Ce4+/Ce3+ Redox Effect-Promoted CdS/CeO2 Heterojunction Photocatalyst for the Atom Economic Synthesis of Imines under Visible Light

The employment of stoichiometric alcohols and amines for imine synthesis under mild and green reaction conditions is still a challenge in the field. In this work, based on our research foundation in the thermocatalytic synthesis of imines over ceria, a CdS/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalyst was constructed and successfully realized the atom-economic synthesis of imines under visible light without additives at room temperature. Mechanistic experiments and corresponding characterizations indicated that the CdS/CeO2 heterojunction can improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, which can be further enhanced by the Ce4+/Ce3+ redox pair by rapidly combining photogenerated e-. The in situ-reduced Ce3+ can better activate O2 to form Ce-O-O·, which, together with h+, efficiently accelerates alcohol oxidation, which is the rate-determined step for the synthesis of imines via oxidative coupling reaction of alcohol and amine. In addition, our photocatalyst exhibited fairly decent reusability and substrate universality. This work solves problems of using base additives and excess amine or alcohol in the reported photocatalytic systems and provides new insight for designing CeO2-based photocatalytic oxidation catalysts.

Different Schiff Bases-Structure, Importance and Classification

Schiff bases are a vast group of compounds characterized by the presence of a double bond linking carbon and nitrogen atoms, the versatility of which is generated in the many ways to combine a variety of alkyl or aryl substituents. Compounds of this type are both found in nature and synthesized in the laboratory. For years, Schiff bases have been greatly inspiring to many chemists and biochemists. In this article, we attempt to present a new take on this group of compounds, underlining of the importance of various types of Schiff bases. Among the different types of compounds that can be classified as Schiff bases, we chose hydrazides, dihydrazides, hydrazones and mixed derivatives such as hydrazide-hydrazones. For these compounds, we presented the elements of their structure that allow them to be classified as Schiff bases. While hydrazones are typical examples of Schiff bases, including hydrazides among them may be surprising for some. In their case, this is possible due to the amide-iminol tautomerism. The carbon-nitrogen double bond present in the iminol tautomer is a typical element found in Schiff bases. In addition to the characteristics of the structure of these selected derivatives, and sometimes their classification, we presented selected literature items which, in our opinion, represent their importance in various fields well.

A Theoretical Study on the Borane-Catalyzed Reductive Amination of Aniline and Benzaldehyde with Dihydrogen: The Origins of Chemoselectivity

Density functional theory calculations are used in this study to investigate the product selectivity and mechanism of borane-catalyzed reductive aldehyde amination by a H₂ reducing agent. Knowing that different boranes yield different products, two typical boranes, (B(2,6-Cl₂C₆H₃)(p-HC₆F₄)₂ and B(C₆F₅)₃), are studied. Of the seven possible pathways of B(2,6-Cl₂C₆H₃)(p-HC₆F₄)₂-catalyzed aldehyde amination analyzed herein, four are favorable. Three of the four favorable pathways involve imine intermediates, and the fourth is a Lewis acid-base synergistic pathway that involves amine-alcohol condensation. As for the B(C₆F₅)₃ catalyst, it forms a highly stable Lewis adduct with aniline, which impedes the hydrogenation of imine. Therefore, the product of B(C₆F₅)₃-catalyzed reductive amination of benzaldehyde and aniline is an imine. The linear relationship between the charge on the boron atom in the Lewis acid and the relative energies of the Lewis adduct and H₂ splitting transition state indicates that this parameter determines product selectivity. Indeed, when the natural charge on boron is larger than 1, an amine is produced, whereas when the charge is less than 1, an imine is produced. Hence, the selectivity of products can be controlled by adjusting the natural charge of the boron atom in the Lewis acid catalyst.

Selective Production of Secondary Amine by the Photocatalytic Cascade Reaction Between Nitrobenzene and Benzyl Alcohol over Nanostructured Bi2 MoO6 and Pd Nanoparticles Decorated with Bi2 MoO6

The synthesis of secondary amine by the photoalkylation of nitrobenzene with benzyl alcohol using a simple light source and sunlight is a challenging task. Herein, a one-pot cascade protocol is employed to synthesize secondary amine by the reaction between nitrobenzene and benzyl alcohol. The one-pot cascade protocol involves four reactions: (a) photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline, (b) photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, (c) reaction between aniline and benzaldehyde to form imine, and (d) photocatalytic reduction of imine to a secondary amine. The cascade protocol to synthesize secondary amine is accomplished using Bi₂ MoO₆ and Pd nanoparticles decorated Bi₂ MoO₆ catalysts. The surface characteristics, oxidation states, and elemental compositions of the materials are characterized by several physicochemical characterization techniques. Optoelectronic and photoelectrochemical measurements are carried out to determine the bandgap, band edge potentials, photocurrents, charge carrier's separation, etc. An excellent yield of secondary amine is achieved with simple household white LED bulbs. The catalyst also exhibits similar or even better activity in sunlight. The structure-activity relationship is established using catalytic activity data, control reactions, physicochemical, optoelectronic characteristics, and scavenging studies. Bi₂ MoO₆ and Pd nanoparticles decorated Bi₂ MoO₆ exhibit excellent photostability and recyclability. The simple catalyst design with a sustainable and economical light source for the synthesis of useful secondary amine from the nitrobenzene and benzyl alcohol would attract the researchers to develop similar catalytic protocols for other industrially important chemicals.

First-Row Transition-Metal Catalyzed Acceptorless Dehydrogenation and Related Reactions: A Personal Account

The development of sustainable catalytic protocols that circumvent the use of expensive and precious metal catalysts and avoid toxic reagents plays a crucial role in organic synthesis. Indeed, the direct employment of simple and abundantly available feedstock chemicals as the starting materials broadens their synthetic application in contemporary research. In particular, the transition metal-catalyzed diversification of alcohols with various nucleophilic partners to construct a wide range of building blocks is a powerful and highly desirable methodology. Moreover, the replacement of precious metal catalysts by non-precious and less toxic metals for selective transformations is one of the main goals and has been paid significant attention to in modern chemistry. In view of this, the first-row transition metal catalysts find extensive applications in various synthetic transformations such as catalytic hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and related reactions. Herein, we have disclosed our recent developments on the base-metal catalysis such as Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni for the acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions and its application in the C-C and C-N bond formation via hydrogen auto-transfer (HA) and acceptorless dehydrogenation coupling (ADC) reactions. These HA/ADC protocols employ alcohol as alkylating agents and eliminate water and/or hydrogen gas as by-products, representing highly atom-efficient and environmentally benign reactions. Furthermore, diverse simple to complex organic molecules synthesis by C-C and C-N bond formation using feedstock alcohols are also overviewed. Overall, this account deals with the contribution and development of efficient and novel homogeneous as well as heterogeneous base-metal catalysts for sustainable chemical synthesis.

Cooperative Coupling of Oxidative Organic Synthesis and Hydrogen Production over Semiconductor-Based Photocatalysts

Merging hydrogen (H₂) evolution with oxidative organic synthesis in a semiconductor-mediated photoredox reaction is extremely attractive because the clean H₂ fuel and high-value chemicals can be coproduced under mild conditions using light as the sole energy input. Following this dual-functional photocatalytic strategy, a dreamlike reaction pathway for constructing C-C/C-X (X = C, N, O, S) bonds from abundant and readily available X-H bond-containing compounds with concomitant release of H₂ can be readily fulfilled without the need of external chemical reagents, thus offering a green and fascinating organic synthetic strategy. In this review, we begin by presenting a concise overview on the general background of traditional photocatalytic H₂ production and then focus on the fundamental principles of cooperative photoredox coupling of selective organic synthesis and H₂ production by simultaneous utilization of photoexcited electrons and holes over semiconductor-based catalysts to meet the economic and sustainability goal. Thereafter, we put dedicated emphasis on recent key progress of cooperative photoredox coupling of H₂ production and various selective organic transformations, including selective alcohol oxidation, selective methane conversion, amines oxidative coupling, oxidative cross-coupling, cyclic alkanes dehydrogenation, reforming of lignocellulosic biomass, and so on. Finally, the remaining challenges and future perspectives in this flourishing area have been critically discussed. It is anticipated that this review will provide enlightening guidance on the rational design of such dual-functional photoredox reaction system, thereby stimulating the development of economical and environmentally benign solar fuel generation and organic synthesis of value-added fine chemicals.

Biorenewable carbon-supported Ru catalyst for N-alkylation of amines with alcohols and selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes

A renewable carbon-supported Ru catalyst (Ru/PNC-700) facilely prepared via simple impregnation followed by the pyrolysis process for N-alkylation of anilines with benzyl alcohol and chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes.

Hollow Carbon Sphere Nanoreactors Loaded with PdCu Nanoparticles: Void-Confinement Effects in Liquid-Phase Hydrogenations

Nanoreactors with hollow structures have attracted great interest in catalysis research due to their void-confinement effects. However, the challenge in unambiguously unraveling these confinement effects is to decouple them from other factors affecting catalysis. Here, we synthesize a pair of hollow carbon sphere (HCS) nanoreactors with presynthesized PdCu nanoparticles encapsulated inside of HCS (PdCu@HCS) and supported outside of HCS (PdCu/HCS), respectively, while keeping other structural features the same. Based on the two comparative nanoreactors, void-confinement effects in liquid-phase hydrogenation are investigated in a two-chamber reactor. It is found that hydrogenations over PdCu@HCS are shape-selective catalysis, can be accelerated (accumulation of reactants), decelerated (mass transfer limitation), and even inhibited (molecular-sieving effect); conversion of the intermediate in the void space can be further promoted. Using this principle, a specific imine is selectively produced. This work provides a proof of concept for fundamental catalytic action of the hollow nanoreactors.

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.

Synthesis, characterization, spectroscopic studies and biological evaluation of Schiff bases derived from 1-hydroxy-2-acetonapthanone

The four Schiff bases (I - IV) were synthesized by the condensation reaction of 1(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone, 1-(4-chloro-1hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone and 1-(4-bromo-1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone with propane-1,3-diamine and pentane-1,3-diamine. The structural analysis is done by UVvis., FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, LCMS and elemental analyses. These compounds were assayed for antibacterial (Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi) activity and antioxidant (2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picryl Hydrazyl(DPPH) and Hydroxyl radical scavenging method) activity. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities of synthesized Schiff bases exhibited better degrees of inhibitory effects. Among these, Schiff base 2,2'-((propane-1,3-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(ethan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(4-chloronaphthalen-1-ol) (II) exhibited excellent antibacterial activity with MICs of 0.12, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/ml against E. coli and Salmonella Typhi. Furthermore, two Schiff bases such as, 2,2'-((propane-1,3-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(ethan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(naphthalen-1-ol) (I) and 2,2'-((pentane-1,3-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(ethan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(4-bromonaphthalen-1-ol) (IV) exhibited promising antioxidant activity.

Rational design of yolk–shell nanostructures for photocatalysis

Yolk–shell structures provide an ideal platform for the rational regulation and effective utilization of charge carriers because of their void space and large surface areas. Furthermore, the efficiency of charge behavior in every step can be further improved by many strategies. This review describes the synthesis of yolk–shell structures and their effect for the enhancement of heterogeneous photocatalysis.

Influence of Au/Pd alloy on an amine functionalised ZnCr LDH–MCM-41 nanocomposite: A visible light sensitive photocatalyst towards one-pot imine synthesis

Au/Pd loaded amine functionalised ZnCr LDH–MCM-41 photocatalyst for one-pot imine synthesis.

Phenylamine-Functionalized rGO/TiO2 Photocatalysts: Spatially Separated Adsorption Sites and Tunable Photocatalytic Selectivity

The preferential adsorption of targeted contaminants on a photocatalyst surface is highly required to realize its photocatalytic selective decomposition in a complex system. To realize the tunable preferential adsorption, altering the surface charge or polarity property of photocatalysts has widely been reported. However, it is quite difficult for a modified photocatalyst to realize the simultaneously preferential adsorption for both cationic and anionic dyes. In this study, to realize the selective adsorption for both cationic and anionic dyes on a photocatalyst surface, the negative reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets and positive phenylamine (PhNH₂) molecules are successfully loaded on the TiO₂ surface (PhNH₂/rGO-TiO₂) with spatially separated adsorption sites, where the negative rGO and positive PhNH₂ molecules work as the preferential adsorption sites for cationic and anionic dyes, respectively. It was interesting to find that although all the TiO₂ samples (including the naked TiO₂, PhNH₂/TiO₂, rGO-TiO₂, and PhNH₂/rGO-TiO₂) clearly showed a better adsorption performance for cationic dyes than anionic dyes, only the PhNH₂/rGO-TiO₂ with spatially separated adsorption-active sites exhibited an opposite photocatalytic selectivity, namely, the naked TiO₂, PhNH₂/TiO₂, and rGO-TiO₂ showed a preferential decomposition for cationic dyes, while the resultant PhNH₂/rGO-TiO₂ exhibited an excellently selective decomposition for anionic dyes. In addition, the resultant PhNH₂/rGO-TiO₂ photocatalyst not only realizes the tunable photocatalytic selectivity but also can completely and sequentially decompose the opposite cationic and anionic dyes.

A covalent organic framework-based route to the in situ encapsulation of metal nanoparticles in N-rich hollow carbon spheres

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in hollow nanostructures hold great promise for a variety of applications. Herein, we demonstrate a new concept where covalent organic frameworks (COFs) doped with metal cations can be readily used as novel precursors for the in situ encapsulation of metal NPs into N doped hollow carbon spheres (NHCS) through a controlled carbonization process. The obtained Pd@NHCS composites show a significantly enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene in ethanol and oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol compared with that of the conventional Pd/N-C and commercial Pd/C catalysts. The excellent catalytic performance should be related to the synergism of the porous hollow spheric structure, highly dispersed Pd NPs, and uniform distribution of N dopants on the materials. We believe that this newly developed methodology could be extended to the synthesis of other metal NPs@NHCS composites for a variety of advanced applications.

A Tandem Catalyst with Multiple Metal Oxide Interfaces Produced by Atomic Layer Deposition

Ideal heterogeneous tandem catalysts necessitate the rational design and integration of collaborative active sites. Herein, we report on the synthesis of a new tandem catalyst with multiple metal-oxide interfaces based on a tube-in-tube nanostructure using template-assisted atomic layer deposition, in which Ni nanoparticles are supported on the outer surface of the inner Al2 O3 nanotube (Ni/Al2 O3 interface) and Pt nanoparticles are attached to the inner surface of the outer TiO2 nanotube (Pt/TiO2 interface). The tandem catalyst shows remarkably high catalytic efficiency in nitrobenzene hydrogenation over Pt/TiO2 interface with hydrogen formed in situ by the decomposition of hydrazine hydrate over Ni/Al2 O3 interface. This can be ascribed to the synergy effect of the two interfaces and the confined nanospace favoring the instant transfer of intermediates. The tube-in-tube tandem catalyst with multiple metal-oxide interfaces represents a new concept for the design of highly efficient and multifunctional nanocatalysts.

Osmium(ii) complexes for light-driven aerobic oxidation of amines to imines

We have investigated new photocatalytic systems for imine formation under mild reaction conditions using three triazole-based Os(ii) complexes as potential photocatalysts.

Development of photocatalysts for selective and efficient organic transformations

One of the main goals of organic chemists is to find easy, environmentally friendly, and cost effective methods for the synthesis of industrially important compounds. Photocatalysts have brought revolution in this regard as they make use of unlimited source of energy (the solar light) to carry out the synthesis of organic compounds having otherwise complex synthetic procedures. However, selectivity of the products has been a major issue since the beginning of photocatalysis. The present article encompasses state of the art accomplishments in harvesting light energy for selective organic transformations using photocatalysts. Several approaches for the development of photocatalysts for selective organic conversions have been critically discussed with the objective of developing efficient, selective, environmental friendly and high yield photocatalytic methodologies.

Photocatalytic synthesis of anilides from nitrobenzenes under visible light irradiation: 2 in 1 reaction

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of a series of anilides via a two in one reaction of nitrobenzenes with anhydride in the presence of TiO2 as a nanocatalyst and photocatalyst under sunlight or blue LED irradiation. In this method simultaneously, nitrobenzenes convert to the corresponding anilines via photocatalytic reduction on the TiO2 surface, and a condensation of aniline with the anhydride performed on the Lewis acid site of the TiO2 surface. Interestingly amidation step leads to the promotion of better reaction and good selectivity in reduction of nitrocompounds. This method is simple, rapid, high yield, and green.

Light-promoted N,N-dimethylation of amine and nitro compound with methanol catalyzed by Pd/TiO2 at room temperature

The N,N-dimethylation of different amines and nitro compounds with methanol were realized under UV irradiation at room temperature catalyzed by Pd/TiO₂.