Augmenting the catalytic performance of spinel nanoferrites (CoFe2O4 and NiFe2O4) via incorporation of Al into the lattice

Augmentation in the catalytic performance via incorporation of Al³⁺ ions into the lattice of spinel nanoferrites owing to the synergistic interactions among the metal ions present in the surface exposed catalytically active octahedral sites.

Bioinspired synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a widespread magnetic iron oxide encountered in many biological and geological systems, and also in many technological applications. The magnetic properties of magnetite crystals depend strongly on the size and shape of its crystals. Hence, engineering magnetite nanoparticles with specific shapes and sizes allows tuning their properties to specific applications in a wide variety of fields, including catalysis, magnetic storage, targeted drug delivery, cancer diagnostics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, synthesis of magnetite with a specific size, shape and a narrow crystal size distribution is notoriously difficult without using high temperatures and non-aqueous media. Nevertheless, living organisms such as chitons and magnetotactic bacteria are able to form magnetite crystals with well controlled sizes and shapes under ambient conditions and in aqueous media. In these biomineralization processes the organisms use a twofold strategy to control magnetite formation: the mineral is formed from a poorly crystalline precursor phase, and nucleation and growth are controlled through the interaction of the mineral with biomolecular templates and additives. Taking inspiration from this biological strategy is a promising route to achieve control over the kinetics of magnetite crystallization under ambient conditions and in aqueous media. In this review we first summarize the main characteristics of magnetite and what is known about the mechanisms of magnetite biomineralization. We then describe the most common routes to synthesize magnetite and subsequently will introduce recent efforts in bioinspired magnetite synthesis. We describe how the use of poorly ordered, more soluble precursors such as ferrihydrite (FeH) or white rust (Fe(OH)2) can be employed to control the solution supersaturation, setting the conditions for continued growth. Further, we show how the use of various organic additives such as proteins, peptides and polymers allows for either the promotion or inhibition of magnetite nucleation and growth processes. At last we discuss how the formation of magnetite-based organic-inorganic hybrids leads to new functional nanomaterials.

Polymer supported DMAP: an easily recyclable organocatalyst for highly atom-economical Henry reaction under solvent-free conditions

Polymer supported catalysts are regarded as a borderline class of catalysts, which retains the advantages of homogeneous catalysts while securing the ease of recovery by simple filtration and workup of heterogeneous systems.

Convenient and Simple Esterification in Continuous-Flow Systems using g-DMAP

The utility and applicability of polyethylene-g-polyacrylic acid-immobilized dimethylaminopyridine (g-DMAP) as a catalyst in a continuous-flow system were investigated for decarboxylative esterification. High catalytic activity toward acylation was provided by g-DMAP containing a flexible grafted-polymer structure. During decarboxylation, carboxylic acids and alcohols were converted cleanly using di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (Boc2O) as a coupling reagent, which reduced by-products. In addition, the use of Boc2O resulted in the formation of tert-butyl esters. These esterifications dramatically reduced the reaction time under continuous-flow conditions, with a residence time of approximately 2 min. This highly efficient esterification procedure will provide more practical industrial applications.

Recycling nanoparticle catalysts without separation based on a pickering emulsion/organic biphasic system

A conceptually novel methodology is explored for in situ recycling of nanoparticle catalysts based on transforming a conventional organic/aqueous biphasic system into a Pickering emulsion/organic biphasic system (PEOBS). The suggested PEOBS exists as two phases, with the nanoparticle catalyst "anchored" in the Pickering emulsion phase, but is "continuous" between the organic phase and the continuous phase of the Pickering emulsion. Aqueous hydrogenations are used to evaluate the reaction performances of PEOBS, and the underlying principles of PEOBS are preliminarily elaborated. The unique properties of PEOBS lead to many intriguing findings, which are unlikely to be achieved in the reported biphasic systems. PEOBS exhibits more than a fourfold enhancement in catalysis efficiency in comparison with a conventional biphasic system. Impressively, PEOBS enables the organic product to be facilely isolated through simple decantation and the nanoparticle catalyst can be recycled in situ without the need for "separation". Its recycling effectiveness is justified by ten reaction cycles without significant catalyst loss. The simple protocol, in conjunction with the stability to simultaneously achieve high catalysis efficiency and excellent catalyst recyclability, makes PEOBS a promising methodology to develop more sustainable nanocatalysis.

Pickering-emulsion inversion strategy for separating and recycling nanoparticle catalysts

With the recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, more and more nanoparticle catalysts featuring high accessibility of active sites and high surface area have been explored for their use in various chemical transformations, and their rise in popularity among the catalysis community has been unprecedented. The industrial applications of these newly discovered catalysts, however, are hampered because the existing methods for separation and recycling, such as filtration and centrifugation, are generally unsuccessful. These limitations have prompted development of new methods that facilitate separation and recycling of nanoparticle catalysts, so as to meet the burgeoning demands of green and sustainable chemistry. Recently, we have found that Pickering-emulsion inversion is an appealing strategy with which to realize in situ separation and recycling of nanoparticle catalysts and thereby to establish sustainable catalytic processes. We feel that at such an early stage, this strategy, as an alternative to conventional methods, is conceptually new for readers but that it has potential to become a popular method for green catalysis. This Concept article aims to provide a timely link between previous efforts and both current and future research on nanoparticle catalysts, and is expected to facilitate further investigation into this strategy.

One-pot solvothermal synthesis of highly water-dispersible size-tunable functionalized magnetite nanocrystal clusters for lipase immobilization

A facile one-pot synthesis of highly water-dispersible size-tunable magnetite (Fe3O4) nanocrystal clusters (MNCs) end-functionalized with amino or carboxyl groups by a modified solvothermal reduction reaction has been developed. Dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyhydroxycinnamic acid were used for the first time as both a surfactant and interparticle linker in a polylol process for economical and environment-friendly purposes. Morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of the prepared particles were investigated by several methods, including FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA, zeta potential, and VSM. The sizes of the particles could be easily tuned over a wide range from 175 to 500 nm by varying the surfactant concentration. Moreover, ethylene glycol/diethylene glycol (EG/DEG) solvent mixtures with different ratios could be used as reductants to obtain the particles with smaller sizes. The XRD data demonstrated that the surfactants restrained the crystal growth of the grains. The nanoparticles showed superior magnetic properties and high colloidal stability in water. The cytotoxicity results indicated the feasibility of using the synthesized nanocrystals in biology-related fields. To estimate the applicability of the obtained MNCs in biotechnology, Candida rugosa lipase was selected for the enzyme immobilization process. The immobilized lipase exhibited excellent thermal stability and reusability in comparison with the free enzyme. This novel strategy would simplify the reaction protocol and improve the efficiency of materials functionalization, thus offering new potential applications in biotechnology and organocatalysis.

A facile one-pot synthesis of ruthenium hydroxide nanoparticles on magnetic silica: aqueous hydration of nitriles to amides

One-pot synthesis of ruthenium hydroxide nanoparticles on magnetic silica is described which involves the in situ generation of magnetic silica (Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)) and ruthenium hydroxide immobilization; the hydration of nitriles occurs in high yield and excellent selectivity using this catalyst which proceeds exclusively in aqueous medium under neutral conditions.

Chemistry by Nanocatalysis: First example of a solid-supported RAPTA complex for organic reactions in aqueous medium

A ruthenium-arene-PTA (RAPTA) complex has been supported for the first time on an inorganic solid, that is, silica-coated ferrite nanoparticles. The resulting magnetic material proved to be a general, very efficient and easily reusable catalyst for three synthetically useful organic transformations; selective nitrile hydration, redox isomerization of allylic alcohols, and heteroannulation of (Z)-enynols. The use of low metal concentration, environmentally friendly water as a reaction medium, with no use at all of organic solvent during or after the reactions, and microwaves as an alternative energy source renders the synthetic processes reported herein "truly" green and sustainable.

Monomer-on-monomer (MoM) Mitsunobu reaction: facile purification utilizing surface-initiated sequestration

A monomer-on-monomer (MoM) Mitsunobu reaction utilizing norbornenyl-tagged (Nb-tagged) reagents is reported, whereby purification was rapidly achieved by employing ring-opening metathesis polymerization, which was initiated by any of three methods utilizing Grubbs catalyst: (i) free catalyst in solution, (ii) surface-initiated catalyst-armed silica, or (iii) surface-initiated catalyst-armed Co/C magnetic nanoparticles.