Triazine-Based Mesoporous Covalent Imine Polymers as Solid Supports for Copper-Mediated Chan-Lam Cross-Coupling N-Arylation Reactions

Advances in the Synthesis of Covalent Triazine Frameworks

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are a class of organic polymer materials constructed by aromatic 1,3,5-triazine rings with planar π-conjugation properties. CTFs are highly stable and porous with N atoms in the frameworks, possessing semiconductive properties; thus they are widely used in gas adsorption and separation as well as catalysis. The properties of CTFs strongly depend on the type of monomers and the synthesis process. Synthesis methods including ionothermal polymerization, amino-aldehyde synthesis, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid catalyzed synthesis, and aldehyde-amidine condensation have been intensively studied in recent years. In this review, we discuss the recent advances and future developments of CTFs synthesis.

Catalytically active atomically thin cuprate with periodic Cu single sites

Rational design and synthesis of catalytically active two-dimensional (2D) materials with an abundance of atomically precise active sites in their basal planes remains a great challenge. Here, we report a ligand exchange strategy to exfoliate bulk [Cu₄(OH)₆][O₃S(CH₂)₄SO₃] cuprate crystals into atomically thin 2D cuprate layers ([Cu₂(OH)₃]⁺). The basal plane of 2D cuprate layers contains periodic arrays of accessible unsaturated Cu(II) single sites (2D-CuSSs), which are found to promote efficient oxidative Chan-Lam coupling. Our mechanistic studies reveal that the reactions proceed via coordinatively unsaturated CuO₄(II) single sites with the formation of Cu(I) species in the rate-limiting step, as corroborated by both operando experimental and theoretical studies. The robust stability of 2D-CuSSs in both batch and continuous flow reactions, coupled with their recyclability and good performance in complex molecule derivatization, render 2D-CuSSs attractive catalyst candidates for broad utility in fine chemical synthesis.

Copper supported silica-based nanocatalysts for CuAAC and cross-coupling reactions

Recent advances in Cu/SiO2-based heterogeneous catalysts for click reaction, C–N, C–S, and C–O coupling reactions are reviewed and summarized.

C-F bond activation under transition-metal-free conditions

The unique properties of fluorine-containing organic compounds make fluorine substitution attractive for the development of pharmaceuticals and various specialty materials, which have inspired the evolution of diverse C-F bond activation techniques. Although many advances have been made in functionalizations of activated C-F bonds utilizing transition metal complexes, there are fewer approaches available for nonactivated C-F bonds due to the difficulty in oxidative addition of transition metals to the inert C-F bonds. In this regard, using Lewis acid to abstract the fluoride and light/radical initiator to generate the radical intermediate have emerged as powerful tools for activating those inert C-F bonds. Meanwhile, these transition-metal-free processes are greener, economical, and for the pharmaceutical industry, without heavy metal residues. This review provides an overview of recent C-F bond activations and functionalizations under transition-metal-free conditions. The key mechanisms involved are demonstrated and discussed in detail. Finally, a brief discussion on the existing limitations of this field and our perspective are presented.

Copper nanoparticles supported on highly nitrogen-rich covalent organic polymers as heterogeneous catalysts for the ipso-hydroxylation of phenyl boronic acid to phenol

Here, we report the synthesis of highly nitrogen-rich covalent organic polymers as a solid heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of phenylboronic acid under atmospheric conditions in an aqueous medium to achieve very good yields up to 99%.

Crystalline Covalent Organic Frameworks from Triazine Nodes as Porous Adsorbents for Dye Pollutants

The development of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with nodes and spacers, designed to maximize their functional properties, is a challenge. Triazines exhibit better electron affinity than benzene-based aromatic rings; therefore, structures based on 1,3,5-substituted triazine-centered nodes are more stable than those from 1,3,5-benzene-linked COFs. Compared to COFs prepared from flat, rigid sp² carbon-linked triazine nodes, the O-linked flexible tripodal triazine-based COF demonstrates several unpredictable properties such as an increase in crystallinity and cavity size. In this study, the COF prepared from O-linked flexible 2,4,6-tris(p-formylphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine serves as an excellent absorbent for removing methylene blue from water. Our results demonstrate that COF is highly stable in water and functions as a robust adsorbent. Its adsorption isotherm is consistent with the Langmuir model and its adsorption kinetics follows a pseudo-second order model. Moreover, the COF was characterized using elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, solid-state ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. It exhibited permanent porosity, a high specific surface area (279.5 m²·g^-1), and was chemically and thermally stable. Photophysical studies revealed that the COF exhibits a low bandgap energy value of 3.07 eV, indicating its semiconducting nature.

Porous Covalent Organic Polymers Comprising a Phosphite Skeleton for Aqueous Nd(III) Capture

In order to meet the ever-increasing industrial demand for rare-earth elements (REEs), it is desirable to separate and recycle them at low concentrations from various sources including industrial and urban wastes. Here, we introduced phosphorus binding sites on the hydrophobic surface of a robust and high-surface area porous polymer backbone for environmentally benign and selective recovery of REEs via adsorption. For this purpose, two porous covalent organic polymer (COP) materials incorporated with in-built phosphite functionality (P-COP-1 and P-COP-2) were synthesized and applied for the adsorptive separation of Nd(III) ions from aqueous solution. A strategy to develop a series of P-COPs via a simple Friedel-Crafts reaction was introduced, and their application to the selective adsorption of REEs was explored for the first time. The newly synthesized P-COPs were amorphous and/or weakly crystalline and showed excellent chemical stability and large specific surface area with sufficient mesoporosity for enhanced diffusion of REE ions. P-COP-1 exhibited an exceptionally high Nd(III) adsorption capacity of 321.0 mg/g, corresponding to the stoichiometric ratio of P/Nd(III) = 1:0.7 and high selectivity of >86% over other competing transition and alkaline earth metal ions, whereas P-COP-2 gave a Nd(III) adsorption capacity of 175.6 mg/g at 25 °C and pH 5. Moreover, P-COP-1 showed a distribution coefficient value of 5.45 × 10⁵ mL/g, which is superior to other benchmark adsorbent materials reported so far. Finally, the P-COPs were reusable for a minimum of 10 cycles without deterioration in adsorption capacities.

A stable anionic metal–organic framework with open coordinated sites: selective separation toward cationic dyes and sensing properties

A multifunctional anionic metal–organic framework was successfully synthesized using a new pyridyl–tricarboxylate ligand. It could be applied as a luminescent sensor for Fe³⁺ ions and TNP and it showed selective adsorption of cationic dyes.

Synthetic applications and methodology development of Chan-Lam coupling: a review

Chan-Lam coupling is one of the most popular and easy methods to perform arylation of amines (N-arylations). This cross-coupling is generally performed by reacting aryl boronate derivatives with a variety of substrates involving nitrogen containing functional groups such as amines, amides, ureas, hydrazine, carbamates. This article summarizes the synthetic applications of this reaction and the efforts of scientists to develop novel and efficient methodologies for this reaction.

Calcium oxide-modified mesoporous silica loaded onto ferriferrous oxide core: Magnetically responsive mesoporous solid strong base

The design of new type of solid strong base with ideal activity, stability, and reusability is strongly urged by the growing demand of green chemistry and sustainable development. In this study, a new type of mesoporous solid strong base, denoted as CaO/mSiO₂/Fe₃O₄, is successfully fabricated by successively coating SiO₂ onto Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles and loading CaO into the mesoporous SiO₂. Compared with a series of other typical solid bases, the CaO/mSiO₂/Fe₃O₄ exhibits higher activity towards the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by the transesterification of ethylene carbonate and methanol. The activity of the CaO/mSiO₂/Fe₃O₄ is not observed to decrease obviously even after sextic catalyst recirculation, and in particular, the recovery of the catalyst without quality loss is very convenient due to the good magnetic responsiveness of the Fe₃O₄ cores.

Formation of Strong Basicity on Covalent Triazine Frameworks as Catalysts for the Oxidation of Methylene Compounds

Porous solid bases are increasingly attractive for applications in green chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis under relatively mild conditions. Here, covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) were first applied as a support for the porous solid strong bases through a redox process between the base precursor KNO₃ and CTFs, leading to a relatively low calcination temperature (400 °C). As a result, porous organic frameworks possessing ordered microstructures as well as strong basic sites were successfully synthesized. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, temperature programmed desorption of CO₂, and so forth. The obtained solid bases displayed remarkable catalytic activity in the aerobic oxidation of methylene compounds, and the yield of fluorenones could reach 93.6% at 120 °C, which was nearly 3 times higher than that of the control catalyst. The current research may present a new idea for the construction of porous organic polymers with strong basicity.

Potassium-incorporated mesoporous carbons: strong solid bases with enhanced catalytic activity and stability

Through chemical activation combined with the hard-templating strategy, potassium-incorporated mesoporous carbons were fabricated which showed strong basicity and enhanced catalytic performance.

Metal-organic and covalent organic frameworks as single-site catalysts

Heterogeneous single-site catalysts consist of isolated, well-defined, active sites that are spatially separated in a given solid and, ideally, structurally identical. In this review, the potential of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as platforms for the development of heterogeneous single-site catalysts is reviewed thoroughly. In the first part of this article, synthetic strategies and progress in the implementation of such sites in these two classes of materials are discussed. Because these solids are excellent playgrounds to allow a better understanding of catalytic functions, we highlight the most important recent advances in the modelling and spectroscopic characterization of single-site catalysts based on these materials. Finally, we discuss the potential of MOFs as materials in which several single-site catalytic functions can be combined within one framework along with their potential as powerful enzyme-mimicking materials. The review is wrapped up with our personal vision on future research directions.

Fabrication of Palladium Nanoparticles on Porous Aromatic Frameworks as a Sensing Platform to Detect Vanillin

Here, we report the fabrication of palladium nanoparticles on porous aromatic frameworks (Pd/PAF-6) using a facile chemical approach, which was characterized by various spectro- and electrochemical techniques. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) response of Pd/PAF-6 toward the vanillin (VA) sensor shows a linear relationship over concentrations (10-820 pM) and a low detection limit (2 pM). Pd/PAF-6 also exhibited good anti-interference performance toward 2-fold excess of ascorbic acid, nitrophenol, glutathione, glucose, uric acid, dopamine, ascorbic acid, 4-nitrophenol, glutathione, glucose, uric acid, dopamine, and 100-fold excess of Na(+), Mg(2+), and K(+) during the detection of VA. The developed electrochemical sensor based on Pd/PAF-6 had good reproducibility, as well as high selectivity and stability. The established sensor revealed that Pd/PAF-6 could be used to detect VA in biscuit and ice cream samples with satisfactory results.

Template-induced in situ dispersion of enhanced basic-sites on sponge-like mesoporous silica and its improved catalytic property

Well-dispersed and enhanced CaO solid base were directly formed on sponge-like mesoporous silica, improved activity occurred at a lower reaction temperature.

Fabrication of Ruthenium Nanoparticles in Porous Organic Polymers: Towards Advanced Heterogeneous Catalytic Nanoreactors

A novel strategy has been adopted for the construction of a copolymer of benzene-benzylamine-1 (BBA-1), which is a porous organic polymer (POP) with a high BET surface area, through Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzylamine and benzene by using formaldehyde dimethyl acetal as a cross-linker and anhydrous FeCl3 as a promoter. Ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) were successfully distributed in the interior cavities of polymers through NaBH4, ethylene glycol, and hydrothermal reduction routes, which delivered Ru-A, Ru-B, and Ru-C materials, respectively, and avoided aggregation of metal NPs. Homogeneous dispersion, the nanoconfinement effect of the polymer, and the oxidation state of Ru NPs were verified by employing TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping, cross polarization magic-angle spinning (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analytical tools. These three new Ru-based POP materials exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes at RT (with a reaction time of only ≈ 30 min), with high conversion, selectivity, stability, and recyclability for several catalytic cycles, compared with other traditional materials, such as Ru@C, Ru@SiO2, and Ru@TiO2, but no clear agglomeration or loss of catalytic activity was observed. The high catalytic performance of the ruthenium-based POP materials is due to the synergetic effect of nanoconfinement and electron donation offered by the 3D POP network. DFT calculations showed that hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over the Ru (0001) catalyst surface through a direct reaction pathway is more favorable than that through an indirect reaction pathway.

A new redox strategy for low-temperature formation of strong basicity on mesoporous silica

Strong basicity can be generated on mesoporous silica by using the redox interaction of a base precursor with methanol vapor.