3 Methods and Materials Applied in Electrosynthesis

This chapter is intended as a tutorial for the organic chemist and to serve as an introductory guide to the technical and methodological aspects of electrosynthesis. The most important reaction parameters, methods, and materials are covered both from a practical point of view and in their physicochemical context.

Mini-Review of the Importance of Hydrazides and Their Derivatives—Synthesis and Biological Activity

Organic acid hydrazides include a vast group of organic derivatives of hydrazines containing the active functional group (-C(=O)NHNH2). Acid hydrazones were important bidentate ligands and show keto-enol (amido-iminol) tautomerism. They usually exist in keto form in the solid-state while in equilibrium between keto and enol forms in solution state. Such hydrazones were synthesized in the laboratory by heating substituted hydrazides or hydrazines with corresponding aldehydes or ketones in different organic solvents such as ethanol, methanol, butanol, tetrahydrofuran, etc., and some cases with the ethanol-glacial acetic acid or acetic acid alone. Hydrozones are very important intermediates for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds and also have different biological activities. The organic chemist would have more interest in the synthesis of acid hydrazides and their derivatives because of their properties. These derivatives having wide applications as chemical preservers for plants, drugs, for manufacturing polymers, glues, etc., in industry and many other purposes. These acid hydrazides and their derivatives were found to be useful synthons for various heterocyclic five, six or seven-membered rings with one or more heteroatoms that were exhibited great biological, pharmacological and industrial applications. This paper will present a review of the chemistry and pharmacological potentials of hydrazide-hydrazones. The various synthetic routes for hydrazone, as well as antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral potentials, have been elaborated in brief.

Hermann Staudinger – Organic chemist and pioneer of macromolecules

To commemorate the centenary of the birth of modern polymer science, a review of the life and accomplishments of Hermann Staudinger is given within the framework of the first half of the twentieth century. Staudinger is remembered for his discovery of ketenes and the Staudinger reaction, but his greatest contribution to chemistry was in developing the concept of macromolecules, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1953.

Basil Lythgoe. 18 August 1913—18 April 2009

Basil Lythgoe was distinguished as an organic chemist. He began his career at the University of Manchester, where he had studied for his undergraduate and PhD degrees, before moving to University of Cambridge. During this period he collaborated with Alexander Todd on the structural elucidation and total synthesis of the natural nucleosides, and was also noted for his investigation of the structure of the natural substance macrozamin. In 1953 he moved to the chair of organic chemistry at the University of Leeds, running a research group from which several graduate students went on to academic careers of the highest distinction. At Leeds he worked on the structure of the alkaloid taxine 1 and calciferol, among other natural substances. Lythgoe's work was characterized by a combination of insight and high experimental skill.

An outstanding organic chemist and organizer of science in the Donetsk region (to the 100th anniversary of Academician LM. Lytvynenko)

January 12 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of a prominent Ukrainian scientist in the field of physical and organic chemistry, a talented organizer of science, winner of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology (1993, posthumously), winner of the L.V. Pisarzhevsky Prize of the NAS of Ukraine (1969), the organizers and first rector (1965-1968) of the Donetsk National University, one of the founders and first chairman (1971–1978) of the Donetsk Scientific Center, founder and director (1975-1983) of the Litvinenko Institute of Physical Organic and Coal Chemistry of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Chemical Sciences (1961), Professor (1962), Academician of the NAS of Ukraine (1965) Leonid M. Lytvynenko.

John (Jake) Macmillan. 13 September 1924—12 May 2014

Jake MacMillan, although by training and personal acclamation ‘first and foremost an organic chemist’, was one of the UK's most brilliant interdisciplinary scientists. A pioneer in the field of bioorganic chemistry, he was practising what we would now call synthetic biology 40 years before the term was coined. A young PhD student or post-doctoral research associate joining his group would mix with chemists, plant physiologists, fungal geneticists and enzymologists as well as being exposed to internationally leading natural product chemistry, advanced organic synthesis, mechanistic studies and state-of-the-art analytical methods, including emerging techniques such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. His multidisciplinary approach to tackling major problems at the chemistry–biology interface was undoubtedly influenced by his early research career working in the famed Butterfield (later Akers) Laboratory set up by ICI as a basic research establishment in the grounds of a Victorian house, The Frythe. There, he isolated and elucidated the structure of the important antifungal agent griseofulvin, before initiating his life-long interest in the gibberellins. These diterpenoid natural products were originally isolated as phytotoxic fungal metabolites, before their role as essential plant-growth regulators present in all higher plants was established. He moved to Bristol in 1963 to commence an academic career as a lecturer at the relatively advanced age of 39. He became the world authority on the chemistry, biosynthesis and biology of the gibberellins, rising through the academic ranks to be awarded a personal chair in 1978.

Organocatalysed Synthesis of Selenium Containing Scaffolds

: The synthesis of organoselenium compounds continues to be a very active research area, due to their distinct chemical, physical and biological properties. Selenium-based methods have developed rapidly over the past few years and organoselenium chemistry has become a very powerful tool in the hands of organic chemist. This review describes the synthesis of organocatalysed bioactive selenium scaffolds especially including transition metal-catalysed diaryl selenide synthesis, Cu-catalysed selenium scaffolds, Pd-catalysed selenium scaffolds, asymmetric catalysis, Nickel catalysed selenium scaffolds and Rh-catalysed selenium scaffolds.

Rapid Assembly of Molecular Complexity from Simple Enamides

The efficient assembly of structurally complex molecules containing multiple continuous stereogenic centers still constitutes a tremendous challenge for any synthetic organic chemist. In this article, we briefly summarize our recent advances in the utilization of enamides as versatile building blocks for the rapid and highly stereoselective construction of different molecular scaffolds containing up to five continuous stereocenters.

Organo or Metal Complex Catalyzed Synthesis of Five-membered Oxygen Heterocycles

: The reactions involving the formation of C-O bond using metal as a catalyst have emerged to be one of the most influential reactions for the synthesis of heterocycles in modern organic chemistry. Catalysis by metals offers diverse opportunities to invent new organic reactions with a promising range of selectivities such as chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity. The methodologies used earlier for synthesis were less approachable to the organic chemist because of their high cost, highly specified instrumentation and inconvenient methods. For both stereoselective and regioselective formation of five-membered O-containing heterocycles, cyclic reactions that are metal and non-metal-catalyzed have known to be very efficient. The present review article covers the applications of metal and non-metal as a catalyst for the synthesis of five-membered O-containing heterocycles.