic compounds, the coordination compound [Cu(bipy)(H₂O)₂(SO₄)]_n, where bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine was obtained. Magnetic characterization of complex shows a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the copper(II) ions with J = ?0.53 cm^?1. DFT calculations demonstrate that the pathway for the weak antiferromagnetic interaction is through the sulfate bridge.