Homogeneous and heterogeneous grafting of 4-vinylpyridine onto chitosan

Development of hydrogelator-based gel-entrapped base catalysts (GEBCs) as heterogeneous basic catalysts for the synthesis of 3-acetylcoumarins

New gel entrapped base catalysts (GEBCs) have been prepared by entrapping some organic and inorganic bases into a solid aqueous gel matrix.

A novel, efficient, and recyclable biocatalyst for Michael addition reactions and its iron(iii) complex as promoter for alkyl oxidation reactions

A novel, efficient, and recyclable biocatalyst for Michael addition reactions and its iron(iii) complex as promoter for alkyl oxidation reactions.

Chitosan as a sustainable organocatalyst: a concise overview

Increased demand for more sustainable materials and chemical processes has tremendously advanced the use of polysaccharides, which are natural biopolymers, in domains such as adsorption, catalysis, and as an alternative chemical feedstock. Among these biopolymers, the use of chitosan, which is obtained by deacetylation of natural chitin, is on the increase due to the presence of amino groups on the polymer backbone that makes it a natural cationic polymer. The ability of chitosan-based materials to form open-network, macroporous, high-surface-area hydrogels with accessible basic surface sites has enabled their use not only as macrochelating ligands for active metal catalysts and as a support to disperse nanosized particles, but also as a direct organocatalyst. This review provides a concise overview of the use of native and modified chitosan, possessing different textural properties and chemical properties, as organocatalysts. Organocatalysis with chitosan is primarily focused on carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, multicomponent heterocycle formation reactions, biodiesel production, and carbon dioxide fixation through [3+2] cycloaddition. Furthermore, the chiral, helical organization of the chitosan skeleton lends itself to use in enantioselective catalysis. Chitosan derivatives generally display reactivity similar to homogeneous bases, ionic liquids, and organic and inorganic salts. However, the introduction of cooperative acid-base interactions at active sites substantially enhances reactivity. These functional biopolymers can also be easily recovered and reused several times under solvent-free conditions. These accomplishments highlight the important role that natural biopolymers play in furthering more sustainable chemistry.

Chitosan based heterogeneous catalyses: chitosan-grafted-poly(4-vinylpyridne) as an efficient catalyst for Michael additions and alkylpyridazinyl carbonitrile oxidation

Chitosan-grafted-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (Cs-PVP) copolymers could be synthesized under heterogeneous conditions in presence of a potassium persulfate and sodium sulfite redox system. The synthesized graft copolymer could be utilized effectively, in the form of beads, as an efficient catalyst for Michael additions of active methylenes to functionally substituted alkenes. Moreover, methyl moiety oxidation in methyl pyridazinyl carbonitriles by H₂O₂ in the presence of chitosan-g-polyvinyl pyridine–supported iron (III) complex, Cs-PVP/Fe, could be affected. A variety of pyrans, naphthopyrans, and thiopyrans could be synthesized efficiently in the presence of these graft copolymer beads by novel catalytic routes. These polymeric catalysts could be used instead of the old toxic commercial organic basic catalysts, piperidine or pyridine, and could be readily isolated from the reaction mixture and recycled several times without significant loss of catalytic activity.