Polyionic liquid decorated chitosan beads as versatile metal-free catalysts for catalyzing chemical reactions in aqueous media

Magnetic chitosan supported copper particles as a heterogeneous catalyst for benzaldehyde glycol acetal reaction

In this work, a series of magnetic chitosan (CS) supported-metal catalysts were successfully prepared for the acetalization of benzaldehyde (BzH) with ethylene glycol (EG). The structural properties of the catalysts were characterized by TEM, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, TGA-DTG, SEM-EDX and VSM. The results showed that Fe3O4-CS-Cu(20 %) catalyst possessed the best catalytic efficiency in all prepared catalysts due to its suitable acidity and excellent stability when they were utilized in the acetalization reaction to generate benzaldehyde glycol acetal. The response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design was applied to optimize acetalization reaction conditions with the optimal yield of 96.26 % obtained via 3D surface diagram. The attractive feature of prepared catalysts was easy separation from solutions via an external magnetic field application. This work sheds light on the design of novel chitosan-supported metal catalysts which could be widely applied in acetalization industry.

Heteropolyacid supported on ionic liquid decorated hierarchical faujasite zeolite as an efficient catalyst for glycerol acetalization to solketal

To handle huge amount of glycerol produced in biodiesel industry, glycerol is transformed to value-added products. In this regard, glycerol acetalization to solketal is industrially attractive. As in this process various by-products can be formed, designing highly selective catalysts is of great importance. In this line, we wish to report a novel catalyst that benefits from strong acidity, high specific surface area and thermal stability, which can selectively form solketal in glycerol acetalization. To prepare the catalyst, hierarchical zeolite was prepared via a novel method, in which partially dealuminated NaY was treated with PluronicF-127 and then reacted with NH4NO3 to furnish the H-form zeolite. Hierarchical faujasite was then achieved through calcination and template removal. Subsequently, it was functionalized with ionic liquid and used for the immobilization of heteropolyacid. The results indicated the importance of the mesoprosity of zeolite and the presense of ionic liquid functionality for achiveing high solketal yield. Moreover, among three investigated heteropolyacids, phosphomolybdic acid exhibited the highest catalytic activity. In fact, using 10 wt% catalyst at 55 °C and glycerol to acetone molar ratio of 1:20, solketal with yield of 98% was furnished under solvent-less condition. Besides, the catalyst was recyclable with low leaching of heteropolyacid.

A new role for concentrated solar radiation (CSR) as a renewable heat source for the catalyst-solvent free synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyran scaffolds

Increased energy consumption as a result of population growth and industrialization necessitates the use of renewable energy sources in the field of chemistry. Nonrenewable energy sources release not only greenhouse gases but also other hazardous pollutants that are damaging to all living things. This plainly mandates the researchers' use of a renewable energy source that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. This study shows that a renewable energy source (sunlight) can be used to synthesize tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyran scaffolds using the Knoevenagel-Michael cyclocondensation of aldehyde derivatives, malononitrile, and dimedone via a three-condensation domino reaction. This research establishes a new role for solar energy as a renewable energy source for the synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyran scaffolds under catalyst-solvent-free conditions, with outstanding yields, shorter reaction time, and great atom economy. This cyclization may also be done on a gram scale with free, safe, and clean energy from concentrated solar radiation (CSR), indicating the reaction's potential for industrial applications.

Developing nano-micro size chitosan beads using imidazolium-based ionic liquid: A perspective

The aggressive search for unique materials in recent years has put forward chitosan and modified-chitosan as materials with unique structural and morphological characteristics for various important applications. Just as imidazolium-based ionic liquids are the commonly applied ionic liquids (ILs) type for chitosan modifications for various applications, their further modifications into beads for enhancing their properties is now gaining most attention. However, most of the currently prepared imidazolium ILs modified-chitosan beads are not in nano size due to preparation difficulties. In response to this and referencing the research works in the literature, the possible breakthrough directions including synthesis routes, and physical and mechanical transformation processes are proposed. These procedures are expected to provide certain theoretical and empirical basis, as well as technical guide for developing nano-micro size chitosan beads using imidazolium based ILs.

Chitosan bead containing metal-organic framework encapsulated heteropolyacid as an efficient catalyst for cascade condensation reaction

Using cyclodextrin and chitosan that are bio-based compounds, a novel bi-functional catalytic composite is designed, in which metal-organic framework encapsulated phosphomolybdic acid was incorporated in a dual chitosan-cyclodextrin nanosponge bead. The composite was characterized via XRD, TGA, ICP, BET, NH₃-TPD, FTIR, FE-SEM/EDS, elemental mapping analysis and its catalytic activity was examined in alcohol oxidation and cascade alcohol oxidation-Knoevenagel condensation reaction. It was found that the designed catalyst that possess both acidic feature and redox potential could promote both reactions in aqueous media at 55 °C and various substrates with different electronic features could tolerate the aforementioned reactions to furnish the products in 75-95% yield. Furthermore, the catalyst could be readily recovered and recycled for five runs with slight loss of the catalytic activity. Notably, in this composite the synergism between the components led to high catalytic activity, which was superior to each component. In fact, the amino groups on the chitosan served as catalysts, while cyclodextrin nanosponge mainly acted as a phase transfer agent. Moreover, measurement of phosphomolybdic acid leaching showed that its incorporation in metal-organic framework and bead structure could suppress its leaching, which is considered a drawback for this compound. Other merits of this bi-functional catalyst were its simplicity, use of bio-based compounds and true catalysis, which was proved via hot filtration.

Importance of Hybrid Catalysts toward the Synthesis of 5H-Pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2-ones/2,4-diones (Thiones)

The pyranopyrimidine core is a key precursor for medicinal and pharmaceutical industries due to its broader synthetic applications as well as its bioavailability. Among its four possible isomers, we found that 5H-pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine scaffolds have a wide range of applicability, and in recent years, they have been intensively investigated, but the development of the main core is found to be more challenging due to its structural existence. In this review article, we cover all of the synthetic pathways that are employed for the development of substituted 4-aryl-octahydropyrano/hexahydrofuro[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-one (thiones) and 5-aryl-substituted pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidindione (2-thiones) derivatives through a one-pot multicomponent reaction using diversified hybrid catalysts such as organocatalysts, metal catalysts, ionic liquid catalysts, nanocatalysts, green solvents, catalyst-/solvent-free conditions, and miscellaneous catalysts as well as the mechanism and recyclability of the catalysts. This review mainly focuses on the application of hybrid catalysts (from 1992 to 2022) for the synthesis of 5H-pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine scaffolds. This review will definitely attract the world's leading researchers to utilize broader catalytic applications for the development of lead molecules.

Preparation of a 3D printable high-performance GelMA hydrogel loading with magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

Osteosarcoma remains a worldwide concern due to the poor effectiveness of available therapies in the clinic. Therefore, it is necessary to find a safe and effective therapy to realize the complete resection of osteosarcoma and reconstruction of the bone defect. Magnetic hyperthermia based on magnetic nanoparticles can kill tumor cells by raising the temperature without causing the side effects of conventional cancer treatments. This research aims to design a high-performance magnetic hydrogel composed of gelatin methacrylate and highly magnetic cobalt ferrite (CFO) nanoparticles for osteosarcoma treatment. Specifically, CFO is surface functionalized with methacrylate groups (MeCFO). The surface modified CFO has good biocompatibility and stable solution dispersion ability. Afterward, MeCFO nanoparticles are incorporated into GelMA to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) printable MeCFO/GelMA magnetic hydrogel and then photocross-linked by UV radiation. MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel has high porosity and swelling ability, indicating that the hydrogel possesses more space and good hydrophily for cell survival. The rheological results showed that the hydrogel has shear thinning property, which is suitable as a bioprinting ink to produce desired structures by a 3D printer. Furthermore, 50 μg/mL MeCFO not only decreases the cell activity of osteosarcoma cells but also promotes the osteogenic differentiation of mBMSCs. The results of the CCK-8 assay and live/dead staining showed that MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel had good cytocompatibility. These results indicated that MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel with potential antitumor and bone reconstruction functions is a promising therapeutic strategy after osteosarcoma resection.

Insights into the recent progress in the medicinal chemistry of pyranopyrimidine analogs

Heterocycles containing the pyranopyrimidine motif have attracted the interest of researchers in recent decades due to their ability to synthesize and explore at a large scale to explore the biological diversity. Therefore, this review highlights the biological characteristics and synthetic approaches adopted to prepare pyranopyrimidine analogs in the last five years. Several novel preparation procedures have been summarized to synthesize these compounds using ionic, basic, or nanocatalysts or catalyst-free conditions to obtain these compounds in good yields. Pyranopyrimidines could also be used as ligands in the preparation of metal complexes with increased biological potency. The different sections include the antimicrobial, antitubercular, antimalarial, antiviral "SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors", antidiabetic, antitumor, cytotoxic, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, anticoagulant, urease inhibitory activities, and tyrosine inhibitors. The results are discussed based on the structure-activity relationships (SARs) and the mechanism of action.

Chitosan Nanoparticle-Based System: A New Insight into the Promising Controlled Release System for Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer has been recognized as one of the most often diagnosed and perhaps most lethal cancer diseases worldwide. Conventional chemotherapy for lung cancer-related diseases has bumped into various limitations and challenges, including non-targeted drug delivery, short drug retention period, low therapeutic efficacy, and multidrug resistance (MDR). Chitosan (CS), a natural polymer derived from deacetylation of chitin, and comprised of arbitrarily distributed β-(1-4)-linked d-glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (acetylated unit) that exhibits magnificent characteristics, including being mucoadhesive, biodegradable, and biocompatible, has emerged as an essential element for the development of a nano-particulate delivery vehicle. Additionally, the flexibility of CS structure due to the free protonable amino groups in the CS backbone has made it easy for the modification and functionalization of CS to be developed into a nanoparticle system with high adaptability in lung cancer treatment. In this review, the current state of chitosan nanoparticle (CNP) systems, including the advantages, challenges, and opportunities, will be discussed, followed by drug release mechanisms and mathematical kinetic models. Subsequently, various modification routes of CNP for improved and enhanced therapeutic efficacy, as well as other restrictions of conventional drug administration for lung cancer treatment, are covered.

Recent advancements in the multicomponent synthesis of heterocycles integrated with a pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine core

Heterocyclic compounds incorporated with a pyranopyrimidine skeleton have received substantial consideration owing to their privileged, and intelligible biodiversity. Accordingly, this review highlights the multicomponent synthetic routes adopted to prepare heterocyclic compounds incorporated with the pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine skeleton in the preceding two years. The different sections comprise the synthesis of bicyclic, tricyclic, polycyclic, and spirocyclic systems along with the estimation of the probable mechanistic routes for the reaction pathways. Commonly, the pyran ring closure was the major idea of most studies, and the mechanistic pathways of these reactions involved Knoevenagel condensation, Michael addition, and intramolecular cyclocondensation. Besides, the significant biological potency of the compounds recently synthesized from multicomponent reactions is deliberated.

The present review highlighted the recent developments of the multicomponent synthesis of heterocyclic compounds with pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine skeleton applying the diverse strategies.

Halloysite Nanoclay with High Content of Sulfonic Acid-Based Ionic Liquid: A Novel Catalyst for the Synthesis of Tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyrans

One of the main drawbacks of supported ionic liquids is their low loading and consequently, low activity of the resultant catalysts. To furnish a solution to this issue, a novel heterocyclic ligand with multi imine sites was introduced on the surface of amino-functionalized halloysite support via successive reactions with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and 2-aminopyrimidine. Subsequently, the imine sites were transformed to sulfonic acid-based ionic liquids via reaction with 1,4-butanesultone. Using this strategy, high loading of ionic liquid was loaded on halloysite nanoclay. The supported ionic liquid was then characterized with XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, FTIR, BET, TGA and elemental mapping analysis and utilized as a metal-free Brønsted acid catalyst for promoting one-pot reaction of aldehydes, dimedone and malononitrile to furnish tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyrans. The catalytic tests confirmed high performance of the catalyst. Moreover, the catalyst was stable upon recycling.