2,2,2‐Trifluoroacetophenone as an Organocatalyst for the Oxidation of Tertiary Amines and Azines to N‐Oxides

A cheap, mild and environmentally friendly oxidation of tertiary amines and azines to the corresponding N‐oxides is reported by using polyfluoroalkyl ketones as efficient organocatalysts. 2,2,2‐Trifluoroacetophenone was identified as the optimum catalyst for the oxidation of aliphatic tertiary amines and azines. This oxidation is chemoselective and proceeds in high‐to‐quantitative yields utilizing 10 mol % of the catalyst and H₂O₂ as the oxidant.     

A unique combination of KI/ZnFe2O4 as a catalyst for oxidative Strecker reaction

α‐Aminonitriles as key intermediates for the preparation of α‐amino acid derivatives, amides, diamines, peptides, proteins and heterocycles were synthesized through methylarene oxidation in the Strecker reaction using a unique combination of KI/ZnFe₂O₄ as the best catalyst and aqueous tert‐butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. A wide range of amines and methylarenes were converted to the corresponding products. Operational simplicity, short reaction time and recyclability of the catalyst are advantages of this protocol.     

A binuclear manganese complex of a pyridoxal derivative and its use as an oxidation catalyst

Summary A new binuclear complex of manganese, [Mn₂L(OAc)₂], where H₃L = N,N-[4(3-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl)pyridylmethylene]-1,3-diamionopropane-2-ol, was prepared and characterized by analysis and various spectral methods. The studies reveal that it is a mixed valence manganese(II)/manganese(III) complex with endogenous -oxo and exogenous -carboxylato bridges.The complex can be used as a catalyst for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons (cyclohexene, cis-cyclooctene, styrene, norbornene and trans-4-octene) using terminal oxidant at ambient temperatures. The yields calculated on the basis of the oxidant concentrations indicate that the complex works as an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of hydrocarbons. A probable mechanism for the reaction is proposed.     

A new vanadium Schiff base complex as catalyst for oxidation of alcohols

The monoanionic bidentate Schiff base, N-(phenolyl)-benzaldimine (HL), has been employed to synthesize a new vanadium(IV) complex of general composition [VO(L)₂] (where L?=?O,?N donor of Schiff base). The ligand and complex have been fully characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance data, FT-IR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. Oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes and ketones was conducted by this complex catalyst using Oxone as oxidant under biphasic reaction conditions (CH₂Cl₂/H₂O) and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide as phase transfer agent under air at room temperature.     

Nano–silica functionalized with thiol–based dendrimer as a host for gold nanoparticles: An efficient and reusable catalyst for chemoselective oxidation of alcohols

In this paper, we present the synthesis of Au nanoparticles supported on nanosilica thiol based dendrimer, nSTDP. The catalyst was prepared by reduction of HAuCl₄ with NaBH₄ in the presence of nSTDP. The resulting Au_np–nSTDP materials were characterized by FT–IR and UV–vis spectroscopic methods, SEM, TEM, TGA, XPS and ICP analyses. The characterization of the catalyst showed that Au nanoparticles with the size of 2–6 nm are homogeneously distributed on the nSTDP dendrimer with a catalyst loading of about 0.19 mmol/g of catalyst. The Au_np–nSTDP catalyst was used in the oxidation of alcohols with tert–butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. The influence of vital reaction parameters such as solvent, oxidant and amount of catalyst on the oxidation of alcohols was investigated. These reactions were best performed in an acetonitrile/water mixture (3:2) in the presence of 0.76 mol% of the catalyst on the basis of the Au content at 80 °C under atmospheric pressure of air to afford the desired products in high yields (80–93% for benzyl alcohols). The Au_np–nSTDP catalyst exhibited a high selectivity toward the corresponding aldehyde and ketone (up to 100%). Reusabiliy and stability tests demonstrated that the Au_np–nSTDP catalyst can be recycled with a negligible loss of its activity. Also this catalytic exhibited a good chemoselectivity in the oxidation of alcohols.     

Gold nanoparticles supported on cellulose aerogel as a new efficient catalyst for epoxidation of styrene

A new efficient heterogeneous catalyst was introduced for the epoxidation of styrene. The catalyst was obtained from deposition of gold nanoparticles on the cellulose aerogel. The catalyst was characterized with XRD, TGA, EDX, BET, FAAS and SEM. High yield and excellent selectivity were achieved for the epoxidation of styrene in solvent-free conditions at room temperature using H₂O₂ as a green oxidant during 1 h. The reaction has some advantages such as solvent-free and mild reaction conditions, low catalyst loading, high yield, excellent selectivity, green oxidant and short reaction duration. In addition, the catalyst is recyclable and applicable for six times without decrease in yield.     

2‐Arylation/alkylation of benzothiazoles using superparamagneticgraphene oxide‐Fe3O4 hybrid material as a heterogeneous catalystwith diisopropyl azodicarboxylate (DIAD) as an oxidant

In this report, we introduced Graphene oxide‐iron oxide (GO‐Fe₃O₄) nanocomposites as a heterogeneous catalyst for arylation/alkylation of benzothiazoles with aldehydes and benzylic alcohols in the presence of diisopropyl azodicarboxylate (DIAD) as an oxidant which exclusively produced 2‐aryl (alkyl)‐1H–benzothizoles in moderate to excellent yields. The absence of precious metals and toxic solvent, easy product isolation, and recyclability of the GO‐Fe₃O₄ with no loss of activity are notable advantages of this method.     

Dehydrogenative Carbon–Carbon Bond Formation Using Alkynyloxy Moieties as Hydrogen‐Accepting Directing Groups

In the presence of a catalyst system consisting of Pd(OAc)₂, PCy₃, and Zn(OAc)₂, the reaction of alkynyl aryl ethers with bicycloalkenes, α,ß‐unsaturated esters, or heteroarenes results in the site‐selective cleavage of two C? H bonds followed by the formation of C? C bonds. In all cases, the alkynyloxy group acts as a directing group for the activation of an ortho C? H bond and as a hydrogen acceptor, thus rendering the use of additives such as an oxidant or base unnecessary.     

Copper(II) Schiff Base Complex Immobilized on Superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 as a Magnetically Separable Nanocatalyst for Oxidation of Alkenes and Alcohols

A new heterogeneous catalyst containing a copper(II) Schiff base complex covalently immobilized on the surface of silica‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐Schiff base‐Cu(II)) was synthesized. Characterization of this catalyst was performed using various techniques. The catalytic potential of the catalyst was investigated for the oxidation of various alkenes (styrene, α‐methylstyrene, cyclooctene, cyclohexene and norbornene) and alcohols (benzyl alcohol, 3‐methoxybenzyl alcohol, 3‐chlorobenzyl alcohol, benzhydrol and n ‐butanol) using tert ‐butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. The catalytic investigations revealed that Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐Schiff base‐Cu(II) was especially efficient for the oxidation of norbornene and benzyl alcohol. The results showed that norbornene epoxide and benzoic acid were obtained with 100 and 87% selectivity, respectively. Moreover, simple magnetic recovery from the reaction mixture and reuse for several times with no significant loss in catalytic activity were other advantages of this catalyst     

A Copper‐Based Metal–Organic Framework Acts as a Bifunctional Catalyst for the Homocoupling of Arylboronic Acids and Epoxidation of Olefins

A copper(I)‐based metal–organic framework ({[Cu₂Br₂(pypz)]_n?nH₂O} (Cu—Br–MOF) [pypz=bis[3,5‐dimethyl‐4‐(4’‐pyridyl)pyrazol‐1‐yl] methane] has been synthesized by using an elongated and flexible bridging ligand. The structure analysis reveals that each pypz ligand acts as a tritopic ligand connected to two Cu₂Br₂ dimeric units, forming a one‐dimensional zig–zag chain, and these chains further connected by a Cu₂Br₂ unit, give a two‐dimensional framework on the bc‐plane. In the Cu₂Br₂ dimeric unit, the copper ions are four coordinated, thereby possessing a tetrahedral geometry; this proves to be an excellent heterogeneous catalyst for the aerobic homocoupling of arylboronic acids under mild reaction conditions. This method requires only 3 mol % of catalyst and it does not require any base or oxidant—compared to other conventional (Cu, Pd, Fe, and Au) catalysts—for the transformation of arylboronic acids in very good yields (98 %). The shape and size selectivity of the catalyst in the homocoupling was investigated. The use of the catalyst was further extended to the epoxidation of olefins. Moreover, the catalyst can be easily separated by simple filtration and reused efficiently up to 5 cycles without major loss of reactivity.     

Graphene Oxide Supported Oxovanadium (IV) Complex for Catalytic Peroxidative Epoxidation of Styrene: An Eye-Catching Impact of Solvent

Graphene oxide (GO) supported transition metal complexes are apprised as sturdy and everlasting heterogeneous catalysts. GO surface was functionalized with 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine (TSPA) and this amino functionalized GO (A-f-GO) nanocomposite with vanadyl Schiff base complex (VO-f-GO) was prepared and to give credence of its potentiality, it was chosen for the selective epoxidation of styrene using environmentally benign 30% H₂O₂ to styrene oxide (SO). To evade the detrimental exposure of “inborn” water, a selective high boiling and potent hygroscopic solvent, ethylene glycol was chosen to make this transformation productively successful. With the assistance of theoretical studies, we have probed the effect of H₂O₂ on to structural properties, binding mechanism and electronic properties of the catalyst and substrate. Adsorption energy (E_ad), energy band gap (E_g) and HOMO-LUMO were also calculated. Based on DFT calculations, resonance Raman and UV/Vis studies, we confirmed the formation of metal-peroxo species and propose the plausible catalytic pathway. The influence of the diverse experimental parameters, like substrate to oxidant mole ratio, catalyst concentration, type of solvents, solvent amount, time, temperature and oxidant were tested. A clear relationship was found between different reaction parameters like solvent amount, oxidant, catalyst concentration and temperature etc. and product distribution. This heterogeneous catalyst yielded styrene oxide as nearly the sole product (selectivity = 98.7%) with a conversion value of 99.2% in the oxidation of styrene with hydrogen peroxide in ethylene glycol.     

The synthesis of fluorine-containing porphyrins

The synthesis of polyfluoroalkoxyl substituted tetrakisphenylporphyrin is reported. The reaction is carrying out using Lewis acid BF₃·OEt₂ as catalyst and p-chloranil as oxidant. The yields of the porphyrins are about 30–40%.     

Approach for the Direct Synthesis of β-Dichlorosubstituted Acetanilides Using Iodine Trichloride (ICl3) as the Oxidant and Catalyst

A reliable method for direct synthesis of β‐dichlorosubstituted acetanilides is reported. The key transformation involves the oxidative and catalytic cleavage of a carbon‐carbon bond in the presence of iodine trichloride (ICl₃). In this protocol ICl₃ is used not only as the catalyst but also as the oxidant which widely broadens the scope of its application in organic synthetic chemistry.     

Mono-substituted Keggin-polyoxometalate complexes as effective and recyclable catalyst for the oxidation of alcohols with hydrogen peroxide in biphasic system

Mono-substituted Keggin-polyoxymetalate complex Na₆ [SiW₁₁ZnH₂O₄₀]·12H₂O was demonstrated to be an effective catalyst for the selective oxidation of alcohols in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The reaction was carried out in an aqueous/oil biphasic system, which allowed easy recovery of catalyst, under relative mild conditions. The catalyst could be reused five times without appreciable loss of activity.     

Osmium(III) and Osmium(V) Complexes Bearing a Macrocyclic Ligand: A Simple and Efficient Catalytic System for cis‐Dihydroxylation of Alkenes with Hydrogen Peroxide

A simple protocol that uses [Os^III(OH)(H₂O)(L ‐N₄Me₂)](PF₆)₂ ( 1 ; L ‐N₄Me₂=N,N′‐dimethyl‐2,11‐diaza[3.3](2,6)pyridinophane) as a catalyst and H₂O₂ as a terminal oxidant for efficient cis‐1,2‐dihydroxylation of alkenes is presented. Unfunctionalized (or aliphatic) alkenes and alkenes/styrenes containing electron‐withdrawing groups are selectively oxidized to the corresponding vicinal diols in good to excellent yields (46–99 %). In the catalytic reactions, the stoichiometry of alkene:H₂O₂ is 1:1, and thus the oxidant efficiency is very high. For the dihydroxylation of cyclohexene, the catalytic amount of 1 can be reduced to 0.01 mol % to achieve a very high turnover number of 5500. The active oxidant is identified as the Os^V(O)(OH) species ( 2 ), which is formed via the hydroperoxide adduct, an Os^III(OOH) species. The active oxidant 2 is successfully isolated and crystallographically characterized.     

Mechanistic Studies on the Roles of the Oxidant and Hydrogen Bonding in Determining the Selectivity in Alkene Oxidation in the Presence of Molybdenum Catalysts

When the molybdenum oxo(peroxo) acetylide complex [CpMo(O? O)(O)C?CPh] is used as a catalyst for the oxidation of olefins, completely different product selectivity is obtained depending on the oxidant employed. When tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP, 5.5 M ) in dodecane is used as the oxidant for the oxidation of cyclohexene, cyclohexene oxide is formed with high selectivity. However, when H₂O₂ is used as the oxidant, the corresponding cis‐1,2‐diol is formed as the major product. Calculations performed by using density functional theory revealed the nature of the different competing mechanisms operating during the catalysis process and also provided an insight into the influence of the oxidant and hydrogen bonding on the catalysis process. The mechanistic investigations can therefore serve as a guide in the design of molybdenum‐based catalysts for the oxidation of olefins.     

An Overview on the Dehydrogenation of Alkylbenzenes with Carbon Dioxide over Supported Vanadium–Antimony Oxide Catalysts

Utilization of carbon dioxide as a soft oxidant for the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (CO₂-EBDH) has been recently attempted to explore a new technology for producing styrene selectively. This article summarizes the results of our recent attempts to develop effective catalyst systems for the CO₂-EBDH on the basis of alumina-supported vanadium oxide catalysts. Its initial activity and on-stream stability were essentially improved by the introduction of antimony oxide as a promoter into the alumina-supported catalyst. Insertion of zirconium oxide into alumina support substantially increased the catalytic activity. Modification of alumina with magnesium oxide yielded an increase of catalyst stability of alumina-supported V–Sb oxide due to the coking suppression. Carbon dioxide has been confirmed to play a beneficial role of selective oxidant in improving the catalytic performance through the oxidative pathway, avoiding excessive reduction and maintaining desirable oxidation state of vanadium ion (V⁵⁺). The positive effect of carbon dioxide in dehydrogenation reactions of several alkylbenzenes such as 4-diethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, and iso- and n-propylbenzenes was also observed. Along with the easier redox cycle between fully oxidized and partially reduced vanadium species, the optimal surface acidity of the catalyst is also responsible for achieving high activity and catalyst stability. It is highlighted that supra-equilibrium EBDH conversions were obtained over alumina-supported V–Sb oxide catalyst in CO₂-EBDH as compared with those in steam-EBDH in the absence of carbon dioxide.     

Aluminium Nitrate Nonahydrate (Al(NO3)3⋅9 H2O): An Efficient Oxidant Catalyst for the One‐Pot Synthesis of Biginelli Compounds from Benzyl Alcohols

A clean and efficient tandem oxidative cyclocondensation process is reported for the synthesis of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one or ‐thione derivatives from primary aryl alcohols, β‐keto esters, and urea or thiourea in the presence of Al(NO₃)₃?9 H₂O as oxidant catalyst (Scheme, Table 5).     

Deep Oxidative Desulfurization of Thiophenic Model Oil/Natural Gas Condensate Over Tungsten/Molybdenum Oxides Using H2O2 as Oxidant

Supported Na₂WO₄/ZSM5 as catalyst was used for deep oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of mixed thiophenic compounds model oil and natural gas condensate under mild conditions by using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. A one factor at a time optimization strategy was applied for optimizing the parameters such as temperature, loading of catalysts, reaction time, type of extractant and oxidant to S‐compounds molar ratio. The corresponding products can be easily removed from the model by using MeCN as best extractant. Results showed highly catalytic activity of Na₂WO₄/ZSM5 for the oxidative removal of dibenzothiophene and mixed thiophenic model oil under atmospheric pressure at 75 °C in a biphasic system. By applying the ODS to mixed model/MeCN and gas condensate/MeCN, the conversion reached to 94 and 81 %, respectively, using 40 % loading Na₂WO₄/ZSM5 as catalysis under the optimal conditions. To investigate the oxidation and adsorption effects of gas condensate composition on ODS, effects of cyclohexene, 1,7‐octadiene, and o‐xylene were studied with different concentrations.     

Enantioselective Construction of 2,3‐Dihydrofuro[2,3‐b]quinolines through Supramolecular Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

The first asymmetric synthesis of 2,3‐dihydrofuro[2,3‐b]quinolines has been achieved by a cascade asymmetric aziridination/intramolecular ring‐opening process of differently substituted 3‐alkenylquinolones. Good yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 78 % yield and 95 % ee) were recorded when employing 2,2,2‐trichloroethoxysulfonamide as the nitrene source, PhI(OCOtBu)₂ as the oxidant, and a chiral C₂‐symmetric Rh^II complex as the catalyst (1 mol %). The catalyst bears two lactam motifs, which serve as binding sites for substrate coordination through supramolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions.