Ring Opening of a Fatty Epoxide by Diethylacetamido Malonate in Basic Medium by Phase Transfer Catalysis or Under Microwave Irradiation

A fatty epoxide (tetradecyl-oxirane) is reacted with diethyl acetamidomalonate in basic medium, with or without solvent under solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis with LiCl, or under microwave irradiation on supported reagents (KF/Al₂O₃/LiCl). The main product is a lactone which is formed after epoxide ring opening and subsequent cyclisation. We put here into evidence, for the first time, the conjugated advantages of “dry media” reactions, lithium salt effects and microwave irradiation.     

Improved Protocol for Thorpe Reaction: Synthesis of 4‐Amino‐1‐arylpyrazole using Solid–Liquid Phase‐Transfer Conditions

Solid–liquid phase‐transfer conditions were employed for the first time in the Thorpe reaction to synthesize 4‐amino‐1‐aryl‐3,5‐substituted‐1H‐pyrazoles 3. Aryl amines were diazotized and coupled with various active methylene compounds such as cyano acetamide, cyanoacetophenone, malononitrile, and ethyl cyanoacetate, resulting into α‐arylhydrazononitriles 1. Cyclization of 1 using α‐bromo ketones or esters resulted in compounds 3.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of (Z)‐ and (E)‐Allyl Aryl Sulfides and Selenides from Baylis?Hillman Acetates under Neutral Conditions Using β‐Cyclodextrin in Water

The first example of the stereoselective synthesis of (Z)‐ and (E)‐allyl aryl sulfides and selenides from Baylis? Hillman acetates under neutral conditions in H₂O by supramolecular catalysis involving β‐cyclodextrin is reported. β‐Cyclodextrin can be recovered and reused. The reaction is very efficient in providing allyl aryl sulfides and selenides in good‐to‐excellent yields with clean reaction profiles under mild reaction conditions.     

H2S splitting on Cu(110): Insight from combined periodic density functional theory calculations and microkinetic simulation

Practical copper (Cu)‐based catalysts for the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction was long believed to expose a large proportion of Cu(110) planes. In this work, as an important first step toward addressing sulfur poisoning of these catalysts, the detailed mechanism for the splitting of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the open Cu(110) facet has been investigated in the framework of periodic, self‐consistent density functional theory (DFT‐GGA). The microkinetic model based on the first‐principles calculations has also been developed to quantitatively evaluate the two considered decomposition routes for yielding surface atomic sulfur (S*): (1) H₂S → H₂S* → SH* → S* and (2) 2H₂S → 2H₂S* → 2SH* → S* + H₂S* → S* + H₂S. The first pathway proceeding through unimolecular SH* dissociation was identified to be feasible, whereas the second pathway involving bimolecular SH* disproportionation made no contribution to S* formation. The molecular adsorption of H₂S is the slowest elementary step of its full decomposition, being related with the large entropy term of the gas‐phase reactant under realistic reaction conditions. A comparison of thermodynamic and kinetic reactivity between the substrate and the close‐packed Cu(111) surface further shows that a loosely packed facet can promote the S* formation from H₂S on Cu, thus revealing that the reaction process is structure sensitive. The present DFT and microkinetic modeling results provide a reasonably complete picture for the chemistry of H₂S on the Cu(110) surface, which is a necessary basis for the design of new sulfur‐tolerant WGS catalysts. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Intermolecular interactions of formic acid with benzene: Energy decomposition analyses with ab initio MP2 and double‐hybrid density functional computations

The intermolecular interactions of formic acid (HCOOH) with benzene (C₆H₆) have been investigated using localized molecular orbital energy decomposition analyses (LMO‐EDA) with ab initio MP2 and several double‐hybrid density functionals. The molecular geometries of five HCOOH…C₆H₆ complexes and corresponding benchmark total interaction energies at the CCSD(T)/CBS level are taken from literature (Zhao et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2009, 5, 2726). According to the results of LMO‐EDA with the MP2 method, the dispersion energies are found to be as important as the electrostatic energies for the total interaction energies of the five HCOOH…C₆H₆ complexes. Based on LMO‐EDA with the double‐hybrid density functionals of B2PLYP, B2K‐PLYP, B2T‐PLYP, and B2GP‐PLYP computations, two new parameters for the framework of B2PLYP are extrapolated. These two new parameters are tested with other 10 complexes involving C₆H₆ (Crittenden, J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 1663), and they perform well on predicting the corresponding total interaction energies. Interestingly, these two new parameters for the framework of B2PLYP also perform well on the noncovalent complexation energies database (NCCE31/05) developed by Truhlar's group (Zhao and Truhlar, J. Phys. Chem. A 2005, 109, 5656). Therefore, these two new parameters appear to be suitable for investigating the noncovalent interactions, and they are denoted as B2N‐PLYP, where N stands for the noncovalent interaction. This study is expected to provide new insight into the derivation of double‐hybrid density functionals for studying the noncovalent interactions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Nitriles from Carboxylic Acids Without Solvent Under Microwave Irradiation

Nitriles were prepared from alkyl and aryl carboxylic acids in dry media conditions, under microwave irradiation. Heating of the carboxylic acid, urea and amidosulfonic acid adsorbed on alumina support in a microwave oven affords nitriles in 20–93% yields.     

Convenient One‐Pot Procedures for the Synthesis of 2,2′:6′,2″‐Terpyridine

One‐pot reactions to produce 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine (tpy) under mild conditions are described under both solventless and solvent‐assisted conditions. Tpy can be obtained in 32% yield in a simple one‐pot reaction, which can readily be scaled‐up to give large quantities of tpy. These new approaches are superior to those previously described because of the fast and efficient synthesis and purification of tpy.     

Preparation and Deprotection of Aldehyde Dimethylhydrazones

Aldehydes were conveniently protected as dimethylhydrazones by stirring a mixture of the aldehyde, N,N‐dimethylhydrazine, anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and dichloromethane at room temperature. Azeotropic removal of water, formed during the course of the reaction, was not required because anhydrous magnesium sulfate functions as a water scavenger. Deprotection of aldehyde dimethylhydrazones was accomplished by stirring a mixture of the aldehyde dimethylhydrazone and aqueous glyoxylic acid at room temperature. The reaction time for the preparation and deprotection of aldehyde dimethylhydrazones varied with the structure of the aldehyde.     

Safer Conditions for the Curtius Rearrangement of 1,3,5‐Benzenetricarboxylic Acid

A rapid method to prepare 1,3,5‐triaminobenzene and its derivatives is the tris‐Curtius rearrangment of 1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid. The hazards associated with the acyl azide route are minimized by using 1,2‐dichloroethane as solvent. A second method that avoids acyl azide preparation uses diphenylphosphoryl azide to yield the tricarbamate in one step.     

One‐Pot,High‐Yielding Synthesis of Novel Dihydrothiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidinones

Reaction between 6‐(un)substituted‐2‐thiouracils and E‐ethyl 4‐bromocrotonate under basic conditions at room temperature is an easy, mild, high‐yielding, and regioselective method for the preparation of 7‐(un)substituted dihydrothiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidinone derivatives.