Catalysis with transition metal nanoparticles in colloidal solution: nanoparticle shape dependence and stability

While the nanocatalysis field has undergone an explosive growth during the past decade, there have been very few studies in the area of shape-dependent catalysis and the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of transition metal nanoparticles as well as their recycling potential. Metal nanoparticles of different shapes have different crystallographic facets and have different fraction of surface atoms on their corners and edges, which makes it interesting to study the effect of metal nanoparticle shape on the catalytic activity of various organic and inorganic reactions. Transition metal nanoparticles are attractive to use as catalysts due to their high surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk catalytic materials, but their surface atoms could be so active that changes in the size and shape of the nanoparticles could occur during the course of their catalytic function, which could also affect their recycling potential. In this Feature Article, we review our work on the effect of the shape of the colloidal nanocatalyst on the catalytic activity as well as the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of the colloidal transition metal nanocatalysts and their recycling potential. These studies provide important clues on the mechanism of the reactions we studied and also can be very useful in the process of designing better catalysts in the future.     

Regioselective nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of chiral epoxyallyl alcohols: a ready access to the pyran core of macrolactin 3

Herein we report the synthetic strategy towards the pyran core of macrolactin 3 via Sharpless epoxidation, titanium(IV) mediated regioselective ring-opening reaction of epoxyallyl alcohol/epoxy alcohol and oxa-Michael addition as the key steps.     

An Unusual S-and N-Alkylation of Mercapto Substituted Heterocycles With O,O-Dialkyl Chlorophosphate/Thiophosphate

The reaction of different mercapto substituted heterocycles with o,o-dialkyl chlorphosphate or thiophosphates, gave the corresponding S- and N- alkylated derivatives instead of the expected phosphorylated products.     

Total synthesis of the 2,6-disubstituted piperidine alkaloid (−)-andrachcinidine

The total synthesis of the 2,6-disubstituted piperidine alkaloid (?)-andrachcinidine is reported using Keck’s asymmetric allylation, Sharpless epoxidation, nucleophilic substitution, and intramolecular aza-Michael addition as the key steps.     

An Ultra-Microporous Metal–Organic Framework with Exceptional Xe Capacity

Molecular confinement plays a significant effect on trapped gas and solvent molecules. A fundamental understanding of gas adsorption within the porous confinement provides information necessary to design a material with improved selectivity. In this regard, metal–organic framework (MOF) adsorbents are ideal candidate materials to study confinement effects for weakly interacting gas molecules, such as noble gases. Among the noble gases, xenon (Xe) has practical applications in the medical, automotive and aerospace industries. In this Communication, we report an ultra-microporous nickel-isonicotinate MOF with exceptional Xe uptake and selectivity compared to all benchmark MOF and porous organic cage materials. The selectivity arises because of the near perfect fit of the atomic Xe inside the porous confinement. Notably, at low partial pressure, the Ni–MOF interacts very strongly with Xe compared to the closely related Krypton gas (Kr) and more polarizable CO₂. Further ¹²⁹Xe NMR suggests a broad isotropic chemical shift due to the reduced motion as a result of confinement.     

First stereoselective total synthesis of decytospolides A and B

The first synthesis of bioactive decytospolides A and B adopting an oxa-Michael addition as the key step is reported.     

Total synthesis of (6Z,9S)-3,4-trans-9-hydroxy-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide and (6Z)-3,4-trans-9-oxo-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide γ-butyrolactones

The first total synthesis of (6Z,9S)-3,4-trans-9-hydroxy-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide and (6Z)-3,4-trans-9-oxo-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide was achieved in a convergent pathway. The salient features of our synthesis include Ohira–Bestmann reaction, regioselective alkyne addition to terminal epoxide, TEMPO/BAIB mediated oxidative lactonization, and partial hydrogenation.     

Total synthesis of two γ-butyrolactone containing compounds (Z,11S)-3,4-trans-11-hydroxy-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide and (Z)-3,4-trans-11-oxo-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide

The first total synthesis of (Z,11S)-3,4-trans-11-hydroxy-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide and (Z)-3,4-trans-11-oxo-3-methyldodec-cis-6-en-4-olide was accomplished using Jacobsen hydrolytic kinetic resolution, Ohira–Bestmann reaction, regioselective alkyne addition to terminal carbon atom of epoxide, intramolecular TEMPO/BAIB mediated oxidative lactonization and partial hydrogenation as the key steps.