Graphene oxide: An efficient recyclable solid acid for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes from aldehydes and indoles in water

Magnetic Aerogels for Room-Temperature Catalytic Production of Bis(indolyl)methane Derivatives

The potential of aerogels as catalysts for the synthesis of a relevant class of bis-heterocyclic compounds such as bis(indolyl)methanes was investigated. In particular, the studied catalyst was a nanocomposite aerogel based on nanocrystalline nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) dispersed on amorphous porous silica aerogel obtained by two-step sol-gel synthesis followed by gel drying under supercritical conditions and calcination treatments. It was found that the NiFe2O4/SiO2 aerogel is an active catalyst for the selected reaction, enabling high conversions at room temperature, and it proved to be active for three repeated runs. The catalytic activity can be ascribed to both the textural and acidic features of the silica matrix and of the nanocrystalline ferrite. In addition, ferrite nanocrystals provide functionality for magnetic recovery of the catalyst from the crude mixture, enabling time-effective separation from the reaction environment. Evidence of the retention of species involved in the reaction into the catalyst is also pointed out, likely due to the porosity of the aerogel together with the affinity of some species towards the silica matrix. Our work contributes to the study of aerogels as catalysts for organic reactions by demonstrating their potential as well as limitations for the room-temperature synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes.

Recent Advances on Direct Functionalization of Indoles in Aqueous Media

Indoles and their derivatives have dominated a significant proportion of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds and play an essential role in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, pesticides, and advanced materials. Compared with conventional synthetic strategies, direct functionalization of indoles provides straightforward access to construct diverse indole scaffolds. As we enter an era emphasizing green and sustainable chemistry, utilizing environment-friendly solvents represented by water demonstrates great potential in synthesizing valuable indole derivatives. This review aims to depict the critical aspects of aqueous-mediated indoles functionalization over the past decade and discusses the future challenges and prospects in this fast-growing field. For the convenience of readers, this review is classified into three parts according to the bonding modes (C-C, C-N, and C-S bonds), which focus on the diversity of indole derivatives, the prominent role of water in the chemical process, and the types of catalyst systems and mechanisms. We hope this review can promote the sustainable development of the direct functionalization of indoles and their derivatives and the discovery of novel and practical organic methods in aqueous phase.

Catalytic applications of graphene oxide towards the synthesis of bioactive scaffolds through the formation of carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bonds

During the past several decades, metal-based catalysis is one of the major and direct approaches for the synthesis of organic molecules. Nowadays, materials containing predominantly carbon element which are termed as carbocatalysts, become the most promising area of research to replace transition metal catalysts. In this context of carbocatalysis, the use of graphene oxide (GO) and GO-based materials are under spotlight due to their sustainability, environmental benignity and large scale-availability. The presence of oxygen containing functional groups in GO makes it benign oxidant and slightly acidic catalyst. This chapter provides a broad discussion on graphene oxide (GO) as well as its preparation, properties and vast area of application. The catalytic activity of GO has been explored in different organic transformations and it has been recognized as an oxidation catalyst for various organic reactions.

Brønsted-acid-catalyzed selective Friedel-Crafts monoalkylation of isatins with indolizines in water

The controlled mono-addition of indolizines to isatins under very mild conditions is described. The reaction occurs in water using diphenylphosphate as the catalyst, which is dramatically accelerated by surfactant addition. 3-Hydroxy-3-indolizinyl-2-oxindole scaffolds were synthesized in up to >99% yield. Notably, in organic solvents only bis-addition products were observed.

Graphene-based carbocatalysts for carbon-carbon bond formation

Organic transformations are usually catalyzed by metal-based catalysts. In contrast, metal-free catalysts have attracted considerable attention from the viewpoint of sustainability and safety. Among the studies in metal-free catalysis, graphene-based materials have been introduced in the reactions that are usually catalyzed by transition metal catalysts. This review covers the literature (up to the beginning of April 2020) on the use of graphene and its derivatives as carbocatalysts for C-C bond-forming reactions, which are one of the fundamental reactions in organic syntheses. Besides, mechanistic studies are included for the rational understanding of the catalysis. Graphene has significant potential in the field of metal-free catalysis because of the fine-tunable potential of the structure, high stability and durability, and no metal contamination, making it a next-generation candidate material in catalysis.

Bio-reduction of Graphene Oxide: Catalytic Applications of (Reduced) GO in Organic Synthesis

This work is based on various bio-reduction of graphene oxide into reduced graphene oxide and their applications in organic synthesis and group transformations. Graphene oxide, with abundant oxygencontaining functional groups on its basal plane, provides potential advantages, including excellent dispersibility in solvents and the good heterogeneous catalyst. This manuscript reviews various methods of synthesis of graphene and graphene oxide and a comparative study on their advantages and disadvantages, how to overcome disadvantages and covers extensive relevant literature review. In the last few years, investigation based on replacing the chemical reduction methods by some bio-compatible, chemical/impurity-free rGO including flash photo reductions, hydrothermal dehydration, solvothermal reduction, electrochemical approach, microwave-assisted reductions, light and radiation-induced reductions has been reported. Particularly, plant extracts have been applied significantly as an efficient reducing agent due to their huge bioavailability and low cost for bio-reduction of graphene oxide. These plant extracts mainly contain polyphenolic compounds, which readily get oxidized to the corresponding unreactive quinone form, which are the driving force for choosing them as bio-compatible catalyst. Currently, efforts are being made to develop biocompatible methods for the reduction of graphene oxide. The reduction abilities of such phytochemicals have been reported in the synthesis and stabilization of various nanoparticles viz. Ag, Au, Fe and Pd. Various part of plant extract has been applied for the green reduction of graphene oxide. Furthermore, the manuscript describes the catalytic applications of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide nanosheets as efficient carbo-catalysts for valuable organic transformations. Herein, important works dedicated to exploring graphene-based materials as carbocatalysts, including GO and rGO for organic synthesis including various functional group transformations, oxidation, reduction, coupling reaction and a wide number of multicomponent reactions have been highlighted. Finally, the aim of this study is to provide an outlook on future trends and perspectives for graphene-based materials in metal-free carbo-catalysis in green synthesis of various pharmaceutically important moieties.

Enzymatic approach to cascade synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes in pure water

TLIM: lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus immobilized on particle silica gel.

Protocols for the Syntheses of 2,2'-Bis(indolyl)arylmethanes, 2-Benzylated Indoles, and 5,7-Dihydroindolo[2,3-b]carbazoles

The electrophilic substitution reaction of 4,7-dihydroindole with aryl-aldehydes as an electrophilic partner followed by an oxidation step to deliver 2,2'-bis(indolyl)arylmethanes was studied for the first time. The reaction afforded regioselectivity at the 2,2'-positions of indole in an operationally simple and inexpensive procedure with a variety of substrates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first set of examples of 2,2'-bis(indolyl)arylmethanes obtained in a substituent-free manner. A facile method from dipyrromethanes to the corresponding 2-benzylindoles was also reported. In addition, 2,2'-bis(indolyl)arylmethanes were converted to 5,7-dihydroindolo[2,3-b]carbazoles.

Graphene oxide mediated thiolation of indoles in water: a green and sustainable approach to synthesize 3-sulfenylindoles

Graphene oxide, a green and recyclable catalyst, was developed to synthesize 3-sulfenylindoles in water.

Thiamine hydrochloride as a recyclable organocatalyst for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes, tris(indolyl)methanes, 3,3-di(indol-3-yl)indolin-2-ones and biscoumarins

Thiamine hydrochloride was identified as an eco-friendly organocatalyst for the synthesis of a broad range of bis(indolyl)methanes, tris(indolyl)methanes, 3,3-di(indol-3-yl)indolin-2-ones and biscoumarin derivatives in good to excellent yields.

Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes Using Hyper-Cross-Linked Polyaromatic Spheres Decorated with Bromomethyl Groups as Efficient and Recyclable Catalysts

Highly uniform and hyper-cross-linked polyphenanthrene and polypyrene microspheres were synthesized by Friedel-Crafts bromomethylation of phenanthrene (Phn) and pyrene (Py) in the presence of zinc bromide as a catalyst, followed by self-polymerization of bromomethylated Phn and Py. The resultant 3-D carbon microspheres consisting of micro-, meso-, and macropores bear peripheral unreacted bromomethyl groups, which are directly utilized as catalysts to efficiently promote the electrophilic substitution reaction of indoles with aldehydes to yield a variety of bis(indolyl)methanes. The important features of this catalysis are easy catalyst synthesis, high product yields, environmental benignity, short reaction time, broad substrate scope, use of nontoxic solvents, and recyclability.

Synthesis of functionalized dihydro-2-oxopyrroles using graphene oxide as heterogeneous catalyst

A mild, efficient synthetic approach for the synthesis of highly functionalized dihydro-2-oxopyrroles is developed by using graphene oxide, a readily available and inexpensive material, as an eco-benign solid acid catalyst in ethanol at room temperature. The present methodology displays several advantages such as practical simplicity, high atom economy, easy workup procedure, and high yields of the products.

Solvent-Free Addition of Indole to Aldehydes: Unexpected Synthesis of Novel 1-[1-(1H-Indol-3-yl) Alkyl]-1H-Indoles and Preliminary Evaluation of Their Cytotoxicity in Hepatocarcinoma Cells

New 1-[1-(1H-indol-3-yl) alkyl]-1H-indoles, surprisingly, have been obtained from the addition of indole to a variety of aldehydes under neat conditions. CaO, present in excess, was fundamental for carrying out the reaction with paraformaldehyde. Under the same reaction conditions, aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes afforded only classical bis (indolyl) aryl indoles. In this paper, the role of CaO, together with the regiochemistry and the mechanism of the reaction, are discussed in detail. The effect of some selected 3,3′- and 1,3′-diindolyl methane derivatives on cell proliferation of the hepatoma cell line FaO was also evaluated.

A one-pot synthesis of 2,2'-disubstituted diindolylmethanes (DIMs) via a sequential Sonogashira coupling and cycloisomerization/C3-functionalization of 2-iodoanilines

A Pd(ii)-Ag(i) catalyzed highly efficient synthesis of diindolylmethane has been developed. This transformation consists of a one-pot sequential Sonogashira coupling (and desilylation) followed by cycloisomerization/C3-functionalization of 2-iodoanilines. Six new bonds (four C-C and two C-N) are formed in a one-pot fashion. A variety of diindolylmethanes were obtained in excellent yields (up to 94%) under mild reaction conditions and this strategy is amenable to gram scale synthesis also. The products were transformed into various synthetically useful compounds.