Advances in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic aerobic oxidation of isophorone to ketoisophorone

Catalytically Active SiO2 Aerogels Comprising Chelate Complexes of Palladium

A series of silica-based aerogels comprising novel bifunctional chelating ligands was prepared. To produce target aerogels, two aminosilanes, namely (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPTMS), were acylated by natural amino acids ((S)-(+)-2-phenylglycine or L-phenylalanine), followed by gelation and supercritical drying (SCD). Lithium tetrachloropalladate was used as the metal ion source to prepare strong complexes of Pd2+ with amino acids covalently bonded to a silica matrix. Aerogels bearing chelate complexes retain the Pd2+ oxidation state after supercritical drying in CO2, but the Pd ion is reduced to Pd metal after SCD in isopropanol. Depending on the structure of amino complexes, Pd-containing aerogels showed catalytic activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation reactions of C=C, C≡C and C=O bonds.

Pristine and modified chitosan as solid catalysts for catalysis and biodiesel production: A minireview

Chitosan is one of the readily available polymers with relatively high abundance, biodegradable and sustainable materials with divergent functional groups that are employed in broad range of applications. Chitosan is widely used in many fields like adsorption, drug carrier for therapeutic activity, environmental remediation, drug formulation and among others. One of the unique features of chitosan is that it can be transformed to other forms like beads, films, flakes, sponges and fibres depending upon the applications. This review is aimed at showing the potential applications of chitosan and its modified solids in organic transformations. The number of existing articles is organized based on the nature of materials and subsequently with the types of reactions. After a brief description on the structural features of chitosan, properties, characterization methods including various analytical/microscopic techniques and some of the best practices to be followed in catalysis are also discussed. The next section of this review describes the catalytic activity of native chitosan without any modifications while the subsequent sections provide the catalytic activity of chitosan derivatives, chitosan covalently modified with metal complexes/salts through linkers and chitosan as support for metal nanoparticles (NPs). These sections discuss number of organic reactions that include Knoevenagel condensation, oxidation, reduction, heterocycles synthesis, cross-coupling reactions and pollutant degradation among others. A separate section provides the catalytic applications of chitosan and its modified forms for the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) through esterification/transesterification reactions. The final section summarizes our views on the future directions of this field in the coming years.

Two catalytic systems of l-proline/Cu(ii) catalyzed allylic oxidation of olefins with tert-butyl hydroperoxide

Allylic oxidation of olefins by the two catalytic system of l-proline/Cu(ii).

Rh2(esp)2-catalyzed allylic and benzylic oxidations

The dirhodium(ii) catalyst Rh₂(esp)₂ allows direct solvent-free allylic and benzylic oxidation by T-HYDRO with a remarkably low catalyst loading.

Novel routes to Cu(salicylaldimine) covalently bound to silica: combined pulse EPR and in situ attenuated total reflection-IR studies of the immobilization

Several novel routes for the immobilization of modified Cu(salicylaldimine) complexes on commercially available silica are described. New pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance sequences, which provide more detailed information than that available previously, in combination with continuous wave EPR, allow a definitive assignment of the geometry at the copper center in the immobilized Cu(salicylaldimine). Immobilization of the modified Cu(salicylaldimine) on silica was followed in situ by monitoring the intensity of the characteristic free- and metal-coordinated imine bands as a function of time using attenuated total reflectance IR spectroscopy. On the basis of these studies, the outcome of the Schiff base condensation of Cu-bis(salicylaldehyde) with gamma-aminopropyl-modified silica gel is shown to provide immobilized trans-O(2)N(2)- and O(3)N-coordinated immobilized Cu(salicylaldimine)-type compounds. In addition, trans-O(2)N(2)- or O(3)N-coordinated copper centers are selectively prepared on silica by controlling the aminopropyl modifier loading, thus opening a route to compounds not available by conventional synthesis. The O(3)N-coordinated Cu(salicylaldimine)-type compound on silica was investigated as a precursor for the synthesis of a tethered chiral Cu(salicylaldimine) via reaction of the coordinated carbonyl group with (R)-(+)-alpha-methylbenzylamine. Supported Cu(salicylaldimine) was also prepared via the immobilization of the appropriate silylethoxy-modified homogeneous precursor on silica gel. Precursors and silica-supported Cu(salicylaldimine) materials have been fully characterized. Comparisons are drawn with related Cu(salicylaldimine) immobilized in silica aerogels.