RuCl3-DCHA Catalyst System: A Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Primary Benzylic Alcohols Under Mild Conditions

The aerobic oxidation of benzylic alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes was performed in a RuCl₃ · 3H₂O–dicyclohexylamine (DCHA) catalyst system under ambient atmosphere at room temperature. It is noteworthy that the RuCl₃ · 3H₂O–DCHA system displayed a preference for the primary versus secondary benzylic alcohols in both intermolecular and intramolecular competition experiments.     

Chemiluminescence parameters of peroxynitrous acid in the presence of short-chain alcohols and Ru(bpy)<Stack><Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>2+</Superscript></Stack>

The chemiluminescence behaviour and mechanism of peroxynitrous acid and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ were studied in the presence of short-chain alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, butanol, 2-methylpropan-1-ol, pentanol). It was found that the chemiluminescence intensity of peroxynitrous acid and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ system could be significantly enhanced by these seven short-chain alcohols. The maximum chemiluminescence wavelength of 608 nm of [Ru(bpy)₃²⁺]* in the excited state was attributed to the reaction between Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and dihydroxyalkyl radicals which were generated during the redox course of peroxynitrous acid and alcohols. In addition, the chemiluminescence signals of the system presented depended largely on the solubility and branched-chain structure as well as the length of carbon chain. The analytical characteristics and parameters of the peroxynitrous acid/Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/alcohols chemiluminescence system were investigated under optimum conditions.     

Photocatalytic Conversion of a FeCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>–CCl<Subscript>4</Subscript>–ROH System

The photocatalytic transformations of carbon tetrachloride and aliphatic primary alcohols in the presence of iron trichloride and a molar ratio of components FeCl₃: CCl₄: ROH = 1: 300: 2550 were studied. CCl₄ is transformed into chloroform and hexachloroethane after exposure to a mercury lamp (250 W) to the FeCl₃–CCl₄–ROH system at 20°C, whereas the primary ROH alcohols are selectively oxidized into acetals (1,1-dialkoxyalkanes). The maximum conversion of CCl₄ reaches 80%. The kinetics and mechanism of the photocatalytic conversion of the FeCl₃–CCl₄–ROH system are considered.     

Iron Perchlorate on Silica Gel as Multi-purpose Reagent for Catalysis of Closure and Rupture of Carbon-Oxygen Bond in Epoxides,Alcohols, and Esters

Aliphatic alcohols and water in the presence of catalytic amounts of Fe³⁺ ion introduced as acids esterification with various type alcohols was carried out using the system Fe(ClO₄)₃-silica gel in dichloromethane under conditions excluding solvolysis. Acetylation and formylation of alcohols was performed by efficient transesterification with ethyl acetate and ethyl formate.     

Palladium-catalysed oxidation of alcohols with carbon tetrachloride,formation of 4,4,4-trichloro ketones from allylic alcohols and carbon tetrachlorid

Pd salts catalyse oxidation of alcohols with CCl₄ in the presence of K₂CO₃. Primary alcohols are oxidised to esters, and secondary alcohols to ketones. CCl₄ is converted to CHCl₃. The reaction of allylic alcohols bearing a terminal olefinic bond with CCl₄ or BrCCl₃ in the presence of palladium catalyst at 110° affords 4,4,4-trichloro ketones. At 40°, simple adducts of CCl₄ or BrCCl₃ having a halohydrin structure are obtained, which are converted to the corresponding trichloro ketones by the catalysis of palladium. Various halohydrins are converted to ketones by Pd catalysis.     

The Mn(acac)3—RCN—CCl4 system as a new efficient reagent for the oxidation of secondary alcohols into ketones

The Mn(acac)₃—RCN—CCl₄ system was found to be efficient for the oxidation of secondary alcohols into the corresponding ketones in 80—93% yields. The oxidation proceeds through the formation of alkyl hypochlorites, which are generated from CCl₄ and the alcohols in the presence of the Mn(acac)₃—RCN catalytic system (R = Me, Et, and Ph).     

AlCl3 · 6H2O/KI/CH3CN/H2O: An Efficient and Versatile System for Chemoselective C–O Bond Cleavage and Formation of Halides and Carbonyl Compounds from Alcohols in Hydrated Media

AlCl₃ · 6H₂O/KI/CH₃CN/H₂O, an efficient and versatile system, cleaves the C–O bonds of esters, acetals, ethers, and oxathiolanes to the corresponding acids, alcohols, and carbonyl compounds chemoselectively at 80 °C in hydrated media with good yields. This system also converts the alcohols (primary/secondary) to halides and oxidizes the alcohols (primary/secondary) to the corresponding carbonyl compounds in the presence of DMSO.     

Enzyme-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol)-supported carbonates

Kinetic resolution of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-supported carbonates by enzymatic hydrolysis is discussed. Water-soluble carbonates are prepared by immobilization of racemic secondary alcohols onto low-molecular weight monomethoxy PEG (MPEG) through a carbonate linker. Porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) enantioselectively catalyzes the hydrolysis of the substrates to give optically active compounds. In this system, the separation of the resulting alcohols and the remaining substrates is achieved by an extraction process without laborious column chromatography. The carbonates are easily hydrolyzed with K₂CO₃ to afford the corresponding alcohols.     

Distribution coefficients in the water-dodecane system and the heats of adsorption of C<Subscript>1</Subscript>-C<Subscript>8</Subscript> alcohols on silica

Distribution coefficients in the water-dodecane system and the heats of adsorption of C₁-C₈ alcohols on silica (Silochrom S-80) were determined by gas chromatography. At low temperatures, C₁-C₄ alcohols were largely distributed in the aqueous phase, and C₆-C₉ alcohols were predominantly dissolved in the organic phase; C₅ alcohols had intermediate properties. Permittivity was found to correlate with log K _d, which allowed us to predict the character of the distribution of alcohols in the water-oil system. The heats and isotherms of adsorption were determined for the alcohols studied. The heats of adsorption of alcohols on silica monotonically increased in the series under consideration. For C₅-C₈ alcohols, they exceeded the heat of adsorption of water. The isotherms of adsorption were described by the Freundlich equation.     

A high performance oxidation method for secondary alcohols by inductive activation of TEMPO in combination with pyridine-bromine complexes

A new TEMPO-mediated catalytic oxidation method in combination with Py·HBr₃ (stoichiometric) is developed for oxidation of secondary alcohols to the corresponding ketones. The performance of this oxidizing system is better compared with that of TEMPO method combined with R₄NBr₃. Poly(4-vinylpyridine)·HBr₃ can be used in place of Py·HBr₃. The electron-withdrawing substituent at the C-4 position of TEMPO increases the reactivity of TEMPO significantly in the oxidation of electron-deficient alcohols such as polyhaloalkylmethanols. Inductive effect of the substituent of TEMPO is discussed through the characterization of the redox potential of N-O radical by cyclic voltammetry.     

Oxidation of primary and secondary alkanols with the CeIII-LiBr-H2O2 system

Action of a novel oxidation system, Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O (cat.)-LiBr (cat.)-H₂O₂ (stoichiometric oxidant) on primary aliphatic C₆–C₉ alcohols gives selectively esters, whereas secondary aliphatic C₅–C₉ alcohols are converted into ketones. Selectivity of these transformations is provided by slow addition of H₂O₂ to the other reactants.     

Efficient methods of synthesis of unsaturated alcohols and ketones by allylation of Favorsky reaction products under phase transfer conditions

Allylation of the Favorsky reaction products with allyl halides under phase-transfer catalysis in the system CuI–K₂CO₃–Na₂SO₃–BTEAC–H₂O–C₆H₆ afforded the corresponding allylpropargyl alcohols in high yields (87–96%). The procedure is practical and scalable (more than 50 g of the target product can be prepared in a single run) and is characterized by high selectivity. Oxidation of secondary allylpropargyl alcohols with manganese dioxide in anhydrous acetonitrile at room temperature gave 75–81% of allylacetylenic ketones.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-alkylation of ethylenediamine with alcohols catalyzed by CuO-NiO/<Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

A simple method for N-alkylation of 1,2-diaminoethane with different alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor using cheap CuO-NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ as the catalyst has been developed. The present catalytic system was applicable in the N-alkylation of 1,2-diaminoethane with both primary and secondary alcohols. Mono-N-alkylation of 1,2-diaminoethane with low-carbon alcohols resulted in high yields; the yields of tetra-N-alkylation of 1,2-diaminoethane with low-carbon alcohols declined markedly with the increase of the molecular volume of alcohols.     

A TEMPO-like nitroxide combined with an alkyl-substituted pyridine: An efficient catalytic system for the selective oxidation of alcohols with iodine

An efficient method for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes or ketones in a two-phase CH₂Cl₂/NaHCO₃ (aq.) system, using iodine and catalytic amounts of 4-acetylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl and 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine, was developed. The performance of the method was demonstrated by the selective oxidation of 37 variously substituted alcohols in ≥90% yield, including the gram-scale synthesis of the important chemical 2,5-diformylfuran from biomass-derived 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural.     

Sodium iodide/boron trifluoride etherate: A mild reagent system for the conversion of allylic and benzylic alcohols into corresponding iodides and sulfoxides into sulfides

A variety of allylic and benzylic alcohols have been converted into the corresponding iodides using NaI/BF₃.Et₂O. Selective conversion of allylic and benzylic alcohols in preference to primary saturated alcohols has also been demonstrated. Further, the same reagent system has been used to convert sulfoxides into sulfides under mild conditions.     

Microwve induced catalytic reactions of carbon dioxide and water: mimicry of photosynthesis

In an attempt to emulate the highly successful photosynthetic recycling of CO₂ to form energetically useful fuels in nature this study investigates the microwave induced reaction of carbon dioxide and water in a continuous flow system using a supported nickel catalyst and 2.45 GHz microwave radiation with an average incident power of 2.2 kW. The major reaction products were methane, ethane, methanol, acetone, C₃ and C₄ alcohols. The yields of methane, C₃ and C₄ alcohols reached maximum values after 30 s of irradiation, while the yields of ethane, methanol and acetone were proportional to the irradiation time within the investigated range.     

Influence of the order of introduction of protonic acids on the formation of active complexes in the Ni(PPh3)4/BF3 · OEt2 catalytic system

The influence of the order of introduction of promoters (complex protonic acids) on the formation of active complexes in the Ni(PPh₃)₄/BF₃ · OEt₂ catalytic system and the activity of these systems in ethylene oligomerization have been studied. The activity of the systems in which nickel exists mainly as cationic Ni(I) complexes is more than one order of magnitude higher than the activity of the systems where nickel exists mainly in the form of Ni(II) hydride complexes. The role of alcohols as promoters in the Ni(PPh₃)₄/BF₃ · OEt₂ catalytic system is elucidated. The alcohols are the source of Ni(II) hydrides and, more importantly, the source of strong Brønsted acids, which efficiently ensure the coordinative unsaturation of the cationic Ni(I) complexes.     

InBr3-Et3N promoted alkynylation of aldehydes and N,O-acetals under mild conditions: facile and simple preparation of propargylic alcohols and amines

The use of a novel InBr₃-Et₃N reagent system to promote addition reactions of 1-alkynes not only with a variety of aromatic or bulky aliphatic aldehydes but also with N,O-acetals is described. The corresponding propargylic alcohols or amines are produced in good to excellent yields.     

Practical and Chemoselective Reduction of Acyl Chloride to Alcohol by Borohydride in Aqueous Dichloromethane

A simple methodology for the reduction of acid chlorides to their corresponding alcohols has been developed. Various carboxylic acids were converted to alcohols in excellent yields using NaBH₄-K₂CO₃ in a mixed solvent system of dichloromethane and water (1:1) in the presence of a phase-transfer catalyst at low temperature. The importance of the work is its simplicity, selectivity, excellent yield, and very short reaction time. This new reduction condition has proved to be an excellent chemoselective method for a range of acid chlorides in the presence of various functional groups.     

Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitro Compounds Using TiO2 Photocatalyst by UV and Vis Dye-sensitized Systems

Nitro‐aromatic compounds can be photocatalytically reduced into the corresponding amine‐aromatic compounds using TiO₂ as a photocatalyst in the UV/TiO₂/holes scavenger and Vis/TiO₂/dye‐sensitized systems. In the UV/TiO₂/holes scavenger system, reaction substrate alcohols such as methanol could be used as the holes scavengers, and in the Vis/TiO₂/dye‐sensitized system, substrate alcohols could be oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes with high selectivity. When methanol was used as the holes scavengers and the illumination time was 6 h, 87.2% of p‐nitrotoluene could be photocatalytically reduced into p‐toluidine. In the Vis/TiO₂/dye‐sensitized system, the effect of aromatic alcohols for the photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene was better than that of other alcohols. At the same time, aromatic alcohols can be easily oxidized, and the production efficiencies of the corresponding aldehydes were higher than those of other alcohols. The possible reaction mechanisms were also proposed.