A Facile Direct Route to N-(Un)substituted Lactams by Cycloamination of Oxocarboxylic Acids without External Hydrogen

Photocatalytic C-N bond construction toward high-value nitrogenous chemicals

The construction of carbon-nitrogen bonds is vital for producing versatile nitrogenous compounds for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Among developed synthetic approaches to nitrogenous chemicals, photocatalysis is particularly prominent and has become one of the emerging fields due to its unique advantages of eco-sustainable characteristics, efficient process integration, no need for high-pressure H2, and tunable synthesis methods for developing advanced photocatalytic materials. Here, the review focuses on potential photocatalytic protocols developed for the construction of robust carbon-nitrogen bonds in discrepant activation environments to produce high-value nitrogenous chemicals. The photocatalytic C-N bond construction strategies and involved reaction mechanisms are elucidated.

Ru-Catalyzed Direct Asymmetric Reductive Amination of Bio-Based Levulinic Acid and Ester for the Synthesis of Chiral Pyrrolidinone

Direct asymmetric reductive amination of bio-based levulinic acid (LA) to the enantioenriched 5-methylpyrrolidinone is achieved by using a readily available chiral Ru/bisphosphine catalyst with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96 % ee) and high isolated yield (up to 89 %). Methyl levulinate (ML), a byproduct from the industrial production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), can be used instead of LA with similar reactivity and selectivity. Mass spectrometry and isotope labelling studies indicate that the chiral lactam is formed via imine-enamine tautomerization/cyclization followed by asymmetric hydrogenation of the cyclic enamide.

Synthesis and Insecticidal Activity of Fire Ant Venom Alkaloid-Based 2-Methyl-6-alkyl-Δ1,6-piperideines

2,6-dialkylpiperideines found in the venom of Solenopsis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fire ants are a range of compounds possessing various biological activities. A series of racemic 2-methyl-6-alkyl-Δ^1,6-piperideines were synthesized for chemical confirmation of the natural products found in fire ant venom, and the evaluation of their biological activity. Synthetic Δ^1,6-piperideines and the natural compounds in the cis-alkaloid fraction of Solenopsis invicta had identical mass spectra and retention times. Their insecticidal activities against the third-instar larvae of cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) were evaluated by using injection and topical application methods. All three compounds exhibited no lethal effect at concentrations of 0.05–0.4 mol/L by topical treatment, but moderate lethal effect at 0.4 mol/L through injection treatment. Compound 6a showed significantly higher activity than the natural insecticide nicotine. The differences in activity among compounds 6b, 6c and nicotine were not significant. The elongation of the carbon chain at the 6-position of the piperideine ring appears to decrease insecticidal activity.

Magnetic solid sulfonic acid-enabled direct catalytic production of biomass-derived N-substituted pyrroles

Five-membered nitrogen heterocyclic pyrroles have extremely high physiological activity and are widely used in medicine, agriculture, material chemistry, industry, and supramolecular chemistry. Developing a mild and eco-friendly way to synthesize...

Recyclable Zr/Hf-Containing Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalysts for Hydrogen Transfer Upgrading of Biofuranics: A Review

The massive burning of a large amount of fossil energy has caused a lot of serious environmental issues (e.g., air pollution and climate change), urging people to efficiently explore and valorize sustainable alternatives. Biomass is being deemed as the only organic carbon-containing renewable resource for the production of net-zero carbon emission fuels and fine chemicals. Regarding this, the selective transformation of high-oxygen biomass feedstocks by catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) is a very promising strategy to realize the carbon cycle. Among them, the important Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reaction is believed to be capable of replacing the traditional hydrogenation strategy which generally requires high-pressure H2 and precious metals, aiming to upgrade biomass into downstream biochemical products and fuels. Employing bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts with both acidic and basic sites is needed to catalyze the MPV reaction, which is the key point for domino/cascade reaction in one pot that can eliminate the relevant complicated separation/purification step. Zirconium (Zr) and hafnium (Hf), belonging to transition metals, rich in reserves, can demonstrate similar catalytic efficiency for MPV reaction as that of precious metals. This review introduced the application of recyclable heterogeneous non-noble Zr/Hf-containing catalysts with acid-base bifunctionality for CTH reaction using the safe liquid hydrogen donor. The corresponding catalysts were classified into different types including Zr/Hf-containing metal oxides, supported materials, zeolites, metal-organic frameworks, metal-organic hybrids, and their respective pros and cons were compared and discussed comprehensively. Emphasis was placed on evaluating the bifunctionality of catalytic material and the key role of the active site corresponding to the structure of the catalyst in the MPV reaction. Finally, a concise summary and prospect were also provided centering on the development and suggestion of Zr/Hf-containing acid-base bifunctional catalysts for CTH.

Production of Piperidine and δ-Lactam Chemicals from Biomass-Derived Triacetic Acid Lactone

Piperidine and δ-Lactam chemicals have wide application, which are currently produced from fossil resource in industry. Production of this kind of chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is of great importance, but is challenging and the reported routes give low yield. Herein, we demonstrate the strategy to synthesize 2-methyl piperidine (MP) and 6-methylpiperidin-2-one (MPO) from biomass-derived triacetic acid lactone (TAL) that is produced microbially from glucose. In this route, TAL was firstly converted into 4-hydroxy-6-methylpyridin-2(1H)-one (HMPO) through facile aminolysis, subsequently HMPO was selectively transformed into MP or MPO over Ru catalysts supported on beta zeolite (Ru/BEA-X, X is the molar ratio of Si to Al) via the tandem reaction. It was found that the yield of MP could reach 76.5 % over Ru/BEA-60 in t-BuOH, and the yield of MPO could be 78.5 % in dioxane. Systematic studies reveal that the excellent catalytic performance of Ru/BEA-60 was closely correlated with the cooperative effects between active metal and acidic zeolite with large pore geometries. The related reaction pathway was studied on the basis of control experiments.

3-Bromopyridine-Heterogenized Phosphotungstic Acid for Efficient Trimerization of Biomass-Derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural with 2-Methylfuran to C21 Fuel Precursor

The production of long-chain carbon compounds (C9-C21) from biomass derivatives to alternate traditional fossil diesel is sustainable, eco-friendly, and potentially economic for modern industry. In this work, phosphotungstic acid heterogenized by 3-bromopyridine was achieved using a solvothermal method, which was demonstrated to be efficient for trimerization of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) with 2-methylfuran (2-MF) to C21 fuel precursor (57.1% yield) under mild reaction conditions. The heterogeneous acidic catalyst could be reused for four consecutive cycles without obvious loss of activity, and different characterization techniques (e.g., XRD (X-ray diffraction), TG (thermogravimetric analysis), SEM (scanning electron microscope), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), and BET (Brunauer-Emmet-Teller)) were utilized to investigate the performance of the catalyst. In addition, a plausible reaction pathway was postulated, on the basis of results obtained by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometer). This strategy provides a facile and efficient approach to prepare a recyclable acidic catalyst for the production of diesel fuel precursor from biomass via controllable polymerization.

Efficient Production of Biodiesel from Esterification of Lauric Acid Catalyzed by Ammonium and Silver Co-Doped Phosphotungstic Acid Embedded in a Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework Nanocomposite

A novel solid acid nanocatalyst (Ag₁(NH₄)₂PW₁₂O₄₀/UiO-66) comprising ammonium and silver co-doped H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ and zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66) was synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption. The catalytic activity was evaluated for the synthesis of biodiesel via esterification of lauric acid and methanol. The effect of the operating parameters including the molar ratio of lauric acid to methanol, catalyst amount, and reaction temperature and time on the lauric acid conversion was also investigated to obtain optimum reaction conditions. Also, the composite (Ag₁(NH₄)₂PW₁₂O₄₀/UiO-66) was recyclable and reused up to six cycles. Kinetics of the lauric acid esterification has been assumed to be of a pseudo-first order, and the results showed that the activation energy for the esterification process was found to be 35.2 kJ/mol.