Air‐stable and recoverable catalyst for copper‐catalyzed controlled/living radical polymerization of styrene; In situ generation of Cu(I) species via electron transfer reaction

Copper‐catalyzed controlled/living radical polymerization (LRP) of styrene (St) was conducted using the silica gel‐supported CuCl₂/N,N,N′,N′,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (SG‐CuCl₂/PMDETA) complex as catalyst at 110 °C in the presence of a definite amount of air. This novel approach is based on in situ generation and regeneration of Cu(I) via electron transfer reaction between phenols and Cu(II). Sodium phenoxide or p‐methoxyphenol was used as a reducing agent of Cu(II) complexes in LRP. The number–average molecular weight, M_n,GPC, increases linearly with monomer conversion and agrees well with the theoretical values up to 85% conversion The molecular weight distribution, M_w/M_n, decreases as the conversion increases and reaches values below 1.2. The catalyst was recovered in aerobic condition and reused in copper‐catalyzed LRP of St. For the second run, the number–average molecular weights increased with monomer conversion and the polydispersities decreased as the polymerization proceeded and reached to the value <1.3 at 81% conversion. The recycled catalyst retained 90% of its original activity in the subsequent polymerization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 77–87, 2006     

Structural studies on ruthenium(II) complexes used in interphase catalysis for the hydrogenation of ketones

Structural studies were performed on catalytically active ruthenium(II) complexes used in interphases, by means of XAFS spectroscopy. The EXAFS investigations indicate that the complexes retain their structural integrity when they are embedded on polysiloxane matrices to form stationary phase materials. The AXAFS studies reveal that the variations in the catalytic activity of the complexes with different ligands can be correlated to the differences in the electronic structure around the active ruthenium center. The EXAFS investigations show that, in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions catalysed by ruthenium(II) complexes, the co‐catalyst plays a crucial role not only in enhancing the catalytic activity, but also in determining the structure of the intermediate species. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of AgBiVMoO/-Al2O3 Catalysts for the Partial Oxidation of Propane

A novel mixed sol method was developed for the preparation of supported catalysts. Analyses by means of XRD and BET show that a 40%AgBiVMoO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst prepared by this method possessed high specific surface area and high dispersion of the active phase. As a result, high acrylic acid selectivity of 8.5% was obtained when the catalyst was used in the reaction of propane partial oxidation to acrylic acid in a fixed-bed reactor.     

MCM-41-supported bidentate phosphine palladium(0) complex: a highly active and recyclable catalyst for the Sonogashira reaction of aryl iodides

The first MCM-41-supported bidentate phosphine palladium(0) complex has been prepared. This complex is a highly efficient catalyst for Sonogashira reaction and can be reused at least 10 times without any decrease in activity.     

Kinetics of Hydroperoxide Epoxidation of 1-Octene in the Presence of MoB2

We have studied the kinetics of the process of epoxidation of 1-octene by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of molybdenum boride MoB₂. We have studied the effect of the concentrations of starting materials and reaction products on the process. We suggest a kinetic scheme and we calculate the kinetic parameters of the process.     

Palladium-catalyzed and organozinc-promoted synthesis of dienes from allylic esters possessing an acyloxy or alkoxy group

Organozinc and a Pd catalyst promoted formation of dienes from allylic esters possessing a leaving group such as acyloxy and alkoxy groups next to the allyl moiety. The reaction proceeded with high regio- and stereoselectivity when applied to secondary allylic substrates.     

Halex reactions of aromatic compounds catalysed by 2-azaallenium, carbophosphazenium, aminophosphonium and diphosphazenium salts: a comparative study

An increasing number of biologically active compounds in the pharma and agro-chemical sector contain carbon fluorine bonds. One of the most common methods to introduce fluorine into intermediates is the well-investigated halogen-exchange reaction, in which chloro- and bromoaromatics activated towards nucleophilic substitution, react with a fluoride source to yield the corresponding fluoroarenes. In general, the reaction is supported by phase-transfer catalysts. The use of a new class of very active phase-transfer catalysts gives the possibility of substituting even halogens with weak activation giving a convenient access to interesting compounds that are not available so far and opening up new synthetic routes in Halex chemistry. Our new classes of catalysts, CNC⁺ (1a), PNC⁺ (2a) and several different approaches presented by other groups are described and experimental results discussed.     

Solid-supported Hantzsch—Biginelli reaction for syntheses of pyrimidine derivatives

The microwave-assisted dry media technology was utilized for the synthesis of some novel derivatives in the Hantzsch—Biginelli reaction. In this eco-friendly approach, the usage of organic solvents and hazardous reagents resulting in corrossion of materials was minimized, giving high yields of products within a short reaction time.     

Preparation of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa) by using a SbF5-attached catalyst

In this report, a simple process for preparing HFC-245fa through the reaction of 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (PCP) and anhydrous HF via two-step vapor-phase catalytic fluorination is described. The antimony pentafluoride catalyst was supported on inert porous materials to improve the catalytic activity. The resulting process catalyst not only exhibited high catalytic activity and excellent thermo-stability, but also improved the performance of SbF₅, in terms of hygroscopicity and corrosion.     

Cure kinetics of a cobalt catalysed dicyanate ester monomer in air and argon atmospheres from DSC data

A kinetic analysis of the cyclotrimerisation reaction of a dicyanate ester monomer catalysed by cobalt(II) acetylacetonate and nonylphenol in air and argon atmospheres has been carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic and isothermal DSC scans as well as the glass transition temperature are the experimental data obtained. From isothermal scans a higher cyanate conversion in air than in argon was obtained. The cyanate conversions are satisfactorily described with a second-order kinetic equation in the kinetically controlled region, and by m-order (m<1) equation after vitrification is reached. Activation energies determined by different procedures agree among them, showing slightly higher values in argon than in air.