A Development Strategy of Tailor-made Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Enhanced Extraction of Hydroxynaphthoquinones from Alkanna tinctoria Roots

Natural hydroxynaphthoquinone enantiomers (HNQs) are well-described pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical agents especially present in the roots of Alkanna tinctoria (L.) Tausch, a species native to the Mediterranean region. In this work, eco-friendly natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDESs) were developed for the selective extraction of these compounds. An extensive screening was performed using more than sixty tailor-made NaDESs. The impact of the intrinsic physicochemical properties on the HNQs extraction efficiency as well as the specificity towards the different enantiomeric pairs was thoroughly investigated. As a result of a multivariate analysis and of the one factor-a-time solvent optimization, the eutectic mixture composed of levulinic acid and glucose (LeG) using a molar ratio of 5:1 (molHBA:molHBD) and 20% of water (w/w) was found as the most appropriate mixture for the highest extraction efficiency of HNQs. Further optimization of the extraction process was attained by response surface methodology, using a temperature of 45 °C, a solid-to-liquid ratio of 30 mg/mL, and an extraction time of 50 min. A maximum extraction output of 41.72 ± 1.04 mg/g was reached for HNQs, comparable to that of the commonly used organic solvents. A solid-phase extraction step was also proposed for the recovery of HNQs and for NaDESs recycling. Our results revealed NaDESs as a highly customizable class of green solvents with remarkable capabilities for the extraction of HNQs.

MgAl2O4 spinel-type as highly efficient catalyst for one-pot synthesis of 4H-pyrans

Background: Pyran is an heterocyclic oxygen-containing compound that displays a wide range of therapeutic activities. Additionally, pyran is also one of the important structural subunits widely found in pharmaceuticals products. This makes it a recent focus for researchers from the industry and academic institutions. Herein, we reported an efficient and environmentally friendly one-pot strategy for the synthesis of bioactive 4H-pyran compounds via a multicomponent reaction of ethyl acetoacetate, malononitrile and substituted aromatic aldehydes in the presence of the heterogeneous spinel catalyst ( MgAl2O4 ) under mild conditions (room temperature and green solvents). The MgAl2O4 nanocatalyst was prepared from Mg/Al-LDH with a molar ratio 3 of Mg2+/Al3+ by heat treatment at 800°C. The samples were studied by a various characterization techniques such as XRD, TG-dTG, FT-IR and N2 adsorption-desorption. Good to excellent yields and facile separation of the catalyst from the reaction mixture are two of the most appealing features of this approach. Thus, bioactive molecules with pyran units may have fascinating biological properties. An efficient and green strategy for the one-pot synthesis of bioactive 4H-pyran compounds has been described. The pyrans heterocycles were produced by multicomponent reaction of ethyl acetoacetate, malononirile and substituted aromatic aldehydes in the presence of MgAl2O4 spinel nanocatalyst under mild conditions (room temperature and green solvents). MgAl2O4 nanocatalytst was prepared from Mg/Al-LDH with a molar ratio 3 of Mg2+/Al3+ by thermal treatment at 800°C. The samples were investigated by various characterization techniques such as XRD, TG-dTG, FT-IR and N2 adsorption-desorption. The following are the appealing qualities of this unique strategy including good to exceptional yields, and ease of separation of catalyst from the reaction mixture. Thus, the obtained bioactive compounds containing pyrans motif can be exhibiting interested biological activities. Methods: The substituted 4H-pyran compounds were carried out by condensation reaction of substituted aromatic aldehydes, ethyl ethyl acetoacetate and malononirile by using MgAl2O4 nanocatalyst under sustainable conditions. Objective: To develop an efficient methodology for synthesis of 4H-pyran heterocyclic molecules may have interesting applications in biology using a heterogeneous and easily synthesized catalyst. Results: This procedure outlines the synthesis of bioactive compounds in good yields and with ease of catalyst extraction from the reaction mixture under sustainable reaction conditions. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is important to reiterate that a spinel nanostucture has been successfully prepared and fully characterized using different physicochemical analysis methods. The catalytic activity of this heterogeneous catalyst was examined through the one-pot condensation of aryl benzaldehyde, malononitrile and ethyl acetoacetate. Therefore, we have developed a green method for the preparation of 4H-pyrans derivatives using MgAl2O4 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst. The reactions were performed under green conditions, which have many benefits such as undergoing a simple procedure, good to excellent yields and easy to separate the catalyst.

Copper(II)-Bis-Cyclen Intercalated Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Two-Dimensional Nanocomposite Material for Copper-Catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction

We report stable and heterogeneous graphene oxide (GO)–intercalated copper as an efficient catalyst for the organic transformations in green solvents. The GO-intercalated copper(II) complex of bis(1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) [Cu(II)-bis-cyclen] was prepared by a facile synthetic approach with a high dilution technique. The as-prepared GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite was used as a click catalyst for the 1,3 dipolar Huisgen cycloaddition reaction of terminal alkyne and azide substrates. On directing a great deal of attention toward the feasibility of the rapid electron transfer rate of the catalyst in proliferating the yield of 1,2,3-triazole products, the click catalyst GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite was designed and synthesized via non-covalent functionalization. The presence of a higher coordination site in an efficient 2D nanocomposite promotes the stabilization of Cu(I) L-acetylide intermediate during the catalytic cycle initiated by the addition of reductants. From the XRD analysis, the enhancement in the d-interlayer spacing of 1.04 nm was observed due to the intercalation of the Cu(II)-bis-cyclen complex in between the GO basal planes. It was also characterized by XPS, FT-IR, RAMAN, UV, SEM, AFM, and TGA techniques. The recyclability of the heterogeneous catalyst [GO-Cu(II)-cyclen] with the solvent effect has also been studied. This class of GO-Cu(II)-bis-cyclen nanocomposite paves the way for bioconjugation of macromolecules through the click chemistry approach.

Eucalyptol, an All-Purpose Product

Eucalyptus plants have attracted the attention of researchers and environmentalists worldwide because they are a rapidly growing source of wood and a source of oil used for multiple purposes. The main and the most important oil component is 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol: 60%–85%). This review summarizes the literature reported to date involving the use of 1,8-cineole for the treatment of disorders. Additionally, we describe our efforts in the use of eucalyptol as a solvent for the synthesis of O,S,N-heterocycles. Solvents used in chemistry are a fundamental element of the environmental performance of processes in corporate and academic laboratories. Their influence on costs, safety and health cannot be neglected. Green solvents such as bio-based systems hold considerable additional promise to reduce the environmental impact of organic chemistry. The first section outlines the process leading to our discovery of an unprecedented solvent and its validation in the first coupling reactions. This section continues with the description of its properties and characteristics and its reuse as reported in the various studies conducted. The second section highlights the use of eucalyptol in a series of coupling reactions (i.e., Suzuki–Miyaura, Sonogashira–Hagihara, Buchwald–Hartwig, Migita–Kosugi–Stille, Hiyama and cyanation) that form O,S,N-heterocycles. We describe the optimization process applied to reach the ideal conditions. We also show that eucalyptol can be a good alternative to build heterocycles that contain oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen. These studies allowed us to demonstrate the viability and potential that bio solvents can have in synthesis laboratories.