Strongly proton exchanged montmorillonite K10 (H+-Mont) as a solid acid catalyst for highly efficient and environmental benign synthesis of biscoumarins via tandem Knoevenagel–Michael reaction

Synthesis of alkyl levulinates via the esterification of levulinic acid and transesterification of methyl levulinate with alkyl alcohols over montmorillonite K10

Alkyl levulinates are bio-based chemicals with great potential for application in the fields of energy and fine chemical synthesis. They are synthesized via the esterification of levulinic acid with the corresponding alkyl alcohols over Brønsted acid catalysts. Here, three types of commercially available, low-cost, and environmentally friendly layered clay minerals (montmorillonite K10, halloysite, and kaolinite) were applied to the esterification of levulinic acid with ethanol as heterogeneous Brønsted acid catalysts. This is because of their surface hydroxyl groups, which can function as Brønsted acid sites. The catalytic activity followed the order of montmorillonite K10 ≫ halloysite ≈ kaolinite ≈ blank (no catalyst). This was most likely attributable to the difference in the thickness of a layer with one interlayer space. The most effective clay mineral, montmorillonite K10, was used to synthesize the target product (ethyl levulinate) at an excellent yield of 96.5% under optimized reaction conditions (N2 pressure, 0.6 MPa; temperature, 443 K; time, 3.75 h). The clay mineral was observed to be reusable at least thrice for the esterification reaction without any significant decrease in its catalytic activity. Furthermore, it could be used to synthesize various alkyl levulinates in excellent yields by varying the selection of alkyl alcohols used. In addition, it was applied to the transesterification of methyl levulinate with various alkyl alcohols, producing the corresponding alkyl levulinates in extremely good yields. This study provides an environmentally friendly, economical, and effective route to biomass utilization.

Montmorillonite K10 Clay Catalyzed Synthesis of Novel β-Aminocarbonyl Compounds and Their Biological Evaluation

An efficient and reusable green catalyst for the synthesis of β-aminocarbonyl compounds has been developed. In this new and greener approach, β-aminocarbonyl compounds (1a-1r) were obtained by Montmorillonite K10 clay catalyzed reaction of aryl amines, aliphatic/aromatic aldehydes and β-ketoesters. Molecular docking investigations were performed for all compounds (1a-1r) with the proteins PDB ID: 1JIJ and 1KZN for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. For all compounds good to strong interactions with the active sites were observed. The biological activities of β-aminocarbonyl compounds were further assessed for their antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The results confirmed that β-aminocarbonyl compounds could be further developed into new drugs with potent antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

Electrically conductive biocompatible composite aerogel based on nanofibrillated template of bacterial cellulose/polyaniline/nano-clay

Bacterial cellulose (BC) aerogel owing to its porous and 3D structure, poses a suitable matrix for embedding nanomaterials and polymers. Herein, BC composites comprising nano-clay/polyaniline (PANI) were synthesized via a two-step procedure. Clay nanoplatelets were dispersed in the BC membrane to form a nanofibrillated template for aniline in-situ polymerization leading to formation of a double interconnected network of electrically conductive path within the aerogel. Deposition of PANI particles on BC/clay nanocomposite was confirmed by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and EDX techniques. The surface electrical conductivity of 0.49 S/cm was obtained for the composite aerogel comprising 5 wt% nano-clay which is 16 folds higher than that of the sample without nano-clay. Thermal stability and storage modulus of the aerogels was improved by inclusion of PANI and nano-clay. Synergistic effect of clay and polyaniline on biocompatibility and cell adhesion was obtained with no mutagenic or carcinogenic effects. The developed electrically conductive composite aerogels can be utilized as suitable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications demanding a good balance of flexibility, dimensional and thermal stability and biocompatibility.

Immobilized copper-layered nickel ferrite on acid-activated montmorillonite, [(NiFe2O4@Cu)(H+-Mont)], as a superior magnetic nanocatalyst for the green synthesis of xanthene derivatives

In this study, the immobilization of copper-layered nickel ferrite on the surface and in the cavities of acid-activated montmorillonite (H⁺-Mont) was investigated. In this context, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of NiFe₂O₄ as the prime magnetic cores were prepared. Next, through the reduction of Cu²⁺ ions with sodium borohydride, the nanoparticles of Cu⁰ were immobilized on the nanocore-surface of NiFe₂O₄, and the constituent NiFe₂O₄@Cu MNPs were obtained. Moreover, through the activation of montmorillonite K10 (Mont K10) with HCl (4 M) under controlled conditions, the H⁺-Mont constituent was prepared. The nanostructured NiFe₂O₄@Cu was then intercalated within the interlayers and on the external surface of the H⁺-Mont constituent to afford the novel magnetic nanocomposite (NiFe₂O₄@Cu)(H⁺-Mont). The prepared clay nanocomposite was characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, XRD, VSM and BET analyses. The obtained results showed that through acid-activation, the stacked-sheet structure of Mont K10 was exfoliated to tiny segments, leading to a significant increase in the surface area and total pore volume of the H⁺-Mont constituent as compared to those of montmorillonite alone. SEM analysis also exhibited that the dispersion of NiFe₂O₄@Cu MNPs in the interlayers and on the external surface of acid-activated montmorillonite was carried out successfully, and the nanoparticle sizes were distributed in the range of 15–25 nm. The BET surface analysis also indicated that through the immobilization of NiFe₂O₄@Cu MNPs, the surface area and total pore volume of the H⁺-Mont system were decreased. The catalytic activity of (NiFe₂O₄@Cu)(H⁺-Mont) was further studied towards the synthesis of substituted 13-aryl-5H-dibenzo[b,i]xanthene-5,7,12,14(13H) tetraones 3(a–k) and 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-9-aryl-3,4,5,6,7,9-hexahydro-1H-xanthene-1,8(2H) diones 5(a–k)via the pseudo-one-pot three-component cyclocondensation of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (Lawsone)/dimedone and aromatic aldehydes in a mixture of H₂O–EtOH (1 : 1 mL) as a green solvent at 80–90 °C. The (NiFe₂O₄@Cu)(H⁺-Mont) MNPs can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by an external magnetic field and reused for seven consecutive cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity.

In this study, the catalytic activity of the prepared (NiFe₂O₄@Cu)(H⁺-Mont) MNPs was studied towards the synthesis of dibenzo[b,i]xanthene tetraones 3(a–k) and hexahydroxanthene diones 5(a–k).