Fe3O4 Nanoparticles: A Conveniently Reusable Catalyst for the Reduction of Nitroarenes Using Hydrazine Hydrate

Organic synthesis with the most abundant transition metal–iron: from rust to multitasking catalysts

The promising aspects of iron in synthetic chemistry are being explored for three-four decades as a green and eco-friendly alternative to late transition metals. This present review unveils these rich iron-chemistry towards different transformations.

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on the mutagenic properties of 2,7-diaminofluorene and 2,7-diaminocarbazole derivatives

We discovered that 2,7-diaminofluorene or 2,7-diaminocarbazole moiety can be employed as a core structure of highly effective NS5A inhibitors that are connected through amide bonds to proline-valine-carbamate motifs. Amide bonds can be easily cleaved via various metabolic pathways upon administration into the body, and metabolites containing 2,7-diaminofluorene and 2,7-diaminocarbazole core structures have been known to be strong mutagens. To avoid the mutagenesis issue of these core structures, we examined various functional groups at the C9 or N9 position of 2,7-diaminofluorene or 2,7-diaminocarbazole, respectively, through the Ames test in TA98 and TA100 mutants of Salmonella typhimurium LT-2. We discovered that, through proper alkyl substitution at the C9 or N9 position, 2,7-diaminofluorene and 2,7-diaminocarbazole moieties can be successfully employed in drug discovery without necessarily causing mutagenicity problems.

CO-free, aqueous mediated, instant and selective reduction of nitrobenzene via robustly stable chalcogen stabilised iron carbonyl clusters (Fe3E2(CO)9, E = S, Se, Te)

Highly stable and thermally robust iron chalcogenide carbonyl clusters Fe₃E₂(CO)₉ (E = S, Se or Te) have been explored for the reduction of nitrobenzene. A 15 min thermal heating of an aqueous solution of nitrobenzene and hydrazine hydrate in the catalytic presence of Fe₃E₂(CO)₉ (E = S, Se or Te) clusters yield average to excellent aniline transformations. Among the S, Se and Te based iron chalcogenised carbonyl clusters, the diselenide cluster was found to be most efficient and produce almost 90% yield of the desired amino product, the disulfide cluster was also found to be significantly active, produce the 85% yield of amino product, while the ditelluride cluster was not found to be active and produced only 49% yield of the desired product. The catalyst can be reused up to three catalytic cycles and it needs to be dried in an oven for one hour prior to reuse for the best results. The developed method is inexpensive, environmentally benign, does not require any precious metal or a high pressure of toxic CO gas and exclusively brings the selective reduction of the nitro group under feasible and inert free conditions.

In this study, a strongly feasible method for the reduction of nitrobenzene has been developed through highly stable and thermally robust iron chalcogenide carbonyl clusters Fe₃E₂(CO)₉ (E = S, Se or Te).

Wealth from waste: M. acuminata peel waste-derived magnetic nanoparticles as a solid catalyst for the Henry reaction

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles by exploiting different plant materials has become a matter of great interest in recent years and is considered as a green technology as it does not involve any harmful and toxic chemicals in the synthetic procedure. In this paper, we report a novel one-pot M. acuminata peel ash extract mediated bio-synthesis of basic iron oxide nanoparticles (MAPAE@Fe₃O₄). The nanoparticles were fully characterized by different analytical techniques such as XRF, IR, XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, VSM and TGA. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited high basicity due to the presence of metal oxides, primarily basic K₂O in the outer layer of Fe₃O₄ surfaces, and showed good catalytic activity for the synthesis of β-nitroalcohol via the Henry reaction at room temperature under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was separated from the reaction medium by simply applying an external bar magnet making the process economical and less labor intensive. Furthermore, the catalyst can be reused up to the 4^th cycle without much loss of its activity.

Reduction of Nitro Compounds Using 3d-Non-Noble Metal Catalysts

The reduction of nitro compounds to the corresponding amines is one of the most utilized catalytic processes in the fine and bulk chemical industry. The latest development of catalysts with cheap metals like Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu has led to their tremendous achievements over the last years prompting their greater application as "standard" catalysts. In this review, we will comprehensively discuss the use of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts based on non-noble 3d-metals for the reduction of nitro compounds using various reductants. The different systems will be revised considering both the catalytic performances and synthetic aspects highlighting also their advantages and disadvantages.

Synthesis of flower-like magnetite nanoassembly: Application in the efficient reduction of nitroarenes

A facile approach for the synthesis of magnetite microspheres with flower-like morphology is reported that proceeds via the reduction of iron(III) oxide under a hydrogen atmosphere. The ensuing magnetic catalyst is well characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm, and Mössbauer spectroscopy and explored for a simple yet efficient transfer hydrogenation reduction of a variety of nitroarenes to respective anilines in good to excellent yields (up to 98%) employing hydrazine hydrate. The catalyst could be easily separated at the end of a reaction using an external magnet and can be recycled up to 10 times without any loss in catalytic activity.

Heterogenized Bimetallic Pd-Pt-Fe3O4 Nanoflakes as Extremely Robust, Magnetically Recyclable Catalysts for Chemoselective Nitroarene Reduction

A very simple synthesis of bimetallic Pd-Pt-Fe3O4 nanoflake-shaped alloy nanoparticles (NPs) for cascade catalytic reactions such as dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane (AB) followed by the reduction of nitro compounds (R-NO2) to anilines or alkylamines (R-NH2) in methanol at ambient temperature is described. The Pd-Pt-Fe3O4 NPs were easily prepared via a solution phase hydrothermal method involving the simple one-pot coreduction of potassium tetrachloroplatinate (II) and palladium chloride (II) in polyvinylpyrrolidone with subsequent deposition on commercially available Fe3O4 NPs. The bimetallic Pd-Pt alloy NPs decorated on Fe3O4 NPs provide a unique synergistic effect for the catalysis of cascade dehydrogenation/reduction. Various nitroarene derivatives were reduced to anilines with very specific chemoselectivity in the presence of other reducible functional groups. The bimetallic Pd-Pt-Fe3O4 NPs provide a unique synergistic effect for the catalysis of cascade dehydrogenation/reduction. The nitro reduction proceeded in 5 min with nearly quantitative conversions and yields. Furthermore, the magnetically recyclable nanocatalysts were readily separated using an external magnet and reused up to 250 times without any loss of catalytic activity. A larger scale (10 mmol) reaction was also successfully performed with >99% yield. This efficient, recyclable Pd-Pt-Fe3O4 NPs system can therefore be repetitively utilized for the reduction of various nitro-containing compounds.

Novel benzidine and diaminofluorene prolinamide derivatives as potent hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitors

Our study describes the discovery of a series of highly potent hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A inhibitors based on symmetrical prolinamide derivatives of benzidine and diaminofluorene. Through modification of benzidine, l-proline, and diaminofluorene derivatives, we developed novel inhibitor structures, which allowed us to establish a library of potent HCV NS5A inhibitors. After optimizing the benzidine prolinamide backbone, we identified inhibitors embedding meta-substituted benzidine core structures that exhibited the most potent anti-HCV activities. Furthermore, through a battery of studies including hERG ligand binding assay, CYP450 binding assay, rat plasma stability test, human liver microsomal stability test, and pharmacokinetic studies, the identified compounds 24, 26, 27, 42, and 43 are found to be nontoxic, and are expected to be effective therapeutic anti-HCV agents.

Synthesis of small-sized, porous, and low-toxic magnetite nanoparticles by thin POSS silica coating

In this communication, we report the synthesis of small-sized (<10 nm), water-soluble, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), which contain either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or octa(tetramethylammonium) (OctaTMA) as functional groups. The POSS-coated MNPs exhibit superparamagnetic behavior with saturation magnetic moments (51-53 emu g(-1)) comparable to silica-coated MNPs. They also provide good colloidal stability at different pH and salt concentrations, and low cytotoxicity to MCF-7 human breast epithelial cells. The relaxivity data and magnetic resonance (MR) phantom images demonstrate the potential application of these MNPs in bioimaging.

A novel method of NaHCO3reduction into formic acid with N2H4·H2O over Ni catalyst

An efficient metal-free method of CO₂reduction with N₂H₄·H₂O over common Ni powder is proposed.

Advancement in methodologies for reduction of nitroarenes

Recent advancement in reduction methods of nitroarenes are reviewed. The different methods are classified based on the source of hydrogen utilized during reduction and the mechanism involved in the reduction process.

Carbon nanotubes oxidized by a green method as efficient metal-free catalysts for nitroarene reduction

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) functionalized CNTs exhibited better catalytic performance than nitric acid (HNO₃) oxidized samples in the reduction of nitroarenes.

Trinuclear {Co2+–M3+–Co2+} complexes catalyze reduction of nitro compounds

Trinuclear {Co²⁺–Co³⁺–Co²⁺} and {Co²⁺–Fe³⁺–Co²⁺} complexes function as reusable heterogeneous catalysts for the selective reduction of assorted nitro compounds to their corresponding amines. The mechanistic investigations suggest the involvement of a Co(ii)–Co(i) cycle in the catalysis.

Immobilized iron oxide nanoparticles as stable and reusable catalysts for hydrazine-mediated nitro reductions in continuous flow

An experimentally easy to perform method for the generation of alumina-supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles [(6±1) nm size, 0.67 wt %]and the use of this material in hydrazine-mediated heterogeneously catalyzed reductions of nitroarenes to anilines under batch and continuous-flow conditions is presented. The bench-stable, reusable nano-Fe3O4@Al2O3 catalyst can selectively reduce functionalized nitroarenes at 1 mol % catalyst loading by using a 20 mol % excess of hydrazine hydrate in an elevated temperature regime (150 °C, reaction time 2-6 min in batch). For continuous-flow processing, the catalyst material is packed into dedicated cartridges and used in a commercially available high-temperature/-pressure flow device. In continuous mode, reaction times can be reduced to less than 1 min at 150 °C (30 bar back pressure) in a highly intensified process. The nano-Fe3O4@Al2O3 catalyst demonstrated stable reduction of nitrobenzene (0.5 M in MeOH) for more than 10 h on stream at a productivity of 30 mmol h(-1) (0.72 mol per day). Importantly, virtually no leaching of the catalytically active material could be observed by inductively coupled plasma MS monitoring.

Transitioning organic synthesis from organic solvents to water. What's your E Factor?

Traditional organic chemistry, and organic synthesis in particular, relies heavily on organic solvents, as most reactions involve organic substrates and catalysts that tend to be water-insoluble. Unfortunately, organic solvents make up most of the organic waste created by the chemical enterprise, whether from academic, industrial, or governmental labs. One alternative to organic solvents follows the lead of Nature: water. To circumvent the solubility issues, newly engineered "designer" surfactants offer an opportunity to efficiently enable many of the commonly used transition metal-catalyzed and related reactions in organic synthesis to be run in water, and usually at ambient temperatures. This review focuses on recent progress in this area, where such amphiphiles spontaneously self-aggregate in water. The resulting micellar arrays serve as nanoreactors, obviating organic solvents as the reaction medium, while maximizing environmental benefits.

Noncovalent functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes as metal-free catalysts for the reduction of nitrobenzene

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were functionalized noncovalently with small organic molecules containing specific ketonic carbonyl groups. The comparison of intrinsic activities for a series of catalysts indicates that carbonyl groups are active sites in the reduction of nitrobenzene.

Chemoselective reductions of nitroaromatics in water at room temperature

A robust and green protocol for the reduction of functionalized nitroarenes to the corresponding primary amines has been developed. It relies on inexpensive zinc dust in water containing nanomicelles derived from the commercially available designer surfactant TPGS-750-M. This mild process takes place at room temperature and tolerates a wide range of functionalities. Highly selective reductions can also be achieved in the presence of common protecting groups.