Highly selective menthol synthesis by one-pot transformation of citronellal using Ru/H-BEA catalysts

One-Pot Synthesis of Menthol from Citral and Citronellal Over Heterogeneous Catalysts

One-pot synthesis of menthol from citronellal or citral was summarized. Both batch and continuous reactors have been recently applied. This reaction is very complex and a bifunctional catalyst exhibiting especially Lewis acid sites for cyclisation of citronellal to isopulegol are needed, while metal particles are required for its hydrogenation to menthols. Typically, too mild acidity of the catalyst and small particles do not catalyze menthol formation. Furthermore, too high acidity causes catalyst deactivation and dehydration of menthol. Very high menthol yields have been obtained in batch reactor over nobel and transition metal supported bifunctional catalysts. Shape selectivity was demonstrated for Ni-supported on Zr-modified beta zeolite, which gave high diastereoselectivity to the desired L-menthol. Recently one-pot synthesis of menthol in a trickle bed reactor has been investigated. Catalyst suffers only minor deactivation in transformation of citronellal to menthol, while more severe catalyst deactivation occurred in transforming citral to menthols. Noteworthy from the industrial point of view is that the product distribution obtained with the same catalyst under kinetic regime or under diffusional limitations differs from each other. The metal location and synthesis method of extrudates can have a major effect on the catalyst performance. Kinetic modelling of the data obtained from the trickle bed reactor considering the effectiveness factor is discussed.

Graphical Abstract

The results from one-pot synthesis of menthol finding applications in pharmaceuticals and fragrances from citral and its hydrogenated product, citronellal over bifunctional catalysts metal–acid are summarized. The relationship between the catalyst properties and the performance is discussed. In the continuous mode catalyst deactivation becomes apparent and in such mode of operation the product distribution might differ from those obtained in a batch reactor.

One-Pot Transformation of Citronellal to Menthol Over H-Beta Zeolite Supported Ni Catalyst: Effect of Catalyst Support Acidity and Ni Loading

Citronellal was converted to menthol in a one-pot approach using H-Beta zeolite-based Ni catalyst in a batch reactor at 80 °C, under 20 bar of total pressure. The effects of H-Beta acidity (H-Beta-25 with the molar ratio SiO2/Al2O3 = 25 and H-Beta-300 with SiO2/Al2O3 = 300) and Ni loading (5, 10 and 15 wt %) on the catalytic performance were investigated. Ni was impregnated on H-Beta support using the evaporation-impregnation method. The physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, ICP-OES, N2 physisorption, TPR, and pyridine adsorption–desorption FTIR techniques. Activity and selectivity of catalysts were strongly affected by the Brønsted and Lewis acid sites concentration and strength, Ni loading, its particle size and dispersion. A synergetic effect of appropriate acidity and suitable Ni loading in 15 wt.% Ni/H-Beta-25 catalyst led to the best performance giving 36% yield of menthols and 77% stereoselectivity to ( ±)-menthol isomer at 93% citronellal conversion. Moreover, the catalyst was successfully regenerated and reused giving similar activity, selectivity and stereoselectivity to the desired ( ±)-menthol isomer as the fresh one.

Graphical Abstract

Design of γ-Alumina-Supported Phosphotungstic Acid-Palladium Bifunctional Catalyst for Catalytic Liquid-Phase Citral Hydrogenation

This study primarily addresses the development of dynamic, selective and economical metal–acid (bifunctional) catalysts for one-pot menthol production by citral hydrogenation. Specifically, various metals such as Pd, Pt, Ni, Cs and Sn were doped over alumina support. Additionally, bifunctional composite catalysts were also prepared with the impregnation of heteropoly acids and Pd precursors over alumina support. Analytical techniques (e.g., BET, PXRD, FT-IR, pyridine adsorption and amine titration methods) were applied for characterization of the most efficient and selective catalysts (e.g., Al2O3 and PTA-Cat-I). Similarly, most of the essential operational variables (e.g., loading rate of metal precursor, type of heteropoly acid, temperature, gas pressure and reaction time) were examined during this study. The experimental data shows that the bifunctional catalyst (PTA-Cat-I) produced 45% menthol at full citral substrate conversion (r = 0.038 mmoles.min−1) in liquid-phase citral hydrogenation (at optimized operating conditions: 70 °C, 0.5 MPa and 8 h). However, the heteropoly acid-supported bifunctional catalysts (e.g., PTA-Cat-I, PMA-Cat-I, SMA-Cat-I and STA-Cat-I) resulted in cracking and the dehydration of isopulegol/menthol by the generation of side products (e.g., 4-isopropyl-1-methyl, cyclohex-1-ane/ene); therefore, menthol yield was extensively diminished. On the other hand, non-acidic catalysts (e.g., Cat-I, Cat-II, Cat-III, Cat-IV and Cat-V) readily promoted hydrogenation reactions. The optimum menthol yield occurred due to the presence of strong Lewis and weak Bronsted acid sites. Mass transfer and reaction rate were substantially diminished due to acidity strength, heteropoly acid type and blockage of pores by the applied bifunctional catalysts.

Enantiomeric Isopulegol as the Chiral Pool in the Total Synthesis of Bioactive Agents

Isopulegol, a pool of abundant chiral terpene, has long served as the starting material for the total synthesis of isopulegol-based drugs. As an inexpensive and versatile starting material, this compound continues to serve modern synthetic chemistry. This review highlights the total syntheses of terpenoids in the period from 1980 to 2020 in which with isopulegol applied as a building block.

Catalytic transformations of citral in a continuous flow over bifunctional Ru-MCM-41 extrudates

The three-step reaction of citral to menthol was investigated in an autoclave and a trickle-bed reactor over Ru-MCM-41 catalysts in powder and shaped forms, respectively, with the same composition and controlled metal location.

Cascade transformations of (±)-citronellal to menthol over extruded Ru-MCM-41 catalysts in a continuous reactor

Catalytic cascade transformations of (±)-citronellal in a continuous mode over bifunctional ruthenium/MCM-41/binder extrudates with different metal location.

Synthesis of menthol from citronellal over supported Ru- and Pt-catalysts in continuous flow

One-pot menthol synthesis in a trickle bed reactor was investigated using Ru/H-beta-300 extrudates without any binder and Pt- and Ru/H-beta-25 extrudates containing 30 wt% bentonite binder using different methods of metal loading on the extrudates.

Flow Pickering Emulsion Interfaces Enhance Catalysis Efficiency and Selectivity for Cyclization of Citronellal

Cyclization of citronellal is a necessary intermediate step to produce the important flavor chemical (-)-menthol. Here, a continuous-flow Pickering emulsion (FPE) strategy for selective cyclization of citronellal to (-)-isopulegol by using water droplets hosting a heteropolyacid (HPA) catalyst to fill a column reactor is demonstrated. Owing to the large liquid-liquid interface and the excellent confinement ability of droplets toward HPA, the FPE system exhibited a much higher catalysis efficiency than its batch counterpart (2-5-fold) and an excellent durability (two months). Moreover, a remarkably enhanced selectivity was observed from 34.8 % for batch reactions to 64 % for the FPE reactions. It was found that the water droplet size and the flow rate significantly impact the catalysis selectivity and efficiency. This study not only represents an unprecedented and sustainable process for the selective cyclization of citronellal but also demonstrates a new flow-interface catalysis effect that can be useful for designing innovative catalysis systems in the future.

Synthesis, characterization and performance of bifunctional catalysts for the synthesis of menthol from citronellal

TUD-1 based catalysts containing WO₃ and Pt were synthesized and assessed in the conversion of citronellal to menthol. The hydrogenation on Pt is highest for small WO₃ particles, while their agglomeration leads to a decreased interaction and catalytic performance.

MOFs vs. zeolites: carbonyl activation with M(iv) catalytic sites

Comparative review of the catalytic performance of isolated tetravalent metals as Lewis acid sites in zeolite and MOF materials.

Encapsulation of l-menthol in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and release characteristics of the inclusion complex

l-menthol has been widely used in flavour, food and pharmaceuticals. Because of its high volatility and whisker growth, l-menthol-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex was produced to improve shelf-life, provide protection, and enhance the stability of l-menthol. The inclusion complex was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction. The results show that l-menthol was successfully encapsulated in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. l-menthol loading capacity is about 8.44%. Geometries and binding energies of l-menthol-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes were investigated using molecular mechanics calculations. The shape and orientation of the most stable complex, and the minimum binding energy were determined. L-menthol release from complex was determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Two l-menthol release rate peaks were observed at 69.3 and 279.1°C. The l-menthol release reaction order, release activation energy and the preexponential factor were obtained.

Terpenoids with Special Pharmacological Significance: A Review

Terpenoids are a very prominent class of natural compounds produced in diverse genera of plants, fungi, algae and sponges. They gained significant pharmaceutical value since prehistoric times, due to their broad spectrum of medical applications. The fragrant leaves of Eucalyptus trees are a rich source of terpenoids. Therefore this review starts by summarizing the main terpenoid compounds present in Eucalyptus globulus, E. citriodora, E. radiata and E. resinifera and describing their biosynthetic pathways. Of the enormous number of pharmaceutically important terpenoids, this paper also reviews some well established and recently discovered examples and discusses their medical applications. In this context, the synthetic processes for (–)-menthol, (–)- cis-carveol, (+)-artemisinine, (+)-merrilactone A and (–)-sclareol are presented. The tricyclic sesquiterpene (–)-englerin A isolated from the stem bark of the Phyllanthus engleri plant ( Euphorbiaceae) is highly active against certain renal cancer cell lines. In addition, recent studies showed that englerin A is also a potent and selective activator of TRPC4 and TRPC5 calcium channels. These important findings were the motivation for several renowned research labs to achieve a total synthesis of (–)-englerin A. Two prominent examples – Christmann and Metz – are compared and discussed in detail.