Catalytic Advantages of SO3H-Modified UiO-66(Zr) Materials Obtained via Microwave Synthesis in Friedel-Crafts Acylation Reaction

The catalytic activity and stability of sulfonic-based UiO-66(Zr) materials were tested in the Friedel-Crafts acylation of anisole with acetic anhydride. The materials were prepared using microwave-assisted synthesis, producing microporous materials with remarkable crystallinity and physicochemical features as acid catalysts. Different ratios between both organic ligands, terephthalic acid (H2BDC) and monosodium 2-sulfoterephthalic acid (H2BDC-SO3Na), were used for the synthesis to modulate the sulfonic content. The sulfonic-based UiO-66(Zr) material synthesized with a H2BDC/H2BDC-SO3Na molar ratio of 40/60 exhibited the best catalytic performance in the acidic-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction. This ratio balanced the number of sulfonic acid sites and their accessibility within the UiO-66 microporous structure. The catalytic performance of this material increased remarkably at 200 °C, outperforming reference acids and commercial heterogeneous catalysts such as Nafion-SAC-13 and Amberlyst-70. Additionally, the best sulfonic-based UiO-66(Zr) material proved to be stable in four successive reaction cycles, maintaining both its catalytic activity and its structural integrity.

Combination of deep eutectic solvent and functionalized metal-organic frameworks as a green process for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural from sugars

Biomass is an abundant and sustainable resource that can be converted into energy and chemicals. Therefore, the development of efficient methods for the conversion of biomass into platform intermediates is crucial. In this study, the one-pot conversion of sugars into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural was achieved using the metal-organic framework combined with metal ions [MIL-101(Cr)] as a high-activity catalyst, and a deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride and lactic acid) as a green solvent. The optimal temperature, time, amount of catalyst used, and amount of deep eutectic solvent used were all determined. The highest HMF yield of 49.74% and furfural yield of 55.90% were obtained. The recyclability of the catalysts and deep eutectic solvent was also investigated. After three reaction runs, the HMF yield was still nearly 30.00%. Finally, the MIL-101(Cr) catalytic system was selected to study the kinetic mechanism underlying the conversion of glucose into HMF.

Rapid synthesis of cerium-UiO-66 MOF nanoparticles for photocatalytic dye degradation

An unprecedented synthesis method is used to form a series of Ce-UiO-66-X (X = NH2, OH, H, NO2, COOH) metal-organic frameworks by precipitation from mixed solvents, with instantaneous crystallisation on combining separate solutions of ligands and metal precursors. This allows the first direct synthesis of Ce-UiO-66-OH. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) shows that all materials are pure phase with a broadened profile that indicates nano-scale crystallite domain size. The effect of different functional groups on the benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate linker within the UiO-66 structure has been investigated on degradation of two cationic (methylene blue and rhodamine B) and two anionic (Congo red, and Alizarin red S) dyes under UV and visible light irradiation at room temperature. Analysis of the dye adsorption in the absence of light is accounted for using pseudo-first order kinetics, and the Ce-UiO-66-NH2, Ce-UiO-66-OH, and Ce-UiO-66-H materials display a considerable photocatalytic activity to degrade Alizarin red S and Congo red rapidly between 1 and 3 minutes. The materials show excellent photostability and recyclability under UV and visible light, with no loss of crystallinity seen by PXRD and activity maintained over 5 cycles, with 16 hours photostability for Ce-UiO-66-NH2.

An overview of quinoxaline synthesis by green methods: recent reports

Quinoxalines and their derivatives belong to an important class of bicyclic aromatic heterocyclic system, also known as benzopyrazines, containing a benzene ring and a pyrazine ring. They have attracted considerable attention over the years due to their potential biological and pharmaceutical properties. A wide range of synthetic strategies is reported in this significant area of research. The present review showcases recent research advances in the synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives following environmentally benign approaches.

Natural vs. Synthetic Phosphate as Efficient Heterogeneous Compounds for Synthesis of Quinoxalines

Natural phosphate (NP) and synthetic fluorapatite phosphate (SFAP) were proposed as stable, inexpensive, readily available and recyclable catalysts for the condensation of 1,2-diamines with 1,2-dicarbonyls in methanol to afford quinoxaline at room temperature. NP provided as high as 92-99% yield for quinoxalines in short reaction times (i.e., 1-45 min), while SFAP created quinoxalines with 87-97% yield in 60-120 min. From the chemical analyses, X-ray fluoresecency, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy methods, two main phases (CaO, P2O5) appeared in NP together with other low content phases (SiO2, Fe2O3). Compared to other phases, apatite (CaO and P2O5 as Ca10(PO4)6) played a major role in the catalytic activity of NP. SFAP with similar Ca/P atomic ratio showed a relatively lower catalytic activity than NP for the condensation of 1,2-diamine with 1,2-dicarbonyl in methanol at ambient temperature. To investigate the recyclability of catalysts, the surface properties of NP and 6-recycled NP were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda methods. Some differences were observed in NP and 6-recycled NP's particle size, surface area, the volume and size of pores, and the content of elements; nevertheless, the use-reuse process did not noticeably change the catalytic property of NP.

Synthesis of dihydropyrimidinones via multicomponent reaction route over acid functionalized Metal-Organic framework catalysts

Multi component reactions over heterogeneous solid acid catalysts are extremely important owing to easy separation, amenable recycling, and prospective scaling up of the process. Here, we are reporting the synthesis of biologically important dihydropyrimidinones over postsynthetic modified Cr-based metal-organic framework materials as heterogeneous catalysts containing the bifunctional Lewis and Brønsted acid sites. Cr-based metal-organic frameworks contained coordinatively unsaturated metal sites as inherent Lewis acid sites, whereas postsynthetic modifications introduced the Brønsted acid sites in the framework. A direct one pot synthesis route was employed to produce the pristine MOF in pure aqueous medium without using any additives. The bulk structure, morphology, surface and bonding properties of the synthesized materials were thoroughly characterized with powder XRD, FTIR, XPS, FE-SEM, TGA, and N₂ sorption isotherms. A qualitative evolution of acid strength was carried out over the functionalized MOFs. Among the post synthetic functionalized materials, carboxylic acid functionalized framework exhibited a very high yield of dihydropyrimidinones under solvent less moderate reaction conditions. The catalyst also demonstrated a robust recyclability and wide substrate scope. Comparative study showed a very high catalytic activity of the postsynthetic modified MOFs in comparison to the reported literature. The reaction condition was optimized by varying parameters like solvent, temperature, reaction duration and catalyst loadings. The mechanistic studies indicated the involvement of both the Lewis and Brønsted sites acid sites of the catalysts in the multicomponent reaction.

Ag-exchanged mesoporous chromium terephthalate with sulfonate for removing radioactive methyl iodide at extremely low concentrations in humid environments

The development of efficient adsorbents to remove radioactive methyl iodide (CH₃I) in humid environments is crucial for air purification after pollution by nuclear power plant waste. In this work, we successfully prepared a post-synthetic covalent modified MIL-101 with a sulfonate group followed by the ion-exchange of Ag (I), which is well characterized by diffuse reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the hydrophobic index (HI). After modification of the MOFs, we applied functionalized MIL-101 obtained by either one-pot synthesis (MIL-101-SO₃Ag) or a post-synthetic modification process (MIL-101-RSO₃Ag, R = NH(CH₂)₃) to remove the CH₃I at an extremely low concentration (0.31 ppm) in an environment with very high relative humidity (RH 95%). Enhanced hydrophobicity of the surface-modified MIL-101 was evaluated by examining the HI with the competitive adsorption of water and cyclohexane vapor, with a high surface area maintained, as confirmed by Ar physisorption. Interestingly, the post-synthetically modified MIL-101-RSO₃Ag showed exceptional adsorption performance as determined by its decontamination factor (DF = 195,350) at 303 K and RH 95%. This performance was in comparison to Ag (I)-exchanged 13X zeolite and MIL-101-SO₃Ag, which include much higher amounts of Ag. Furthermore, MIL-101-RSO₃Ag retained ~94-100% of its fresh adsorbent performance during five cycle repetitions.

MIL-101-SO3H metal–organic framework as a Brønsted acid catalyst in Hantzsch reaction: an efficient and sustainable methodology for one-pot synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine

A straightforward and efficient methodology for the synthesis of the medicinally important 1,4-dihydropyridines has been demonstrated using MIL-101-SO₃H metal–organic framework as a sustainable Brønsted acid catalyst.

Tandem catalysis by ultrathin metal-organic nanosheets formed through post-synthetic functionalisation of a layered framework

Covalent post-synthetic functionalisation of layered metal-organic frameworks is demonstrated as a new approach to forming ultrathin nanosheets for use in catalysis. An aminoterephthalate framework was partially functionalised with sulfonate chains and exfoliated to form predominantly monolayer nanosheets able to catalyse a two-step acid-base reaction in one pot.

Double role of metalloporphyrins in catalytic bioinspired supramolecular metal-organic frameworks (SMOFs)

Heterogeneous catalysts are of great interest in many industrial processes for environmental reasons and, during recent years, a great effort has been devoted to obtain metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with improved catalytic behaviour. Few supramolecular metal-organic frameworks (SMOFs) are stable under ambient conditions and those with anchored catalysts exhibit favourable properties. However, this paper presents an innovative approach that consists of using metal nodes as both structural synthons and catalysts. Regarding the latter, metalloporphyrins are suitable candidates to play both roles simultaneously. In fact, there are a number of papers that report coordination compounds based on metalloporphyrins exhibiting these features. Thus, the aim of this bioinspired work was to obtain stable SMOFs (at room temperature) based on metallo-porphyrins and explore their catalytic activity. This work reports the environmentally friendly microwave-assisted synthesis and characterization of the compound [H(bipy)]2[(MnTPPS)(H2O)2]·2bipy·14H2O (TPPS = meso-tetra-phenyl-porphine-4,4',4'',4'''-tetra-sulfonic acid and bipy = 4,4'-bi-pyridine). This compound is the first example of an MnTPPS-based SMOF, as far as we are aware, and has been structurally and thermally characterized through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, this work explores not only the catalytic activity of this compound but also of the compounds μ-O-[FeTCPP]2·16DMF and [CoTPPS0.5(bipy)(H2O)2]·6H2O. The structural features of these supra-molecular materials, with accessible networks and high thermal stability, are responsible for their excellent behaviour as heterogeneous catalysts for different oxidation, condensation (aldol and Knoevenagel) and one-pot cascade reactions.

Stable metal–organic frameworks as a host platform for catalysis and biomimetics

Recent years have witnessed the exploration and synthesis of an increasing number of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The utilization of stable MOFs as a platform for catalysis and biomimetics is discussed.

Incorporation of CuO NPs into modified UiO-66-NH2 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with melamine for catalytic C–O coupling in the Ullmann condensation

The UiO-66-NH₂ is initially modified with melamine via a post-synthetic approach. CuO NPs are then anchored via the available functional groups on the surface of the modified MOF.