Application of Raw and Chemically Modified Biomasses for Heterogeneous Cu-Catalysed Conversion of Aryl boronic Acids to Phenols Derivatives

This work describes the application of raw and chemically modified cellulose and sugarcane bagasse for ipso-hydroxylation of aryl boronic acids in environmentally friendly reaction conditions. The catalytic efficiency of five support-[Cu] materials was compared in forming phenols from aryl boronic acids. Our investigation highlights that the CEDA-[Cu] material (6-deoxy-6-aminoethyleneamino cellulose loaded with Cu) leads to the best results under very mild reaction conditions. The optimized catalytic sequence, allowing a facile transformation of boronic acids to phenols, required the mandatory and joint presence of the support, Cu2O, and KOH at room temperature. CEDA-[Cu] was characterized using 13C solid-state NMR, ICP, and FTIR. The use of CEDA-[Cu] accounts for the efficacious synthesis of variously substituted phenol derivatives and presents very good recyclability after five catalytic cycles.

Polymer Supported Proline-Based Organocatalysts in Asymmetric Aldol Reactions: A Review

The use of proline-based organocatalysts has acquired significant importance in organic synthesis, especially in enantioselective synthesis. Proline and its derivatives are proven to be quite effective chiral organocatalysts for a variety of transformations including the aldol reaction, which is considered as one of the important C-C bond forming reactions in organic synthesis. The use of chiral organocatalysts has several advantages over its metal-mediated analogues. Subsequently, a large number of highly efficient proline-based organocatalysts including polymer-supported chiral analogues have been identified for aldol reaction. The use of polymer-supported organocatalysts exhibited remarkable stability under the reaction conditions and offered the best results particularly in terms of its recyclability and reusability. These potential benefits along with its economic and green chemistry advantages have led to the search for many polymer-supported proline catalysts. In this review, recent developments in exploring various polymer immobilized proline-based chiral organocatalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions are described.

Synthesis of porous γ-Fe2O3 from scorodite synthesized using ultrasound irradiation and evaluation of its battery performance

The effect of 200 kHz ultrasound on scorodite synthesis at 70 °C and 3 h reaction conditions was investigated using sulfuric acidic solutions of various pH (3.0, 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, and 0.0). In contrast to the case of only O2 gas flow without ultrasound irradiation, oxidizing radicals generated by ultrasound irradiation promote Fe(II) oxidation in solution and precursor, allowing scorodite to synthesize with high crystallinity (>99%), which relates to low solubility, even in strong acid solution at pH 1.0. During synthesis, particle shape was changed to polyhedral or spindle type depending on the pH of 0.0 to 3.0. The spindle-shaped scorodite was probably formed by the decrease of precursor amount produced in initial stage of the synthesis. Furthermore, porous maghemite obtained by alkali treatment of scorodite showed initial discharge capacities of 146 mAh/g (polyhedron) and 167 mAh/g (spindle), indicating that its potential use as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Characterization and Parametric Study on Mechanical Properties Enhancement in Biodegradable Chitosan-Reinforced Starch-Based Bioplastic Film

Bioplastic has been perceived as a promising candidate to replace petroleum-based plastics due to its environment-friendly and biodegradable characteristics. This study presents the chitosan-reinforced, starch-based bioplastic film prepared by the solution casting and evaporation method. The effects of processing parameters, i.e., starch concentration, glycerol loading, process temperature and chitosan loading on mechanical properties were examined. Optimum tensile strength of 5.19 MPa and elongation at break of 44.6% were obtained under the combined reaction conditions of 5 wt.% starch concentration, 40 wt.% glycerol loading, 20 wt.% chitosan loading and at a process temperature of 70 °C. From the artificial neural network (ANN) modeling, the coefficient of determination (R2) for tensile strength and elongation at break were found to be 0.9955 and 0.9859, respectively, which proved the model had good fit with the experimental data. Interaction and miscibility between starch and chitosan were proven through the peaks shifting to a lower wavenumber in FTIR and a reduction of crystallinity in XRD. TGA results suggested the chitosan-reinforced starch-based bioplastic possessed reasonable thermal stability under 290 °C. Enhancement in water resistance of chitosan-incorporated starch-based bioplastic film was evidenced with a water uptake of 251% as compared to a 302% registered by the pure starch-based bioplastic film. In addition, the fact that the chitosan-reinforced starch-based bioplastic film degraded to 52.1% of its initial weight after 28 days suggests it is a more sustainable alternative than the petroleum-based plastics.

A combined experimental and theoretical study on the reactivity of nitrenes and nitrene radical anions

Nitrene transfer reactions represent one of the key reactions to rapidly construct new carbon-nitrogen bonds and typically require transition metal catalysts to control the reactivity of the pivotal nitrene intermediate. Herein, we report on the application of iminoiodinanes in amination reactions under visible light photochemical conditions. While a triplet nitrene can be accessed under catalyst-free conditions, the use of a suitable photosensitizer allows the access of a nitrene radical anion. Computational and mechanistic studies rationalize the access and reactivity of triplet nitrene and nitrene radical anion and allow the direct comparison of both amination reagents. We conclude with applications of both reagents in organic synthesis and showcase their reactivity in the reaction with olefins, which underline their markedly distinct reactivity. Both reagents can be accessed under mild reaction conditions at room temperature without the necessity to exclude moisture or air, which renders these metal-free, photochemical amination reactions highly practical.

Direct Diels-Alder reaction of chitin derived 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran

The Diels-Alder (DA) reaction of biomass derived furans is an emerging technology for the preparation of new molecular entities and “drop-in” commodity chemicals. In this work we address the challenge of the direct use of electron-poor furanic platforms as dienes through the use of an unexplored chitin derived furan, 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran (3A5AF). The 3-acetamido group promoted a remarkable increase in the kinetics of the DA allowing for the preparation of 7-oxanorbornenes (7-ONB) at 50 ºC. Partial hydrolysis of the enamide to hemi-acylaminals was possible upon fine tuning of the reaction conditions, disabling retro-DA processes. Finally, DA reaction of the reduced form of 3A5AF allowed quantitative formation of 7-ONB in aqueous condition after 10 minutes. Certanly these are the first steps for expanding the toolbox of chitin derived 3A5AF as diene.