Highly Stable Carbon-Shell Encapsulated Ni−Cu Bimetallic Catalysts for Efficient Conversion of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone

Non-noble Ni−Cu alloys serve as an alternative catalytic material for noble metal-based catalysts that could be applied in the efficient conversion of levulinic acid (LA) into the high value γ-valerolactone (GVL). However, maintaining the catalytic stability for Ni−Cu nanoparticles in the LA hydrogenation process remains a substantial challenge, Herein, this problem is solved by constructing carbon-protected catalytic sites within carbon layer-coated Ni−Cu nanoalloy composite via pyrolysis of NiCu_x(OH)/glucose precursor. The optimized NiCu_0.68@C catalyst exhibits excellent stability and selectivity to GVL (>99 %) in the hydrogenation of LA reaction. Various characterization indicates that the enhancement in stability originates from the protective effect of the carbon layer, which prevents the metal leaching, oxidation and aggregation of Ni−Cu nanoparticles during the reaction process. This work greatly advances non-noble metal-catalyzed conversion of LA to GVL and helps the rational design of bimetallic catalysts.     

Porous Organic Zirconium Phosphonate as Efficient Catalysts for the Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Ethyl Levulinate to γ‐Valerolactone without External Hydrogen

Organic hybrid zirconium phosphonate materials (ZrATMP, ZrEDTMPS, ZrDTPMPA, and ZrHEDP) were synthesized through reaction of organic phosphonic acid sodium salt and ZrOCl₂ in water, which exhibited high catalytic activity on the conversion of ethyl levulinate (EL) to γ‐valerolactone (GVL) in the presence of isopropanol. The obtained catalysts were characterized by FT‐IR, TGA, XRD, BET, XPS, ICP‐AES, SEM, TEM, NH₃‐TPD, and CO₂‐TPD. The results demonstrate that the number of acid sites and basic sites between the layers of the catalysts play a very important role in promoting the conversion of EL to GVL and that the functional groups that exist in phosphates could regulate the number of acid and basic sites. Meanwhile, the catalysts could be easily separated from the reaction system and reused at least five times without any obvious decrease in activity or selectivity.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Construction of Quaternary α‐Amino Acid Containing Pyrrolidines through 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylides to α‐Aminoacrylates

The first catalytic enantioselective 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides to α‐aminoacrylate catalyzed by a AgOAc/ferrocenyl oxazolinylphosphine (FOXAP) system was developed, which exhibits excellent exo‐ and enantioselectivity (92–99 % ee). This process provides efficient access to useful 4‐aminopyrrolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylic acid (APDC)‐like compounds containing a unique quaternary α‐amino acid unit.     

碳纳米管担载纳米Ir催化生物质基乙酰丙酸合成γ-戊内酯

以碳纳米管(CNTs)担载Ir纳米粒子为催化剂进行生物质基平台化合物乙酰丙酸(LA)选择加氢制备γ-戊内酯(GVL)的研究,并利用X射线衍射、X射线光电子能谱和透射电镜表征了使用前后的Ir/CNT催化剂,探讨了影响LA催化加氢制GVL反应性能的因素和该反应的可能路径.结果表明,与Ru,Rh和Pd等传统铂族金属相比,Ir/CNT催化剂不但可在温和条件下(50℃,2.0 MPa,H₂)实现LA至GVL的完全转化,且可对多类直接源于生物质水解的含等量LA/甲酸的“真实”体系实现GVL的高效选择合成.     

Rhodium‐ and Iridium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Addition of Optically Pure P‐Chiral H‐Phosphinates to Aldehydes Leading to Optically Active α‐Hydroxyphosphinates

Optically active α‐hydroxyphosphinates with both C‐ and P‐stereogenic centers are obtained by rhodium‐ or iridium‐catalyzed substrate‐directed stereoselective addition of the optically pure H‐phosphinates to aldehydes. The reaction most probably proceeds by a transition‐metal‐catalyzed mechanism with hydridometal complexes as key intermediates in the catalytic cycle.     

Synergistic Diastereo‐ and Enantioselective Functionalization of Unactivated Alkyl Quinolines with α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes

A novel alkyl functionalization of unactivated alkyl quinolines has been developed combining InCl₃ activation with organocatalytic activation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes in a synergistic fashion. The reaction proceeds in a highly stereoselective manner as a sequence involving two consecutive synergistic catalytic cycles (Lewis acid‐ and iminium ion‐catalyzed) and requires neither pre‐activated alkyl quinoline substrates with electron‐withdrawing substituents nor highly activated electrophiles. The reaction provides selectively double‐ or mono‐addition products in good yields and high to excellent stereoselectivities. Furthermore, based on spectroscopic and labelling experiments, the mechanisms for the reactions are discussed.     

乙酰丙酸选择性加氢合成γ-戊内酯中高效和可循环使用的Ni3Fe NPs@C 双金属催化剂

生物质经催化转化合成燃料及化学品是当前研究的热点.目前,生物质的催化转化主要聚焦于纤维素、半纤维素和木质素的解聚及其下游产物合成.其中,乙酰丙酸(LA)作为纤维素解聚的主要产物之一,是一种极具竞争力的平台化合物和重要的生物质转化中间体.LA通过催化转化可以合成各类高附加值的化学品,例如,通过催化加氢LA可选择性合成γ-戊内酯(GVL).所合成的GVL用途广泛,可作为绿色溶剂、食品、燃料添加剂、(塑料、高分子、烃类或者其它高附加值化学品)前驱体等.目前,LA-to-GVL的研究主要着眼于非均相催化体系,包括负载型贵金属和非贵金属催化剂体.其中,贵金属催化剂主要有Ru,Au,Pd,Rh,Ir和Pt,虽然催化效率高,条件温和,但是成本高,难以实现工业化.此外对于广泛使用的Ru/C催化剂,存在金属-载体间相互作用不强.活性组分易流失、导致催化剂稳定性差等问题;而非贵金属则普遍存在催化活性不佳及反应条件苛刻等缺点.因此,开发高效、稳定、反应条件温和且具有工业化应用前景的非贵金属催化剂具有显著的研究意义,这也是当前的研究趋势.在特定温度下,金属离子与碳基底存在较强的相互作用.鉴于此,本文通过一步碳热还原法合成了活性炭负载的Ni3Fe双金属催化剂(Ni3Fe NPs@C).该催化剂在LA-to-GVL转化体系中展现了直接加氢(DH)和转移加氢(TH)双功能催化特性.首先,考察了其在DH体系中的反应特性:在130oC和2 MPa氢压反应条件下经2 h反应,LA转化率达到93.8％,GVL选择性为95.5％,GVL产率是相应的单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂的6倍和40倍.此外,在TH催化反应体系中,在180oC,0.5 h和无外加氢源的反应条件下,以异丙醇为反应溶剂和供氢体,LA几乎完全转化为GVL,其反应效率同样相较于单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂大幅度提高.所合成的Ni3Fe NPs@C双金属催化剂DH和TH催化性能优于绝大多数报道的LA加氢贵金属和非贵金属催化剂.而且,该催化剂具有良好的循环利用性能,经过四次循环,其结构和化学状态没有发生明显的改变,稳定性明显优于商业化的Ru/C催化剂.此外,通过系统分析其催化性能以及材料结构,明确了该催化剂在LA的DH和TH反应体系中的活性位点,并提出了可能的反应路径.该研究为其它类型的DH和TH反应体系以及生物质高效转化过程提供了新的催化剂设计思路.并且这种催化剂及其制备方法简单、绿色,易于工业化推广和应用.     

Ultra-small PtNi bimetallic encapsulated in silicalite-1 zeolite with fine-tuned surface acidity for selective conversion of levulinic acid

Exploration of levulinic acid (LA) hydrogenation to γ-valerolactone (GVL) contributes to the conversion from carbohydrates to valuable fuels and chemicals. Here, we obtained a series of ultra-small PtNix bimetallic composite catalysts encapsulated in silicalite-1 zeolite (S-1) via a one-pot synthesis strategy protected by tetra(p-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) ligands. The catalytic results showed that PtNi₃@S-1 (TCPP) exhibited the most active catalytic performance (95.7% LA conversion and 93.8% GVL selectivity) under optimized conditions. The characterization results indicate that ligand modification and bimetallic synergy play an important role in enhancing the catalytic activity. The introduction of TCPP provides a guarantee for the homogeneous encapsulation of PtNi₃ in S-1 zeolite at sub-nanometer size. The electronic interaction of PtNi bimetallic, high dispersibility of active components, improved surface acidity and excellent stability co-contribute to the satisfactory hydrogenation activity.     

乙酰丙酸还原合成γ-戊内酯的研究进展

生物质是一类可再生的能源物质,具有替代化石能源的潜力。乙酰丙酸(LA)和γ-戊内酯(GVL)被认为是重要的生物质平台化合物,LA可由生物质简单处理获得,目前GVL多由LA选择性还原而获得。本文综述了LA还原合成GVL的研究进展,重点从不同氢源(H_2、HCOOH、醇类化合物)出发,通过催化体系的差异,探讨了由LA选择性加氢还原生成GVL的反应机理、反应途径和进展。参考文献47篇。     

Enantioselective Rhodium‐Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation of β,γ‐Unsaturated α‐Amino Nitriles: Synthetic Homoenolate Equivalents

An enantioselective rhodium‐catalyzed allylic alkylation of β,γ‐unsaturated α‐amino nitriles is described. This protocol provides a novel approach for the construction of β‐stereogenic carbonyl derivatives via the catalytic asymmetric alkylation of a homoenolate equivalent. The particularly challenging nature of this transformation is highlighted by the fact that three modes of selectivity must be manipulated, namely regio‐ and enantioselectivity, in addition to geometrical control. The γ‐stereogenic cyanoenamine products can be readily hydrolyzed in situ to afford the β‐substituted carboxylic acids, which in turn provide expedient access to a number of related carbonyl derivatives. Additionally, control experiments indicate that the chiral rhodium‐allyl intermediate facilitates the selective formation of the E‐cyanoenamine products, which is critical since the Z‐isomer affords significantly lower enantiocontrol.     

Alkaline Earth Metal‐Mediated Highly Iso‐selective Ring‐Opening Polymerization of rac‐Lactide

Alkaline earth (Ae) metal complexes of the aminophosphine borane ligand are highly active and iso‐selective catalysts for the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of rac‐lactide (LA). The polymerization reactions are well controlled and produce polylactides with molecular weights that are precise and narrowly distributed. Kinetic studies reveal that the ROP of rac‐LA catalyzed by all Ae metal complexes had a first‐order dependency on LA concentration as well as catalyst concentration. A plausible reaction mechanism for Ae metal complex‐mediated ROP of rac‐LA is discussed, based on controlled kinetic experiments and molecular chain mobility.     

NaBArF4‐Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of 1,5‐ and 1,6‐Diynes: Efficient and Divergent Synthesis of Functionalized γ‐ and δ‐Lactams

An efficient NaBAr^F₄‐catalyzed oxidative cyclization of readily available 1,5‐ and 1,6‐diynes has been developed. Importantly, this transition metal‐free oxidative catalysis proceeds via a presumable Lewis acid‐catalyzed S_N2’ pathway, which is distinct from the relevant oxidative rhodium and gold catalysis. This method leads to the facile and practical construction of a diverse range of synthetically useful γ‐ and δ‐lactams in mostly good to excellent yields with broad substrate scope.     

Phosphine‐Catalyzed Enantioselective γ‐Addition of 3‐Substituted Oxindoles to 2,3‐Butadienoates and 2‐Butynoates: Use of Prochiral Nucleophiles

The first phosphine‐catalyzed enantioselective γ‐addition with prochiral nucleophiles and 2,3‐butadienoates as the reaction partners has been developed. Both 3‐alkyl‐ and 3‐aryl‐substituted oxindoles could be employed in this process, which is catalyzed by a chiral phosphine that is derived from an amino acid, thus affording oxindoles that bear an all‐carbon quaternary center at the 3‐position in high yields and excellent enantioselectivity. The synthetic value of these γ‐addition products was demonstrated by the formal total synthesis of two natural products and by the preparation of biologically relevant molecules and structural scaffolds.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of (E)‐δ‐Boryl‐Substituted anti‐Homoallylic Alcohols Using Palladium and a Chiral Phosphoric Acid

(E )‐δ‐Boryl‐substituted anti ‐homoallylic alcohols are synthesized in a highly diastereo‐ and enantioselective manner from 1,1‐di(boryl)alk‐3‐enes and aldehydes. Mechanistically, the reaction consists of 1) palladium‐catalyzed double‐bond transposition of the 1,1‐di(boryl)alk‐3‐enes to 1,1‐di(boryl)alk‐2‐enes, 2) chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed allylation of aldehydes, and 3) palladium‐catalyzed geometrical isomerization from the Z to E isomer. As a result, the configurations of two chiral centers and one double bond are all controlled with high selectivity in a single reaction vessel.     

2,4‐Dinitrophenol‐Catalyzed α‐C(sp3)−H and C(sp)−H Bond Functionalization of Cyclic Amines and Alkynes: Highly Regio‐/Diastereoselective Synthesis of α‐Alkynyl‐3‐Amino‐2‐Oxindoles

A transition‐metal‐ and oxidant‐free DNP (2,4‐dinitrophenol)‐catalyzed atom‐economical regio‐ and diastereoselective synthesis of monofunctionalized α‐alkynyl‐3‐amino‐2‐oxindole derivatives by C?H bond functionalization of cyclic amines and alkynes with indoline‐2,3‐diones has been developed. This cascade event sequentially involves the reductive amination of indoline‐2,3‐dione by imine formation and cross coupling between C(sp³)?H and C(sp)?H of the cyclic amines and alkynes. This reaction offers an efficient and attractive pathway to different types of α‐alkynyl‐3‐amino‐2‐oxindole derivatives in good yields with a wide tolerance of functional groups. The salient feature of this methodology is that it completely suppresses the homocoupling of alkynes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a DNP‐catalyzed metal‐free direct C(sp³)?H and C(sp)?H bond functionalization providing biologically active α‐alkynyl‐3‐amino‐2‐oxindole scaffolds.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Decarbonylative Trifluoromethylation of Acid Fluorides

While acid fluorides can readily be made from widely available or biomass‐feedstock‐derived carboxylic acids, their use as functional groups in metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions is rare. This report presents the first demonstration of Pd‐catalyzed decarbonylative functionalization of acid fluorides to yield trifluoromethyl arenes (ArCF₃). The strategy relies on a Pd/Xantphos catalytic system and the supply of fluoride for transmetalation through intramolecular redistribution to the the Pd center. This strategy eliminated the need for exogenous and detrimental fluoride additives and allows Xantphos to be used in catalytic trifluoromethylations for the first time. Our experimental and computational mechanistic data support a sequence in which transmetalation by R₃SiCF₃ occurs prior to decarbonylation.     

Introducing Mutations to Modify the C13/C9 Ratio in Linoleic Acid Oxygenations Catalyzed by Rabbit 15‐Lipoxygenase: A QM/MM and MD Study

Lipoxygenases (LOs) are a family of nonheme iron‐containing enzymes that catalyze the hydroperoxidation of several polyunsaturated fatty acids with a huge regio‐ and stereospecificity. Mammalian 15‐LO‐1 yields almost exclusively oxygenation at the C13 position of the linoleic acid (LA), its preferred substrate. This is very important because metabolites derived from oxidation in distinct positions produce opposite physiological effects. We have combined here quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations with molecular dynamics simulations to show how a suitable mutation of the rabbit 15‐LO‐1 enzyme can produce a significant amount of products derived from oxygenation at the C9 position of LA. In effect, the Leu597Val or Leu597Ala mutants are predicted to lead to a diminution of the oxygenation C13/C9 ratio in LA as huge as five orders of magnitude. This shows that the conserved residue Leu597 actually drives the regiospecific hydroperoxidation of LA catalyzed by 15‐LO‐1 enzyme.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Selective Cross‐Coupling of Ethylene Glycol and Methanol to Lactic Acid

An atom‐economic approach that has an unprecedented high selectivity for the synthesis of lactic acid (LA) based on a catalytic dehydrogenative cross‐coupling by using inexpensive bulk ethylene glycol and methanol is described. This method relies on the synthesis and utilization of a novel iridium catalyst bearing three N‐heterocyclic carbenes derived from 1,3‐dimethylbenzimidazolium salts, and exhibits outstanding activity in the production of LA [turnover frequency (TOF) up to 3660 h^?1] owing to an elegant metal–ligand cooperation.     

The First Gold(III) Formate: Evidence for β‐Hydride Elimination

The first stable gold(III) formate and experimental evidence for its β‐hydride elimination are described. A catalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid together with mechanistic studies shed light on potential pathways operating in fundamental gold‐catalyzed transformations.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of a 3‐Aryl‐3‐benzyloxindole (=3‐Aryl‐3‐benzyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐indol‐2‐one) Exhibiting Antitumor Activity

A palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular α‐arylation of an amide in the presence of a bulky chiral N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand is the key step in the first catalytic synthesis of (3R)‐6‐chloro‐3‐(3‐chlorobenzyl)‐1,3‐dihydro‐3‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)‐2H‐indol‐2‐one ((R)‐ 5 ). This oxindole, in racemic form, had been shown previously to be an anticancer agent. (R)‐ 5 was obtained with an overall yield of 45% and with 96% enantioselectivity.