Carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts: applications in organic transformations

The requirement of green and sustainable materials to prepare heterogeneous catalysts has intensified for practical reasons over the past few decades. Carbohydrates are possibly the most plentiful and renewable organic materials in nature with inimitable physiochemical properties, plausible low-cost and large-scale production, and sustainability features could be exploited in the generation of nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. This review article outlines the organic transformations catalyzed by diverse carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts in greener and environmentally friendly processes. Selected examples are highlighted for a variety of organic reactions exploiting the proposed catalysts’ reactivity and reusability, and interactions with the intrinsic nature of the applied carbohydrate supports; advantages and speculated challenges of the introduced catalysts are deliberated as well.     

Application of headspace solvent microextraction to the analysis of mononitrotoluenes in waste water samples

The possibility of applying headspace solvent microextraction (HSME) for determination of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in waste water samples is demonstrated. A drop of n-amyl alcohol containing naphthalene as an internal standard was suspended from the tip of a microsyringe needle over the headspace of stirred sample solutions for a predescribed extraction period. The drop was then injected directly into a gas chromatograph. Optimization of experimental parameters such as the nature of extracting solvent, microdrop and sample volumes, sampling temperature, stirring rate, ionic strength of the solution, pH and extraction time on HSME efficiency were investigated. Then enrichment factor, dynamic linear range (DLR), limit of detection (LOD) and precision of the method were evaluated by water samples spiked with MNTs. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of the mononitrotoluenes in waste waters of both P.C.I. Company and Research Center of Azad University.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-Phenylenediamine as a New Catalyst in the Highly Regioselective Conversion of Epoxides to Halohydrins with Elemental Halogens

Summary. The regioselective ring opening of epoxides using elemental iodine and bromine in the presence of o-phenylenediamine as a new catalyst affords vicinal iodo alcohols and bromo alcohols in high yields. The major advantages of this method are versatility, high regioselectivity, a cheap and commercially available catalyst, mild and neutral reaction conditions, and short reaction times. Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy was used to study the reaction of iodine with o-phenylenediamine. The results indicate that the complex [(Diamine)I]⁺·I₅^– is formed, and we suggest that the major nucleophile is the pentaiodide ion. This bulky nucleophile has a fundamental role in the high regioselectivity observed attacking the less sterically hindered epoxide carbon.     

Investigation and comparison of biological effects of regioselectively synthesized thiazole derivatives

In this study, anticancer, antibacterial (against hospital-isolated antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains), antifungal, and antioxidant effects of synthesized heterocyclic compounds 5 and 7 containing thiazole core were examined. Cytotoxicity testing was utilized against MCF-7 breast cancer cells via MTT cell viability assay. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were checked out according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines, and antioxidant properties were evaluated through scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. Results showed the viability of breast cancer cell lines was reliant on concentration of heterocycles and time of incubation. Synthetic compounds exhibited excellent antibacterial and antifungal properties base on their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values as well as high antioxidant activities according to their IC₅₀ values. Higher anticancer and antibacterial properties were observed with compound 7; on the contrary, thiazole 5 had better antioxidant effects. They can be introduced as potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer agents.     

Mechanistic insight into the hydrogenation of acetylene on the Pd2/g-C3N4 catalyst: effect of Pd clustering on the barrier energy and selectivity

Structural Chemistry - In this work, the hydrogenation of acetylene on the Pd2/g-C3N4 catalyst is investigated by the density functional theory (DFT) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules...     

Convenient and Efficient Method for the Iodination of Aromatic Amines by Pyridinium Iodochloride

A simple and efficient method for the iodination of aromatic amines using pyridinium iodochloride (PyICl) in methanol as solvent is reported. Mild reaction conditions, short reaction time, and good to excellent yields of the product are the noteworthy advantages of the method. Pyridinium iodochloride is an efficient solid iodinating reagent and can be handled safely.     

A Simple Synthesis of Stable Phosphoranes Derived from Imidazole Derivatives

Stable crystalline phosphorus ylides were obtained in excellent yields from the 1:1:1 addition reaction between triphenylphosphine and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, in the presence of strong NH-acids, such as imidazole, 2-methylimidazole, 4-methylimidazole, 2-ethylimidazole, benzimidazole, and 5,6-dimethylbezimidazole. These stable ylides exist in solution as a mixture of two geometrical isomers as a result of restricted rotation around the carbon–carbon partial double bond resulting from the conjugation of the ylide moiety with the adjacent carbonyl group.     

A Simple Synthesis of Stable Phosphorus Ylides from Indole and Some of Its Derivatives

Stable crystalline phosphorus ylides were obtained in excellent yields from the 1:1:1 addition reaction between triphenylphosphine and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates in the presence of strong NH acids, such as indole and 2-methyl indole, 3-methyl indole, and 5-boromo indole. These stable ylides exist in a solution as a mixture of two geometrical isomers as a result of the restricted rotation around the carbon–carbon partial double bond resulting from the conjugation of the ylide moiety with the adjacent carbonyl group.     

Design and fabrication of a Fourier transform spectrometer by means of thermally actuated tunable grating

In this article, the design and fabrication of a Fourier transform spectrometer, based on a thermally actuated tunable grating, are presented. Grooves of a binary grating are filled with nitrobenzene, the refractive index of which highly depends on temperature. Through the application of heat, the temperature of the nitrobenzene is changed, which in turn changes the efficiency of the grating. To measure the spectrum of a light beam, the light under inspection is first passed through the grating and the intensity of the zero order of diffraction is recorded as a function of temperature. Next, the Fourier transform of the measured data is calculated. The resolution of the spectrometer is also discussed. Finally, a micro-spectrometer that is based on a thermally actuated grating is proposed.     

Fabrication of a passive 3D mixer using CO2 laser ablation of PMMA and PDMS moldings

In this article a novel method for the fabrication of a passive 3D mixer is presented. It has been shown that in CO2 laser ablation of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), bending and straight cone structures can be fabricated by adjusting the laser scanning parameters. The effect of the bending cones in the flow direction of a fluid is discussed with computer simulation and a passive mixer based on such structures is designed. Bending and straight cones are fabricated on a PMMA substrate using CO2 laser ablation technique. The structure is molded with PDMS to make two half-channels with bending and straight cones extending out of the surface. Two PDMS structures are stacked on top of each other with a certain displacement to fabricate the mixer.