Dual Heterogeneous Catalyst Pd–Au@Mn(II)-MOF for One-Pot Tandem Synthesis of Imines from Alcohols and Amines

Electro-Synthesis of Organic Compounds with Heterogeneous Catalysis

Electro-organic synthesis has attracted a lot of attention in pharmaceutical science, medicinal chemistry, and future industrial applications in energy storage and conversion. To date, there has not been a detailed review on electro-organic synthesis with the strategy of heterogeneous catalysis. In this review, the most recent advances in synthesizing value-added chemicals by heterogeneous catalysis are summarized. An overview of electrocatalytic oxidation and reduction processes as well as paired electrocatalysis is provided, and the anodic oxidation of alcohols (monohydric and polyhydric), aldehydes, and amines are discussed. This review also provides in-depth insight into the cathodic reduction of carboxylates, carbon dioxide, CC, C≡C, and reductive coupling reactions. Moreover, the electrocatalytic paired electro-synthesis methods, including parallel paired, sequential divergent paired, and convergent paired electrolysis, are summarized. Additionally, the strategies developed to achieve high electrosynthesis efficiency and the associated challenges are also addressed. It is believed that electro-organic synthesis is a promising direction of organic electrochemistry, offering numerous opportunities to develop new organic reaction methods.

Metal- and oxidant-free electrochemically promoted oxidative coupling of amines

The selective oxidation of amines into imines is a priority research topic in organic synthesis and has attracted much attention over the past few decades. However, the oxidation of amines generally suffers from the drawback of transition-metal, even noble-metal catalysts. Thus, the strategy of metal- and oxidant-free selective synthesis of imines is highly desirable yet largely unmet. This paper unravels a metal-free and external oxidant-free electrochemical strategy for the oxidative coupling methodology of amines. This general transformation is compatible with various functional amines and led to functionalized imines in moderate to satisfactory yields.

Step by Step Construction of Multifunctional Hollow Double Shell MNPs@MOF as a Powerful Tandem/Cascade Catalyst

The development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for one-pot tandem/cascade synthesis of imines remains meaningful and challenging. Herein, we constructed an Au/MOF catalyst featured hollow and double MOF shell nanostructure. Owing to its structural merits and acid-basic nature, the as-synthesized Void|(Au)ZIF-8|ZIF-8 catalyst exhibited an enhanced synergistically catalytic performance for tandem catalytic synthesis of imines from benzyl alcohol and aniline under air atmosphere and solvent-free condition. Its 170.16 h⁻¹ of turnover frequency (TOF) was 2.5 times higher than that of the reported catalyst with the highest TOF value.

Enhanced Catalytic Performance of Quasi-HKUST-1 for the Tandem Imine Formation

Copper-based metal-organic framework (Cu₃ (BTC)₂ (H₂ O)₃ ]_n ⋅nH₂ OMeOH (HKUST-1) has been subjected to thermolysis under air atmosphere at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 300 °C. This treatment produces the partial removal of ligands, the generation of structural defects and additional porosity in a controlled way. The resulting defective materials denoted according to the literature as quasi-MOFs, were subsequently employed as heterogeneous catalysts in the one pot synthesis of N-benzylideneaniline from aniline and benzyl alcohol in open air as terminal oxidant at 70 °C under base- and dehydrating agent-free conditions. The Q-HKUST catalysts calcined at 240 °C (QH-240) was the most efficient in the series, promoting imine synthesis. Data from Knoevenagel condensation of malononitrile shows that in QH-240 the distances of Cu ions in HKUST-1 cavities are preserved, increasing the Knoevenagel activity, but a strong rearrangement takes place at 300 °C or above. The unsaturated copper active sites with simultaneous presence of micro- and mesopores in QH-240 are responsible for this excellent catalytic performance. The effective parameters on catalytic activity of QH-240 including deligandation temperature, the amount of catalyst, the ratio of reactants, and reaction temperature as well as the stability and recyclability of the catalyst were also investigated. The possible mechanism used by QH-240 follows alcohol aerobic oxidation and subsequent anaerobic condensation of aldehyde intermediate with aniline.

An advancement in the synthesis of nano Pd@magnetic amine-Functionalized UiO-66-NH2 catalyst for cyanation and O-arylation reactions

The magnetic MOF-based catalytic system has been reported here to be an efficient catalyst for synthesis of benzonitriles and diarylethers of aryl halides under optimal conditions. The MOF catalyst was built based on magnetic nanoparticles and UiO-66-NH₂ which further modified with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and 5-phenyl tetrazole at the same time and the catalyst structure was confirmed by various techniques. This new modification has been applied to increase anchoring palladium into the support. Furthermore, the products' yields were obtained in good to excellent for all reactions under mild conditions which result from superior activity of the synthesized heterogeneous catalyst containing palladium. Also, the magnetic property of the MOF-based catalyst makes it easy to separate from reaction mediums and reuse in the next runs.

Promotional effect of embedded Ni NPs in alginate-based carbon toward Pd NPs efficiency for high-concentration p-nitrophenol reduction

Noble metal-based catalytic material with maximum utilization is of prime attraction for conserving rare metal resources. Herein, highly dispersion Ni nanoparticles (NPs)-modified N-doped mesoporous carbon material (Ni-N@C) was fabricated by pyrolysis of Ni²⁺/Histidine cross-linked alginate hydrogels. In a step forward, the obtained Ni-N@C nanocatalyst was treated by the solution of Pd²⁺, and tiny amount of Pd NPs were deposited on the surface of Ni via the reducibility of Ni to achieve the high dispersion of precious metals material. In the degradation of highly-concentration p-nitrophenol, the catalyst presents excellent performance which could completely degrade pollutants within a very short period. It was demonstrated that pre-embedded Ni NPs could not only increase the efficiency of Pd NPs but also endow the facile separation characteristic to the catalyst. Besides, the catalyst maintained favorable catalytic capacity even after five reaction cycles. In brief, this work may provide novel guidance for the maximum utilization of noble metal-modified mesoporous N-doped carbon-supported catalysts in practical applications of industrial and the treatment highly-concentration p-nitrophenol.

Tandem imine formation via auto-hydrogen transfer from alcohols to nitro compounds catalyzed by a nanomagnetically recyclable copper catalyst under solvent-free conditions

A direct imination reaction was developed by tandem reaction of alcohols and nitro compounds in the presence of Cu-isatin Schiff base-γ-Fe₂O₃ as a nanomagnetically recyclable catalyst under solvent-free conditions. By this method, various imines were prepared in good to high yields from one-pot reaction of various alcohols (primary aromatic and aliphatic) and nitro compounds (aromatic and aliphatic) via an auto-hydrogen transfer reaction. Use of an inexpensive and easily reusable catalyst, without requiring any additives or excess amounts of benzyl alcohol as the reaction solvent are the other advantages of this method. This catalytic system has the merits of cost effectiveness, environmental benignity, excellent recyclability and good reproducibility.

A direct imination reaction was developed by tandem reaction of alcohols and nitro compounds in the presence of Cu-isatin Schiff base-γ-Fe₂O₃ as a nanomagnetically recyclable catalyst.

Structures and catalytic oxidative coupling reaction of four Co-MOFs modified with R-isophthalic acid (RH, OH and COOH) and trigonal ligands

Four Co-MOFs involving R-isophthalic acid and n-TBT ligands have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Co-MOF-4 exhibits excellent catalytic performance for the oxidative coupling reaction under solvent-free condition and an air atmosphere.

Heterometallic coordination polymers as heterogeneous electrocatalysts

Heterometallic coordination polymers have been rapidly developed as heterogeneous electrocatalysts. This review highlights the synthesis strategies of these polymers and the relationships between structures and electrocatalytic performances.

Synthesis of stable and highly efficient Au@ZIF-8 for selective hydrogenation of nitrophenol

A series of nanoparticles (NPs) with different Au content was successfully encapsulated into metal organic framework ZIF-8 with highly porous structure through room-temperature crystallization. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to characterize the obtained Au@ZIF-8 heterogeneous catalytic material comprehensively. Au NPs were dispersed uniformly in the ZIF-8 and the Au NP diameter was 5-6 nm. The crystal structure of ZIF-8 was unchanged when compared with that before Au loading. It was found that the Au content plays an important role in the hydrogenation reaction. The obtained Au@ZIF-8 exhibited high hydrogenation activity to nitrophenol and excellent selectivity to aminophenol. The recyclability of the Au@ZIF-8 catalysts showed excellent catalytic performance and great stability in the recycling reaction.

Pd/APN-Mn(BTC) as novel, highly efficient, and recyclable catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reaction

A novel, heterogeneous, and bifunctional metal organic framework containing palladium and manganese, Pd/APN-Mn(BTC), has been prepared and completely characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS, N2 adsorption–desorption, TG-DTG, NH3-TPD, and ICP analytical techniques. The APN-Mn(BTC) framework has been shown to be a useful platform for the stabilization and support of palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs). Very effective catalytic activity has been exhibited by the highly dispersed Pd particles, Pd-NPs/APN-Mn(BTC), in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction with reasonable to excellent reaction yields under mild conditions in H2O–ethanol solvent.

A new cobalt metal-organic framework as a substrate for Pd nanoparticles applied in high-efficiency nitro phenol degradation and cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation

In recent years, attributed to the excellent catalytic performance of precious metal materials, metal nanoparticles@MOF catalyst has been a popular research direction. Herein, we have synthesized a new 3D cobalt metal-organic framework [Co(TATAB)(344-pytpy)·DMF]n(H3TATAB = 4,4',4″-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyltri-p-aminobenzoic acid; 344-pytpy = 4'-(3-pyridyl)-4,2':6',4″-terpyridine)(1)(P1) by solvothermal method. Its crystal structure was determined with single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) techniques. The final composite Pd-NPs@1 catalyst was synthesized by a reduction method. The catalyst showed high catalytic performance and high recycling stability for nitrophenol degradation and cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation reaction.

Silver nanoparticles stabilized by a metal–organic framework (MIL-101(Cr)) as an efficient catalyst for imine production from the dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols and amines

In this paper, we present silver nanoparticles supported on a metal–organic framework (Ag@MIL-101) as a catalyst for the one-pot tandem synthesis of imines from alcohols and amines.

Metal Organic Frameworks as Robust Host of Palladium Nanoparticles in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Synthesis, Application, and Prospect

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are one set of the most excellent supports for Pd nanoparticles (NPs). MOFs as the host mainly have the following advantages: (i) they provide size limits for highly dispersed Pd NPs; (ii) fixing Pd NPs is beneficial for separation and reuse, avoiding the loss of expensive metals; (iii) the MOFs skeleton is diversified and functionalized, which is beneficial to enhancing the interaction with Pd NPs and prolonging the service life of the catalyst. This review discusses the synthesis strategy of Pd@MOF, which provides guidance for the synthesis of similar materials. After that, the research advance of Pd@MOF in heterogeneous catalysis is comprehensively summarized, including C-C coupling reaction, benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction, simple olefin hydrogenation reaction, nitroaromatic compound reduction, tandem reaction, and the photocatalysis, with the emphasis in providing a comparison with the performance of other alternative Pd-containing catalysts. In the final section, this review presents the current challenges and which are the next goals in this field.

CeO2 immobilized on magnetic core-shell microparticles for one-pot synthesis of imines from benzyl alcohols and anilines: Support effects for activity and stability

Four types of core-shell materials with magnetic Fe₃O₄ microparticles as the core were prepared through different approaches using dopamine, glucose, tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT), and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the shell precursor, respectively. CeO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) was successfully immobilized onto these supports to fabricate efficient catalysts for the tandem catalytic synthesis of imines from benzyl alcohols and anilines at low temperature under air atmosphere. The as-prepared catalysts were detailedly characterized by TEM, EDX, XRD, FT-IR, XPS VSM, ICP, and CO₂-TPD. Interestingly, these prepared catalysts showed higher catalytic activity than reported CeO₂ catalysts. Most attractively, the catalyst with a shell ofnitrogen-doped-carbon derived from dopamine exhibited the best catalytic property, and outstanding stability and recyclability in the cycle experiment. According to the XPS and CO₂-TPD characterization, the enhanced performance of Fe₃O₄@CN@CeO₂ composites can be attributed to two reasons as follows: (1) the immobilization of CeO₂ improved its alkalinity at low reaction temperature, and alkalinity is beneficial to promote the oxidation of alcohols to benzaldehyde, which is the rate-determining step for this tandem reaction; (2) the doped nitrogen generated Lewis basic site could satisfactorily stabilize Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ pair of CeO₂, which determined the catalytic activity and stability of CeO₂ based catalysts for this tandem reaction. Moreover, the prepared catalysts could be facilely recovered from the reaction mixture with an external magnet. This work may provide a useful strategy for constructing CeO₂ based catalysts for green and sustainable catalysis.

Efficient bifunctional reactivity of K-doped CrO(OH) nanosheets: exploiting the combined role of Cr(iii) and surface –OH groups in tandem catalysis

Layered K-α-CrO(OH) nanosheets as a non-noble metal based tandem catalyst for sequential oxidation and coupling/condensation reactions.

Nickel-metalated porous organic polymer for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

A new Ni(ii)-α-diimine-based porous organic polymer, namely Ni(ii)-α-diimine-POP, was constructed in high yield via the Sonogashira coupling reaction between the metallo-building block of Ni(ii)-α-diimine and 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene. Besides the high thermal and chemical stability, the obtained Ni(ii)-α-diimine-POP can be a highly active reusable heterogeneous catalyst to promote the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. The obtained results indicate that the Ni(ii)-α-diimine-POP herein is a promising sustainable alternative to the Pd-based catalysts for catalysing the C–C formation in a heterogeneous way.

A porous organic polymer with Ni(ii) α-diimine moiety, which can be a highly active reusable heterogeneous catalyst to promote the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction, was reported.

A protective roasting strategy for preparation of stable mesoporous hollow CeO2 microspheres with enhanced catalytic activity for one-pot synthesis of imines from benzyl alcohols and anilines

A protective roasting strategy can be applied to prepare stable mh-CeO₂ microspheres with enhanced catalytic activity and reusability for one-pot synthesis of imines.

Selective aerobic oxidation of halides and amines with an inorganic-ligand supported zinc catalyst

A practical, efficient and environmentally benign catalytic protocol for the oxidative cross-coupling reaction of halides with amines, oxidative self-coupling of amines and oxidation of halides was developed with inorganic-ligand supported ZnPOM (NH4)4[ZnMo6O18(OH)6] using molecular oxygen. This method mainly utilizes an inorganic polymolybdate ligand to support the Zn2+ ion, avoiding the use of complicated organic ligands.

Smart pH-Responsive Polymer-Tethered and Pd NP-Loaded NMOF as the Pickering Interfacial Catalyst for One-Pot Cascade Biphasic Reaction

A Pd nano particle (NP)-loaded and nano metal-organic framework (NMOF)-based Pickering emulsifier is reported. The poly[2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)] (PDEAEMA) chains were grafted onto UiO-66-type NPs via a postsynthetic approach to generate PDEAEMA-g-UiO-66 NMOF (termed as MOF-3). The Pd NPs-loaded Pd@MOF-3 was synthesized via solution impregnation. Stable toluene-in-water Pickering emulsion was prepared with emulsifier Pd@MOF-3. Notably, the obtained Pd@MOF-3 is pH-responsive, and it is able to trigger the emulsification (at neutral condition) and demulsification (at acidic condition) of toluene droplets. Furthermore, it can be a highly active interfacial catalyst to effectively promote one-pot Knoevenagel condensation-hydrogenation cascade reaction at ambient conditions. The pH-responsive property allowed it to be in situ separated and recycled by demulsifying via simply tuning the pH value at the end of the reaction. This smart Pickering emulsion catalytic system is robust, and it can be recycled at least five times without loss of its catalytic activity.