Diethanolamine and N,N-diethylethanolamine ionic liquids as precatalyst-precursors and reaction media in green Heck reaction protocol

Ionic Liquids in Metal, Photo-, Electro-, and (Bio) Catalysis

Ionic liquids (ILs) have unique physicochemical properties that make them advantageous for catalysis, such as low vapor pressure, non-flammability, high thermal and chemical stabilities, and the ability to enhance the activity and stability of (bio)catalysts. ILs can improve the efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability of bio(transformations) by acting as activators of enzymes, selectively dissolving substrates and products, and reducing toxicity. They can also be recycled and reused multiple times without losing their effectiveness. ILs based on imidazolium cation are preferred for structural organization aspects, with a semiorganized layer surrounding the catalyst. ILs act as a container, providing a confined space that allows modulation of electronic and geometric effects, miscibility of reactants and products, and residence time of species. ILs can stabilize ionic and radical species and control the catalytic activity of dynamic processes. Supported IL phase (SILP) derivatives and polymeric ILs (PILs) are good options for molecular engineering of greener catalytic processes. The major factors governing metal, photo-, electro-, and biocatalysts in ILs are discussed in detail based on the vast literature available over the past two and a half decades. Catalytic reactions, ranging from hydrogenation and cross-coupling to oxidations, promoted by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in both single and multiphase conditions, are extensively reviewed and discussed considering the knowledge accumulated until now.

Formation of a vanillic Mannich base – theoretical study

One-pot anti-Mannich reaction of vanillin, aniline and cyclohexanone was successfully catalyzed by ionic liquid triethanolammonium chloroacetate, at room temperature. Yield of the obtained Mannich base was very good and excellent diastereoselectivity was achieved. Mechanism of the reaction was investigated using the density functional theory. The reaction started with a nucleophilic attack of aniline nitrogen at the carbonyl group of vanillin. The intermediate α-amino alcohol formed in this way was further subjected to protonation by the triethanolammonium ion yielding the imminium ion. Theoretically, the obtained imminium ion and the enol form of cyclohexanone can build the protonated Mannich base via the anti and syn pathways. The chloroacetic anion spontaneously abstracts the proton yielding the final product of the reaction anti 2-[1-(N-phenylamino)-1-(4-hydroxy- 3-methoxyphenyl)]methylcyclohexanone (MB-H). The syn pathway requires lower activation energy but the anti pathway yields a thermodynamically more stable product, which implies that the examined Mannich reaction is thermodynamically controlled

Chitosan as a renewable heterogeneous catalyst for the knoevenagel reaction in ionic liquid as green solvent

The combination of chitosan as a renewable heterogeneous catalyst and ionic liquid as a "green" solvent was employed for the Knoevenagel reaction. The chitosan catalyst was characterized by various techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and elemental analysis. Excellent conversions were achieved under mild conditions without the need for an inert atmosphere. There was no contribution from leached active species, and conversion was only being possible in the presence of the solid catalyst. The chitosan catalyst as well as the ionic liquid solvent could be recovered in essentially pure form after being used in the reaction, and each of them could be reused several times without a significant degradation in efficiency.

Understanding chemical reaction mechanisms in ionic liquids: successes and challenges

The focus of this article is an examination of chemical reaction mechanisms in ionic liquids. These mechanisms are compared with those pertaining to the same reactions carried out in conventional solvents. In cases where the mechanisms differ, attempts to provide an explanation in terms of the chemical and physicochemical properties of the reactants and of the components of the ionic liquids are described. A wide range of reactions from different branches of chemistry has been selected for this purpose. A sufficient background for student readers has been included. This tutorial review should also be of interest to kineticists, and to both new and experienced investigators in the ionic liquids field.