UVA Light-promoted Catalyst-free Cyclization of Vinyl Selenides: Green and Efficient Synthesis of C3-Unsubstituted 2-Selanyl Benzochalcogenophenes

A metal- and catalyst-free photo-promoted cyclization of properly substituted vinyl selenides was developed using UVA irradiation. A total of eighteen new C3-unsubstituted 2-selanyl benzochalcogenophenes (benzofurans, benzothiophenes and benzoselenophenes) were prepared in 30-86% yield after irradiation with UVA at room temperature. The usefulness of the title compounds was demonstrated in the easy functionalization of the remaining free C-H bond of the benzochalcogenophenes to form new C-Se and C-Br bonds by simple procedures. Furthermore, the reaction can be performed under natural sunlight irradiation and the solvent is easily reused further in several subsequent runs.

Process Intensification of Enzymatic Synthesis of Flavor Esters: A Review

The conventional flavor synthesis method suffers from low yields, time inefficiency, and extreme reaction conditions. Therefore, there is a necessity for the green and novel synthesis approach to overcome these limitations. The current review presents a holistic insight into different aspects associated with the synthesis of flavor esters using the immobilized enzyme. The application of process intensification tools such as ultrasound and microwave irradiation can enhance the reaction efficiency because of higher product recovery, less formation of by-products, and decreased energy consumption. This review presents the process intensification of value-added flavor esters synthesis and the mechanism of ultrasound and microwave action on the enzyme to enhance the enzyme activity and increase the reaction rate. It also summarizes the role of process intensification in enzymatic flavor ester synthesis, followed by specific examples as reported in the literature.

Rapid access to ordered mesoporous carbons for chemical hydrogen storage

Ordered mesoporous carbon materials offer robust network of organized pores for energy storage and catalysis applications, but suffer from time-consuming and intricate preparations hindering their widespread use. Here we report a new and rapid synthetic route for a N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon structure through a preferential heating of iron oxide nanoparticles by microwaves. A nanoporous covalent organic polymer is first formed in situ covering the hard templates of assembled nanoparticles, paving the way for a long-range order in a carbonaceous nanocomposite precursor. Upon removal of the template, a well-defined cubic mesoporous carbon structure was revealed. The ordered mesoporous carbon was used in solid state hydrogen storage as a host scaffold for NaAlH 4 , where remarkable improvement in hydrogen desorption kinetics was observed. The state-of-the-art lowest activation energy of dehydrogenation as single step was attributed to their ordered pore structure and N-doping effect.

Thiazolidinediones: An In-Depth Study of Their Synthesis and Application to Medicinal Chemistry in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

2,4-Thiazolidinedione (TZD) is a privileged and highly utilised scaffold for the development of pharmaceutically active compounds. This sulfur-containing heterocycle is a versatile pharmacophore that confers a diverse range of pharmacological activities. TZD has been shown to exhibit biological action towards a vast range of targets interesting to medicinal chemists. In this review, we attempt to provide insight into both the historical conventional and the use of novel methodologies to synthesise the TZD core framework. Further to this, synthetic procedures utilised to substitute the TZD molecule at the activated methylene C5 and N3 position are reviewed. Finally, research into developing clinical agents, which act as modulators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARγ), protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and aldose reductase 2 (ALR2), are discussed. These are the three most targeted receptors for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM).

Directly Microwave-Accelerated Cleavage of C-C and C-O Bonds of Lignin by Copper Oxide and H2 O2

Model erythro, phenolic, and nonphenolic lignin β-O-4 dimer compounds are treated with copper oxide and H₂ O₂ at the electronic field maximum position of a single-mode 2.45 GHz microwave system equipped with a cavity resonator. The products obtained through microwave heating and oil-bath heating with the same reaction vessel and temperature profile are quantitatively compared. Dimer degradation is found to proceed through consecutive elementary reactions. The phenolic dimer is dehydroxylated and this is followed by the spontaneous cleavage of C_α -C_β and C-O-C bonds to produce guaiacol, vanillin, and vanillic acid. The reaction of the nonphenolic dimer produces veratric acid, veratraldehyde, and guaiacol. Microwave irradiation accelerates cleavage of the side chain and the oxidation of vanillin to vanillic acid. However, no acceleration of veratraldehyde oxidation to veratric acid or aromatic ring cleavage to produce dicarboxylic acids is observed. The selective acceleration of elementary reactions during the degradation of model lignin compounds indicates that microwaves interact with reaction intermediates that are sensitive to electromagnetic waves.

High-Yielding Water-Soluble Asymmetric Cyanine Dyes for Labeling Applications

A simple and efficient microwave-assisted synthesis of asymmetric pentamethine cyanine dyes with various functional groups was developed, which allows high-yielding results. The synthesized dyes are modifiable and suitable for single-molecule imaging in biological and medical sciences by application of click chemistry or classic esterification and amidation.

Reactive Extraction Enhanced by Synergic Microwave Heating: Furfural Yield Boost in Biphasic Systems

Reactive extraction is an emerging operation in the industry, particularly in biorefining. Here, reactive extraction was demonstrated, enhanced by microwave irradiation to selectively heat the reactive phase (for efficient reaction) without unduly heating the extractive phase (for efficient extraction). These conditions aimed at maximizing the asymmetries in dielectric constants and volumes of the reaction and extraction phases, which resulted in an asymmetric thermal response of the two phases. The efficiency improvement was demonstrated by dehydrating xylose (5 wt % in water) to furfural with an optimal yield of approximately 80 mol % compared with 60-65 mol % under conventional biphasic conditions, which corresponds to approximately 50 % reduction of byproducts.

Polymer-Bound Triphenylphosphine and 4,4'-Dinitroazobenzene as a Coupling Reagents for Chromatography-Free Esterification Reaction

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

Sustainable production of fine chemicals both in industries and pharmaceuticals heavily depends on the application of solid-phase synthesis route coupled with microwave technologies due to their environmentally benign nature. In this report, a microwave-assisted esterification reaction using polymer-bound triphenylphosphine and 4,4'-dinitroazobenzene reagent system was investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The solvents were obtained from Merck India. Polymer-bound triphenylphosphine (~3 mmol triphenylphosphine moiety/g) was acquired from Sigma-Aldrich. The progress of the reaction was observed by thin-layer chromatography. All the reactions were performed in Milestones StartSYNTH microwave. The NMR spectra were recorded on Bruker Avance III 300, 400, and 500 MHz FT NMR Spectrometers. Using azo compound and polymer-bound triphenyl phosphine as a coupling reagent, esterification of different carboxylic acids with alcohols was performed under microwave irradiation.

RESULTS

Esterification of benzoic acid with 1-propanol under microwave irradiation gave a high yield of 92% propyl benzoate in 60 minutes only. Isolation of the ester products was relatively simple as both the byproducts polymer-bound triphenylphosphine oxide and hydrazine could be removed by simple filtration. The rates of reactions were found to be directly proportional to the pKa of the benzoic acids.

CONCLUSION

4,4'-Dinitroazobenzene was introduced as a novel coupling reagent, in conjugation with polymer-bound triphenylphosphine, for esterification reactions under microwave irradiation. The low moisture sensitivity of the reaction system, easy separation of the byproducts, and column chromatographyfree isolation of esters help our methods with application significance, particularly from the 'Sustainable Chemistry' perspective.

α-Unsaturated 3-Amino-1-carboxymethyl-β-lactams as Bacterial PBP Inhibitors: Synthesis and Biochemical Assessment

Innovative monocyclic β-lactam entities create opportunities in the battle against resistant bacteria because of their PBP acylation potential, intrinsically high β-lactamase stability and compact scaffold. α-Benzylidene-substituted 3-amino-1-carboxymethyl-β-lactams were recently shown to be potent PBP inhibitors and constitute eligible anchor points for synthetic elaboration of the chemical space around the central β-lactam ring. The present study discloses a 12-step synthesis of ten α-arylmethylidenecarboxylates using a microwave-assisted Wittig olefination as the crucial reaction step. The library was designed aiming at enhanced β-lactam electrophilicity and extended electron flow after enzymatic attack. Additionally, increased β-lactamase stability and intermolecular target interaction were envisioned by tackling both the substitution pattern of the aromatic ring and the β-lactam C4-position. The significance of α-unsaturation was validated and the R39/PBP3 inhibitory potency shown to be augmented the most through decoration of the aromatic ring with electron-withdrawing groups. Furthermore, ring cleavage by representative β-lactamases was ruled out, providing new insights in the SAR landscape of monocyclic β-lactams as eligible PBP or β-lactamase inhibitors.

My Twenty Years in Microwave Chemistry: From Kitchen Ovens to Microwaves that aren't Microwaves

This Personal Account describes the author's involvement in the field of microwave-assisted organic synthesis (MAOS) from the late 1990's starting out with kitchen microwave ovens right through to the development of a reactor in 2016 that - although not using microwave technology - in many ways mimics the performance of a modern laboratory microwave. The reader is taken along a journey that has spanned two decades of intense research on various aspects of microwave chemistry, and, at the same time, was intimately linked to key innovations regarding equipment design and development. A "behind the scenes" approach is taken in this article to share - from a very personal point of view - how specific projects and research ideas were conceived and developed in my research group, and how in general the field of microwave chemistry has progressed in the last two decades.

Biobased Benzoxazine Derived from Daidzein and Furfurylamine: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Thermal Properties Investigation

A biobased benzoxazine resin (Dz-f) demonstrating excellent thermal properties was synthesized from daidzein and furfurylamine by using a microwave heating method. The chemical structure of synthesized benzoxazine monomer was identified by FTIR and NMR (¹ H and ¹³ C NMR) before it was cured and its thermal properties evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), TGA, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The cured resin p(Dz-f) exhibited a glass transition temperature (T_g ) of 391 °C, a very high char yield of 68.7 %, and outstanding thermal stability; the T_g value obtained was the highest thermal stability value ever reported for polybenzoxazine with a high biobased content. Moreover, Dz-f demonstrated a satisfying processability, which was rare for the high-performance thermosetting resins. This work provided us with a new strategy for the preparation of high biocontent resins with excellent thermal properties. In addition, the combination of biobased feedstocks with a microwave-assisted heating method as well as the potential application of this approach in high-end fields might perpetuate remarkable progress towards the sustainable development of the polymeric industry.

Generation of Polar Semi-Saturated Bicyclic Pyrazoles for Fragment-Based Drug-Discovery Campaigns

Synthesising polar semi-saturated bicyclic heterocycles can lead to better starting points for fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) programs. We report the application of diverse chemistry to construct bicyclic systems from a common intermediate, where pyrazole, a privileged heteroaromatic able to bind effectively to biological targets, is fused to diverse saturated counterparts. The generated fragments can be further developed either after confirmation of their binding pose or early in the process, as their synthetic intermediates. Essential quality control (QC) for selection of small molecules to add to a fragment library is discussed.

Green and Rapid Hydrothermal Crystallization and Synthesis of Fully Conjugated Aromatic Compounds

Highly fused, fully conjugated aromatic compounds are interesting candidates for organic electronics. With higher crystallinity their electronic properties improve. It is shown here that the crystallization of three archetypes of such molecules—pentacenetetrone, indigo, and perinone—can be achieved hydrothermally. Given their molecular structure, this is a truly startling finding. In addition, it is demonstrated that perinone can also be synthesized in solely high‐temperature water from the starting compounds naphthalene bisanhydride and o‐phenylene diamine without the need for co‐solvents or catalysts. The transformation can be drastically accelerated by the application of microwave irradiation. This is the first report on the hydrothermal generation of two fused heterocycles.

The Discovery of a Palladium(II)-Initiated Borono-Catellani Reaction

Reported is a novel palladium(II)-initiated Catellani-type reaction that utilizes widely accessible aryl boronic acids as the substrates instead of aryl halides, thereby greatly expanding the existing scope of this powerful transformation. This borono-Catellani reaction was promoted by cooperative catalysis between Pd(OAc)₂ and the inexpensive 5-norbornene-2-carbonitrile. Practicality is the striking feature of the reaction: it is run open to air at ambient temperature and no phosphine ligand is needed. This mild, chemoselective, and scalable protocol is compatible with a large range of readily available functionalized aryl boronic acids and bromides, as well as terminating olefins (50 examples, 39-97 % yields). Moreover, the orthogonal reactivity between the borono-Catellani and classical Catellani reaction was demonstrated. This work is expected to open new avenues for developing novel Catellani-type reactions.

Acid-Catalyzed Conversion of Carbohydrates into Value-Added Small Molecules in Aqueous Media and Ionic Liquids

Biomass is the only realistic major alternative source (to crude oil) of hydrocarbon substrates for the commercial synthesis of bulk and fine chemicals. Within biomass, terrestrial sources are the most accessible, and therein lignocellulosic materials are most abundant. Although lignin shows promise for the delivery of certain types of organic molecules, cellulose is a biopolymer with significant potential for conversion into high-volume and high-value chemicals. This review covers the acid-catalyzed conversion of lower value (poly)carbohydrates into valorized organic building-block chemicals (platform molecules). It focuses on those conversions performed in aqueous media or ionic liquids to provide the reader with a perspective on what can be considered a best case scenario, that is, that the overall process is as sustainable as possible.

Sonochemical preparation of alumina-spheres loaded with Pd nanoparticles for 2-butyne-1,4-diol semi-hydrogenation in a continuous flow microwave reactor

A novel protocol for microwave-assisted alkyne semi-hydrogenation under heterogeneous catalysis in a continuous flow reactor is reported herein. This challenging task has been accomplished using a multifaceted strategy which includes the ultrasound-assisted preparation of Pd nanoparticles (average Ø 3.0 ± 0.5 nm) that were synthesized on the μ-metric pores of sintered alumina spheres (Ø 0.8 mm) and a continuous flow reaction under H₂ (flow rate 7.5 mL min⁻¹) in a microwave reactor (counter-pressure 4.5 bar). The semi-hydrogenation of 2-butyne-1,4-diol in ethanol was chosen as a model reaction for the purposes of optimization. The high catalyst efficiency of the process, in spite of the low Pd loading (Pd content 111.15 mg kg⁻¹ from ICP-MS), is due to the pivotal role of ultrasound in generating a regular distribution of Pd nanoparticles across the entire support surface. Ultrasound promotes the nucleation, rather than the growth, of crystalline Pd nanoparticles and does so within a particularly narrow Gaussian size distribution. High conversion (>90.5%) and selectivity to (Z)-2-butene-1,4-diol (95.20%) have been achieved at an alkyne solution flow rate of 10 mL min⁻¹. The lead-free, alumina-stabilized Pd catalyst was fully characterized by TEM, HR-TEM, EDX, IR, XRPD and AAS. Highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles have proven themselves to be stable under the reaction conditions employed. The application of the method is subject to the dielectric properties of substrates and solvents, and is therefore hardly applicable to apolar alkynes. Considering the small volume of the reaction chamber, microwave-assisted flow hydrogenation has proven itself to be a safe procedure and one that is suitable for further scaling up to industrial application.

A novel protocol for microwave-assisted alkyne semi-hydrogenation under heterogeneous catalysis in a continuous flow reactor is reported herein.

Insight into Aluminum Sulfate-Catalyzed Xylan Conversion into Furfural in a γ-Valerolactone/Water Biphasic Solvent under Microwave Conditions

A simple and efficient biphasic system with an earth-abundant metal salt catalyst was used to produce furfural from xylan with a high yield of up to 87.8 % under microwave conditions. Strikingly, the metal salt Al₂ (SO₄ )₃ exhibited excellent catalytic activity for xylan conversion, owing to a combination of Lewis and Brønsted acidity and its ability to promote good phase separation. The critical role of the SO₄^2- anion was first analyzed, which resulted in the aforementioned characteristics when combined with the Al³⁺ cation. The mixed solvent system with γ-valerolactone (GVL) as the organic phase provided the highest furfural yield, resulting from its good dielectric properties and dissolving capacity, which facilitated the absorption of microwave energy and promoted mass transfer. Mechanistic studies suggested that the xylan-to-furfural conversion proceeded mainly through a hydrolysis-isomerization-dehydration pathway and the hexa-coordinated Lewis acidic [Al(OH)₂ (aq)]⁺ species were the active sites for xylose-xylulose isomerization. Detailed kinetic studies of the subreaction for the xylan conversion revealed that GVL regulates the reaction rates and pathways by promoting the rates of the key steps involved for furfural production and suppressing the side reactions for humin production. Finally, the Al₂ (SO₄ )₃ catalyst was used for the production of furfural from several lignocellulosic feedstocks, revealing its great potential for other biomass conversions.

Remarkably Efficient Microwave-Assisted Cross-Metathesis of Lipids under Solvent-Free Conditions

Catalytic transformation of renewable feedstocks into fine chemicals is in high demands and olefin metathesis is a sophisticated tool for biomass conversion. Nevertheless, the large-scale viability of such processes depends on the conversion efficiency, energy efficiency, catalytic activity, selective conversion into desired products, and environmental footprint of the process. Therefore, conversions of renewables by using simple, swift, and efficient methods are desirable. A microwave-assisted ethenolysis and alkenolysis (using 1,5-hexadiene) of canola oil and methyl esters derived from canola oil (COME) and waste/recycled cooking oil (WOME) was carried out by using ruthenium-based catalytic systems. A systematic study using 1st and 2nd generation Grubbs and Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts was carried out. Among all ruthenium catalysts, 2nd generation Hoveyda-Grubbs catalyst was found to be highly active in the range of 0.002-0.1 mol % loading. The conversions proved to be rapid providing unprecedented turnover frequencies (TOFs). High TOFs were achieved for ethenolysis of COME (21 450 min^-1 ), direct ethenolysis of canola oil (19 110 min^-1 ), for WOME (15 840 min^-1 ) and for cross-metathesis of 1,5-hexadiene with COME (10 920 min^-1 ). The ethenolysis of commercial methyl oleate was also performed with a TOF of 8000 min^-1 under microwave conditions.