Polyamide synthesis from 6-aminocapronitrile, part 2: heterogeneously catalyzed nitrile hydrolysis with consecutive amine amidation

To test the potential of heterogeneous catalysts for the nylon-6 synthesis from 6-aminocapronitrile, a number of zeolites, aluminum silicate, and metal oxides were tested as catalysts for the model reaction of pentanenitrile with water and hexylamine to N-hexylpentanamide. All zeolitic and aluminum silicate systems showed an insufficient performance, while the metal oxides (TiO(2), ZrO(2), Nb(2)O(5)) showed very promising results. The kinetic behavior of the metal oxides was further investigated. First the nitrile was catalytically hydrolyzed to the terminal amide and subsequently the amidation of the hexylamine occurred. To polymerize 6-aminocapronitrile into nylon-6, more than 99 % nitrile conversion was required to obtain a high-molecular-weight polymer. Pentanenitrile conversions larger than 99 % can be obtained within six hours, at 230 degrees C, by using ZrO(2) as the catalyst. A kinetic study (by using IR spectroscopy) on the behavior of the metal oxides demonstrated that the adsorbed nitrile was catalytically hydrolyzed at the surface, but remained tightly bound to the surface. Zirconia-catalyzed polymerizations of 6-amino-capronitrile demonstrated that high-molecular-weight nylon-6 is feasible by using this route.     

Hydrotalcites as catalysts for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones with hydrogen peroxide/benzonitrile

Hydrotalcites (HTs) in variable Mg/Al ratios were used as catalysts for the Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidation of cyclic ketones with hydrogen peroxide. All HTs studied were found to be active in the BV oxidation of cyclohexanone, their activity increases with increasing Mg/Al ratio. The reaction, which was conducted under very mild conditions (viz. atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 70 °C), provided conversions above 70% with 100% selectivity only after 6 h. This outcome was found to require the presence of a nitrile in the reaction medium, so a mechanism involving adsorption of the nitrile and cyclohexanone onto the catalyst is proposed that is consistent with the experimental results. Based on the proposed mechanism, the presence of a surfactant should result in improved conversion and catalytic activity, as was indeed observed with sodium dodecylsulfate in the reaction medium. The best catalyst among those tested was used with other cyclic ketones and found to provide excellent conversion and selectivity results in most cases.     

Catalytic hydrolysis of peptides by cerium(IV)

Oligopeptides are efficiently hydrolyzed by Ce(IV) to the corresponding amino acids under mild conditions. The pseudo first-order rate constants for the hydrolysis of H-Gly-Phe-OH and H-Gly-Gly-OH at pH 7.0 and 50 degrees C are 3.5 x 10(-1) and 2.8 x 10(-1) h(-1), with [Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6]0=10mM (the half-lives are 2.0 and 2.5 h). The catalytic activity of the Ce(IV) is far greater than those of other lanthanide ions and non-lanthanide ions. No oxidative cleavage was observed under the reaction conditions. Catalytic turnover of the Ce(IV) was also evidenced. The hydrolysis is fast especially when the substrates have no metal-coordinating side chains. Tripeptides and tetrapeptides are hydrolyzed at the similar rates as the dipeptides. In the hydrolysis of tripeptides, the amide linkage near the N-terminus is preferentially hydrolyzed. Neither the N-carbobenzyloxy derivative nor the amide of H-Gly-Phe-OH is hydrolyzed to a measurable extent, showing that both the terminal amino group and the carboxylate are coordinated to the Ce(IV) ion. This complexation is further confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The Ce(IV) ion is therefore one of the most active catalysts for peptide hydrolysis.     

离子液体载催化剂和载试剂在有机合成中的应用

综述了离子液体载催化剂和载试剂在有机合成中的应用进展. 离子液体载催化剂是针对离子液体中催化剂难以回收利用的问题提出来的, 它不仅可以实现均相催化, 而且反应产物容易分离, 催化剂可以循环使用. 离子液体载有机试剂合成, 又称为离子液体相有机合成, 具有固相反应产物纯度高和液相反应反应快的优点. 在离子液体载无机试剂的反应中, 反应物毒性降低, 反应条件温和, 产物选择性好.     

A Novel Production Route for Nylon-6: Aspects of Microwave-Enhanced Catalysis

Summary: Microwave irradiation was used for the amidation of a nitrile with an amine with a freshly prepared zirconium-based heterogeneous catalyst. Microwave irradiation selectively heats the catalyst which enhances its activity as compared to conventional heating. The difference between microwave heating and conventional heating disappears when Zr(OH)₄ is used instead of ZrO₂, indicating a microwave-induced shift in the hydrolysis equilibrium, i.e. the distribution of ZrO₂, ZrO(OH)₂ and Zr(OH)₄, of the zirconium-based catalyst. The catalyst efficiently catalyzes the amidation of valeronitrile with n-hexylamine with conventional as well as with microwave heating. Zr(OH)₄ was also used for the polymerization of 6-aminocapronitrile using conventional and microwave heating. With both heating methods a relatively low molecular weight polymer with a M_n of 4000 g/mol was obtained in a sealed vessel, due to the presence of water and ammonia. A post-polymerization step under microwave irradiation, with active removal of water and ammonia shifts M_n to 10000 g/mol. Pressure decrease to facilitate water removal resulted in products with higher molecular weights. A pressure reduction to 50 Pa and operation in an argon atmosphere at 230 °C resulted in nylon-6 with a M_n of 65000 in rather short reaction times. Lower pressures led to end-biting and evaporation of the volatile ε-caprolactam at 230 °C. As a consequence the resulting product has than a much lower molecular weight. The combination of a heterogeneous zirconium based catalyst and microwave heating is promising for process intensification for nylon-6 production.     

腈的生物转化不对称合成β-氨基酸和β-氨基酰胺

含有腈水合酶和酰胺水解酶的红球菌Rhodococcus erythropolis AJ270能在非常温和的条件下催化一系列β-氨基苯丙腈衍生物的水解反应, 生成相应的β-氨基酸和β-氨基酰胺. 底物结构对生物转化反应的效率及立体选择性影响很大. 3-氨基-3-苯丙腈的生物水解反应显示了较低的立体选择性, 而氮甲基取代衍生物的水解反应则显示了中等立体选择性, 生成相应S构型β-氨基酸和R构型β-氨基酰胺. 氮上大位阻取代基显著降低生物催化效率.     

Manipulating the self-assembling process to obtain control over the morphologies of copper oxide in hydrothermal synthesis and creating pores in the oxide architecture

Copper oxide with various morphologies was synthesized by the hydrolysis of Cu(ac)2 with urea under mild hydrothermal conditions. In the synthesis, a series of organic amines with one or two amine groups (monoamine and diamine), including isobutylamine, octylamine (OLA), dodecylamine, octadecylamine (monoamines), ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, and hexamethylenediamine (diamines), was used as the "structure-directing agent". The monoamines led to the formation of one-dimensional (1D) aggregates of the copper oxide precursor particles (Pre-CuO), while the diamines led to the formation of two-dimensional (2D) aggregates. In both cases, the shorter carbon-chain amine molecules showed a stronger structure-directing function than that of the longer carbon-chain amine molecules. Next, in a series of syntheses, OLA was selected for further study, and the experimental parameters were systematically manipulated. When the hydrolysis was adjusted to a very slow rate by coupling the hydrolysis reaction with an esterification reaction, 1D aggregates of Pre-CuO were formed; when the hydrolysis rate was in the middle range, spherical Pre-CuO architectures composed of smaller linear aggregates were formed. However, under the high hydrolysis rates achieved by increasing the precipitation agent (urea) or by conducting the reaction at high temperatures (>/=120 degrees C), only Pre-CuO nanoparticles with a featureless morphology were formed. The formed spherical Pre-CuO architectures can be converted to a porous structure (CuOx) after removing the OLA molecules via calcination. Compared to the 1D and 2D aggregates, this porous architecture is highly thermally stable and did not collapse even after calcination at 500 degrees C. Preliminary results showed that the porous structure can be used both as a catalyst support and as a catalyst for the oxidation of CO at low temperatures.     

Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic application of PbS nanoparticles for the synthesis of amidoalkyl naphthols under solvent-free conditions

A simple one-pot synthesis has been developed for the synthesis of amidoalkyl naphthols using an efficient and recyclable nanocrystalline PbS catalyst under solvent-free condition. Using this nanocrystalline solid catalyst, the reactions could be carried out under mild reaction conditions with very good yield (85–95 %). This catalyst could be recycled very easily, which makes this methodology environmentally benign. The biologically active drug-like molecule 1-aminomethyl-2-naphthol derivatives can be easily obtained from 1-amidomethyl-2-naphthol by amide hydrolysis reaction in the presence of PbS nanoparticles. Characterization of the catalyst was performed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and adsorption/desorption analysis (BET).     

Practical and convenient enzymatic synthesis of enantiopure alpha-amino acids and amides

Catalyzed by the nitrile hydratase and the amidease in Rhodococcus sp. AJ270 cells under very mild conditions, a number of alpha-aryl- and alpha-alkyl-substituted DL-glycine nitriles 1 rapidly underwent a highly enantioselective hydrolysis to afford D-(-)-alpha-amino acid amides 2 and L-(+)-alpha-amino acids 3 in high yields with excellent enantiomeric excesses in most cases. The overall enantioselectivity of the biotransformations of nitriles originated from the combined effects of a high L-enantioselective amidase and a low enantioselective nitrile hydratase. The influence of the substrates on both reaction efficiency and enantioselectivity was also discussed in terms of steric and electronic effects. Coupled with chemical hydrolysis of D-(-)-alpha-phenylglycine amide, biotransformation of DL-phenylglycine nitrile was applied in practical scale to produce both D- and L-phenylglycines in high optical purity.     

A direct method for the conversion of terminal epoxides into gamma-butanolides

A new and efficient process for the conversion of terminal epoxides to gamma-butanolides is described involving Lewis acid promoted epoxide ring-opening by 1-morpholino-2-trimethylsilyl acetylene. Addition of a terminal epoxide to a solution of the ynamine and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate in dichloromethane at 0 degrees C rapidly affords a cyclic keteneaminal that can be hydrolyzed and protodesilylated under mild conditions to provide the corresponding gamma-butanolide in high yield. The net transformation is equivalent to an acetate enolate opening of terminal epoxides. The formation of a cyclic keteneaminal as the direct addition product was observed by monitoring of the reaction by IR and NMR spectroscopy. Functionalized gamma-lactones were prepared by the interception of the reactive cyclic keteneaminal prior to hydrolysis. Reactions with enantiomerically enriched terminal epoxides provide the corresponding gamma-butanolides without loss of optical activity. The compatibility of the present methodology with a wide range of functional groups is noteworthy.     

Hydrolysis of Amides Catalyzed by 4‐Heterocyclohexanones: Small Molecule Mimics of Serine Proteases

The base‐promoted hydrolysis of amide substrates that contain a thiol substituent in the position α to the amide carbonyl group is effectively catalyzed by 4‐heterocyclohexanones [Eq. (1)]. The proposed mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction mimics that employed by serine proteases, and involves equilibrium binding of the substrate to the catalyst, formation of an acyl‐catalyst intermediate, and deacylation of the intermediate to release the product and regenerate the catalyst.     

Hydrolysis behavior of prednisolone 21-hemisuccinate/beta-cyclodextrin amide conjugate: involvement of intramolecular catalysis of amide group in drug release

Prednisolone 21-hemisuccinate/beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) amide conjugate was prepared by binding prednisolone 21-hemisuccinate covalently to the amino group of mono(6-deoxy-6-amino)-beta-CyD through amide linkage. Prednisolone 21-hemisuccinate was intramolecularly transformed to prednisolone 17-hemisuccinate, and the parent drug, prednisolone, was slowly released from the 21-hemisuccinate with a half life of 69 h in pH 7.0 at 37 degrees C; the drug release at 25 degrees C was less than 10% for 48 h. In sharp contrast, the hydrolysis of prednisolone 21-hemisuccinate/beta-CyD amide conjugate was significantly faster (half life of 6.50 min at 25 degrees C) and gave prednisolone and mono(6-deoxy-6-succimino)-beta-CyD as products. The hydrolysis of the beta-CyD amide conjugate was subject to a specific-base catalysis in the alkaline region. The rapid hydrolysis of the conjugate can be ascribed to the involvement of an intramolecular nucleophilic catalysis of the amide group in the reaction. The succinic acid, bound to a drug through ester linkage at one carboxylic group and bound to a pro-moiety through amide linkage at another carboxylic group, may be useful as a spacer for construction of the immediate release type prodrugs of CyDs.     

氧化锰晶体作为催化材料调控氨氧化反应产物选择性

有机腈类化合物作为一类重要的化工原料,被广泛应用于医药/农药制造、精细化学品合成和高性能纤维/橡胶生产中.传统合成有机腈类化合物一般使用剧毒的氰化物作为腈化试剂,这类氰化物在危害人体健康的同时,也会严重污染生态环境.针对无氰化物的腈化过程,发展了很多新的反应路线,其中,采用氨气作为氮源的直接氨氧化引起了广泛关注.在该反应中,高温气固相氨氧化反应容易发生过氧化等副反应.与之相比,液相体系中的氨氧化过程反应条件则相对温和,可以有效抑制过氧化.但是,在液相反应中,腈类产物很容易被水合成酰胺类化合物,从而导致该反应的产物选择性大幅降低.本文研究发现,通过改变氧化锰晶体结构可以有效地调控醇类分子氨氧化反应中腈和酰胺产物的选择性.MnO2(包括α,β,γ和δ相)催化的氨氧化过程中,主要得到了酰胺(选择性>99.0％),而在相同反应条件下,α-Mn2O3却可以高选择性地催化醇氨氧化到腈类产物(选择性>99.0％),在该体系中,即使额外增加反应体系中水和催化剂的用量,腈类产物依然不会转化为酰胺产物.动力学研究结果表明,α-Mn2O3催化腈水合到酰胺的反应速率几乎为零,这说明该类催化剂可以有效抑制腈水合反应.原位红外光谱结果表明,α-Mn2O3表面无法有效活化水分子,并且对腈类分子的吸附较弱,这些因素都导致了腈水合反应难以进行,从而可以高选择性地形成腈类化合物.与之相反,MnO2催化材料则可以高效地活化水分子,并且对腈类分子吸附较强,从而有效促进了水合反应并获得了酰胺产物.综上,通过调控氧化锰的晶体类型就可以简单、有效地改变氨氧化反应中的产物选择性.即使在苛刻的反应条件下,例如较大量的水存在下,α-Mn2O3催化的反应体系中依然可以高选择性地获得腈类化合物.本文为高效调控氨氧化反应的产物选择性提供了一个可靠方案.     

Nitrile biotransformations for the synthesis of highly enantioenriched beta-hydroxy and beta-amino acid and amide derivatives: a general and simple but powerful and efficient benzyl protection strategy to increase enantioselectivity of the amidase

Biotransformations of a number of racemic beta-hydroxy and beta-amino nitrile derivatives were studied using Rhodococcus erythropolis AJ270, the nitrile hydratase and amidase-containing microbial whole cell catalyst, under very mild conditions. The overall enantioselectivity of nitrile biotransformations was governed predominantly by the amidase whose enantioselectivity was switched on remarkably by an O- and a N-benzyl protection group of the substrates. While biotransformations of beta-hydroxy and beta-amino alkanenitriles gave low yields of amide and acid products of very low enantiomeric purity, introduction of a simple benzyl protection group on the beta-hydroxy and beta-amino of nitrile substrates led to the formation of highly enantioenriched beta-benzyloxy and beta-benzylamino amides and acids in almost quantitative yield. The easy protection and deprotection operations, high chemical yield, and excellent enantioselectivity render the nitrile biotransformation a useful protocol in the synthesis of enantiopure beta-hydroxy and beta-amino acids.     

An efficient [2 + 2 + 1] synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted oxazoles via gold-catalyzed intermolecular alkyne oxidation

The first efficient intermolecular reaction of gold carbene intermediates generated via gold-catalyzed alkyne oxidation has been realized using nitriles as both the reacting partner and the reaction solvent, offering a generally efficient synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted oxazoles with broad substrate scope. The overall reaction is a [2 + 2 + 1] annulation of a terminal alkyne, a nitrile, and an oxygen atom from an oxidant. The reaction conditions are exceptionally mild, and a range of functional groups are easily tolerated. With complex and/or expensive nitriles, only 3 equiv could be sufficient to achieve serviceable yields in the absence of any solvent and using only 1 mol % BrettPhosAuNTf(2) as the catalyst.     

A continuous-flow instrument for the determination of linear polyacrylamide stability

Alkaline hydrolysis of high-molecular-mass (10 MDa) linear polyacrylamide, a widely used replaceable sieving medium for the capillary electrophoresis of DNA fragments and proteins, was investigated. The release rate of ammonia, a product of amide group hydrolysis, was monitored by a high-sensitivity continuous-flow system. The experimental results show a rapid onset of hydrolysis at a temperature of 70 degrees C. While the degree of 1 h hydrolysis was evaluated to reach about 16% at 70 degrees C and pH 13, it drops to 5% at 50 degrees C and pH 12.5.     

Recyclable catalyst for conversion of carbon dioxide into formate attributable to an oxyanion on the catalyst ligand

The catalyst recycling in the conversion of CO2 into formate using the iridium complex with 4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline as a catalyst precursor is described. The catalyst precursor was dissolved in an aqueous KOH solution under CO2 pressure prior to the reaction, but was precipitated spontaneously at the end of the reaction. The acidification by the generation of formate caused the transformation from the water-soluble deprotonated form into the water-insoluble protonated form. When the reaction was carried out at 60 degrees C for 20 h using 0.1 M KOH solution under 6 MPa of H2:CO2 (1:1), the catalyst precursor was precipitated spontaneously and the added KOH was consumed completely. The catalyst was recovered by filtration, and the product was obtained by the evaporation of the filtrate. Iridium leaching into the filtrate was found to be 0.11 ppm (<2% of the loaded Ir). The recovered catalyst retained high catalytic activity for four cycles. Consequently, the CO2 conversion using the complex is an environmentally benign process, whose significant features are as follows: (i) catalyst recycling by self-precipitation/filtration, (ii) waste-free process, (iii) the easy isolation of the product, (iv) high efficiency under relatively mild conditions, and (v) aqueous catalysis without the use of organic materials. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the significant roles of the oxyanion generated from the acidic phenolic hydroxyl on the catalyst ligand, which are the catalyst recovery by acid-base equilibrium, as well as the water-solubility by its polarity and the catalyst activation by its electron-donating ability.     

Stereoselective hydration of (RS)-phenylglycine nitrile by new whole cell biocatalysts

Five new bacterial isolates with stereoselective nitrile hydratase activity against (RS)-2-phenylpropionitrile and (RS)-phenylglycine nitrile were investigated. The permeabilized whole cell isolates selectively hydrate the (S)-enantiomer of phenylglycine nitrile with E values of 1.2–5.4. One isolate, which was identified as Pantoea endophytica, produced pure (S)-phenylglycine (>99% ee) as a result of hydrolysis of (S)-phenylglycine amide by an (S)-specific amidase. Surprisingly, in the hydrolysis of (RS)-phenylglycine nitrile, it was found that the (R)-amide was accumulated in excess (21% ee) despite the nitrile hydratase produced by Pantoea endophytica was (S)-selective. The synthesis of pure (R)-phenylglycine (>99% ee) was achieved in time course studies using another Pantoea sp. with (R)-selective amidase. In the case of Nocardioides sp. the intermediate product, (S)-phenylglycine amide, could be produced (52% ee) without its subsequent hydrolysis into the acid due to the apparent absence of any amidase activity.     

Facile Synthetic Route to Selectively Protected Spermidine Homologues

Several selectively protected spermidine homologues were synthesized via cyanoethylation reaction of monoprotected diamines, subsequent protection of their secondary amino group, hydrolysis of nitrile to primary amide function, and final Hofmann degradation of amides to amines with the aid of iodosobenzene diacetate (PIDA). The protected spermidine homologues may be directly used in the synthesis of polyamine amides or may be further functionalized.     

Selective metal promoted hydrolysis of nitrile groups in the side chain of tetraazamacrocyclic Cu2+-complexes

The metal promoted hydrolysis of nitrile groups in the side chains of tetraazamacrocyclic Cu2+ complexes has been studied by stopped-flow techniques. It is shown that the reaction proceeds by an intramolecular attack of an axially coordinated OH- onto the nitrile group to give the corresponding amide. In alkaline solution the amide then deprotonates and binds to the axial position of the Cu2+ thus preventing further coordination of an OH-. This explains mechanistically that in the Cu2+ complexes of macrocycles carrying two nitrile functions only one is selectively hydrolysed. The nitrile hydrolysis has also been used on a preparative scale to synthesize tetraazamacrocycles with two different side chains. X-Ray diffractions of several products are presented to confirm the structures and the results from the kinetics and equilibria measurements.