Chemoselective Oxidation of Alcohols by a H2O2-Pt Black System under Organic Solvent- and Halide-Free Conditions

Anti-Microbial Activity of Aliphatic Alcohols from Chinese Black Cardamom (Amomum tsao-ko) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv

The fruits of Amomun tsao-ko (Chinese black cardamom; Zingiberaceae) contain an abundance of essential oils, which have previously demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity. In our preliminary search for natural anti-tuberculosis agents, an acetone extract of A. tsao-ko (AAE) exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find the principal compounds in an AAE against M. tuberculosis. Nine aliphatic compounds (1−9) including a new compound (1, tsaokol B) and a new natural unsaturated aliphatic diester (6), together with three acyclic terpenoids (10−12), were isolated from an AAE by repetitive chromatography. The structures of the isolates were determined by spectroscopic data analysis. All isolates were evaluated for activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Isolated compounds 1−6, and 11 had MICs ranging from 0.6−89 µg/mL. In contrast, compounds 7 to 10, and 12 had MICs that were >100 µg/mL. Tsaokol A (3) was the most active compound with MICs of 0.6 µg/mL and 1.4 µg/mL, respectively, against replicating and nonreplicating M. tuberculosis. These results are the first to illustrate the potency of tsaokol A (3) as a natural drug candidate with good selectivity for treating tuberculosis.

The design of experiments (DoE) in optimization of an aerobic flow Pd-catalyzed oxidation of alcohol towards an important aldehyde precursor in the synthesis of phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (CPL302415)

Herein, we describe the development of a green, scalable flow Pd-catalyzed aerobic oxidation for the key step in the synthesis of CPL302415, which is a new PI3Kδ inhibitor. Applying this environmental-friendly, sustainable catalytic oxidation we significantly increased product yield (up to 84%) and by eliminating of workup step, we improved the waste index and E factor (up to 0.13) in comparison with the stoichiometric synthesis. The process was optimized by using the DoE approach.

Pt-Catalyzed selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes with hydrogen peroxide using continuous flow reactors

The oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes is a powerful reaction pathway for obtaining valuable fine chemicals used in pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. Although many oxidants can oxidize alcohols, only a few hydrogen peroxide oxidations can be employed to continuously synthesize aldehydes in high yields using a liquid-liquid two-phase flow reactor, despite the possibility of the application toward a safe and rapid multi-step synthesis. We herein report the continuous flow synthesis of (E)-cinnamaldehyde from (E)-cinnamyl alcohol in 95%-98% yields with 99% selectivity for over 5 days by the selective oxidation of hydrogen peroxide using a catalyst column in which Pt is dispersed in SiO2. The active species for the developed selective oxidation is found to be zero-valent Pt(0) from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the Pt surface before and after the oxidation. Using Pt black diluted with SiO2 as a catalyst to retain the Pt(0) species with the optimal substrate and H2O2 introduction rate not only enhances the catalytic activity but also maintains the activity during the flow reaction. Optimizing the contact time of the substrate with Pt and H2O2 using a flow reactor is important to proceed with the selective oxidation to prevent the catalytic H2O2 decomposition.