Preparation,characterization and heterogeneous catalytic applications of GO/Fe3O4/HPW nanocomposite in chemoselective and green oxidation of alcohols with aqueous H2O2

Graphene oxide ‐ Fe₃O₄ ‐ NH₃⁺H₂PW₁₂O₄₀ ^‐ magnetic nanocomposite (GO/Fe₃O₄/HPW) was prepared by linking amino ‐ functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ ‐ NH₂) on the graphene oxide (GO), and then grafting 12 ‐ tungstophosphoric acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀) on the graphene oxide ‐ magnetite hybrid (GO ‐ Fe₃O₄ ‐ NH₂). The obtained GO/Fe₃O₄/HPW nanocomposite was well characterized with different techniques such as FT ‐ IR, TEM, SEM, XRD, EDX, TGA ‐ DTA, AGFM, ICP and BET measurements. The used techniques showed that the graphene oxide layers were well prepared and the various stages of preparation of the GO/Fe₃O₄/HPW nanocomposites successfully completed. This new nanocomposite displayed excellent performance as a heterogeneous catalyst in the oxidation of alcohols with H₂O₂. The as ‐ prepared GO/Fe₃O₄/HPW catalyst was more stable and recyclable at least five times without significantly reducing its catalytic activity.     

Chemical investigation of Cannabis sativa leading to the discovery of a prenylspirodinone with anti-microbial potential

The discovery of a new spiran based natural product, prenylspirodinone (1), together with six known cannabinoids (2–7) from the leaves of Cannabis sativa (Marijuana) is reported. All compounds were screened for antifungal and antibacterial activity against a panel of microbial pathogens and exhibited antimicrobial activities with IC₅₀ values ranging from 2.6 to 49.6?µM. Compound 2, a propyl substituted cannabidiol, was determined to be a specific inhibitor against C. albicans (IC₅₀ 11.9?µM) and can be considered as a new lead against Candidiasis.     

Metal-free,PTSA catalyzed facile synthesis of β-ketoacetal from β-chlorocinnamaldehyde

A toluene solution of β-chlorocinnamaldehyde and dihydroxy alcohols in the catalytic presence of para-toluenesulphonic acid (PTSA) yield the β-ketoacetal in good to outstanding amount. The catalyst (PTSA), first selectively protect the aldehydic group to form the β-chloroacetal and the subsequent dechlorination by H₂O result the β-ketoacetal. Significant transformation was achieved with electron donating substituent attached at the para-position of cinnamaldehyde. The selective formation of β-keto-1,3-acetal was also obtained with a mixture of 1, 2- and 1, 3- diol. The present reaction consists of a metal-free, economical, robustly feasible, sizeable functional group tolerance and high yield properties. Moreover, the use of different dihydroxy alcohols made this process more benign and valuable towards the metal-free development of ketones. First, of its kind, a rare and unusual multitasking nature of PTSA is observed.     

Facile synthesis of new imidazoles from direct reaction of 2,3‐diamino‐1,4‐naphthoquinone with aldehydes

New imidazoles were easily prepared from 2,3‐diamino‐1,4‐naphthoquinone and stoichiometric quantities of the appropriate aldehydes in dimethyl sulfoxide as a solvent. The reaction proceeded for few hours. The procedure can be generalized to different classes of aldehydes. 2‐Methyl‐1H‐naphtho[2,3‐d]imidazole‐4,9‐dione was also obtained in good yield during refluxing of 2,3‐diaminonaphthoquinone in acetic acid. The structure of the newly synthesized imidazoles was extensively investigated using NMR experiments. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Catalytic activity of a zirconium(IV) oxide surface supported with transition metal ions

The kinetics of H₂O₂ decomposition have been investigated using ZrO₂ supported with transition metal ions including Cu^II, Ag^I, Hg^II, Co^II, Mn^II, Ni^II and Fe^III. At pH = 6.8, the reaction rate exhibits a first order dependence on the initial H₂O₂ concentration at low concentrations. The order of activity of the different catalysts is strongly dependent on the [H₂O₂]₀ used. The reaction proceed via the formation of the peroxo-intermediate which has an inhibiting effect on the reaction rate. The rate increases with increasing pH, and attains a limiting rate at higher pH's. A reaction mechanism is proposed involving liberation of HO₂ radicals from the peroxo-intermediate as the rate-determining step.     

Amino acid recognition of pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complex in aqueous solvent

Enantioselective recognition of amino acids has been studied with C₂-symmetric chiral pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complexes at physiological pH condition. UV-visible titration revealed strong binding of submillimolar dissociation constant between pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complex and amino acids in aqueous solution. Moderate selectivity of up to 2:1 between d- and l-amino acids was achieved. The enantiomers were baseline resolved by capillary electrophoresis, using the bis(l-lysine)-copper(II) complex as a chiral selector.     

Bridging the Green Gap: Metal–Organic Framework Heteromultilayers Assembled from Porphyrinic Linkers Identified by Using Computational Screening

In organic photovoltaics, porphyrins (PPs) are among the most promising compounds owing to their large absorption cross-section, wide spectral range, and stability. Nevertheless, a precise adjustment of absorption band positions to reach a full coverage of the so-called green gap has not been achieved yet. We demonstrate that a tuning of the PP Q- and Soret bands can be carried out by using a computational approach for which substitution patterns are optimized in silico. The most promising candidate structures were then synthesized. The experimental UV/Vis data for the solvated compounds were in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. By attaching further functionalities, which allow the use of PP chromophores as linkers for the assembly of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), we were able to exploit packing effects resulting in pronounced redshifts, which allowed further optimization of the photophysical properties of PP assemblies. Finally, we use a layer-by-layer method to assemble the PP linkers into surface-mounted MOFs (SURMOFs), thus obtaining high optical quality, homogeneous and crystalline multilayer films. Experimental results are in full accord with the calculations, demonstrating the huge potential of computational screening methods in tailoring MOF and SURMOF photophysical properties.     

Glycerol: A Promising Benign Solvent for Catalyst‐free One‐pot Multi‐component Synthesis of 1H‐Pyrozolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones and 2H‐Indazolo[2,1‐b]phthalazine‐triones Under Controlled Microwaves Irradiation

A simple green and efficient one‐pot multi‐component synthesis of 1H‐pyrozolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones and 2H‐indazolo[2,1‐b]phthalazine‐triones has been developed utilizing one‐pot multi‐component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, active methylene reagents, phthalic anhydride, and hydrazine hydrate or alternatively phthalhydrazide in glycerol without catalyst under controlled microwave heating. The current synthetic protocol offers several advantages such as excellent yields, high EcoScale and atom economy, simple working up reactants and products, and the absence of hazardous catalysts or solvents.