Application of Heterogeneous Catalysts in the First Steps of the Oseltamivir Synthesis

The first steps of oseltamivir synthesis from quinic acid involve acetalization and ester formation. These reactions are catalyzed by either acids or bases, which may be accomplished by heterogeneous catalysts. Sulfonic solids are efficient acid catalysts for acetalization and esterification reactions. Supported tetraalkylammonium hydroxide or 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene are also efficient base catalysts for lactone alcoholysis and in this work, these catalysts have been applied in two alternative synthetic routes that lead to oseltamivir. The classical route consists of an acetalization, followed by a lactonization, and then a lactone alcoholysis. This achieves a 66% isolated yield. The alternative route consists of esterification followed by acetalization and is only efficient when an acetone acetal is used.

Solvent-free conversion of glycerol to solketal catalysed by activated carbons functionalised with acid groups

Functionalised activated carbons are highly active catalysts for the synthesis of solketal from glycerol under mild and solvent-free conditions.

Organic-inorganic hybrid supermicroporous iron(III) phosphonate nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of biofuels

Here we report a novel family of crystalline, supermicroporous iron(III) phosphonate nanomaterials (HFeP-1-3, HFeP-1-2, and HFeP-1-4) with different Fe(III)-to-organophosphonate ligand mole ratios. The materials were synthesized by using a hydrothermal reaction between benzene-1,3,5-triphosphonic acid and iron(III) chloride under acidic conditions (pH ≈ 4.0). Powder X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) image analysis, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and FTIR spectroscopic tools were used to characterize the materials. The triclinic crystal phase [P1(2) space group] of the hybrid iron phosphonate was established by a Rietveld refinement of the PXRD analysis of HFeP-1-3 by using the MAUD program. The unit cell parameters are a = 8.749(1), b = 8.578(1), c = 17.725(3) Å; α = 104.47(3), β = 97.64(1), γ = 113.56(3)°; and V = 1013.41 Å(3). With these crystal parameters, we proposed an 24-membered-ring open framework structure for HFeP-1. Compound HFeP-1-3, with an starting Fe/ligand molar ratio of 3.0, shows the highest Brunauer-Emmett-Telller (BET) surface area of 556 m(2) g(-1) and uniform supermicropores of approximately 1.1 nm. The acidic surface of the porous iron(III) phosphonate nanoparticles was used in a highly efficient and recyclable catalytic transesterification reaction for the synthesis of biofuels under mild reaction conditions.