Selenium-Catalyzed Oxidative Carbonylation of Aniline and Alcohols to N-Phenylcarbamates

Polymers without Petrochemicals: Sustainable Routes to Conventional Monomers

Access to a wide range of plastic materials has been rationalized by the increased demand from growing populations and the development of high-throughput production systems. Plastic materials at low costs with reliable properties have been utilized in many everyday products. Multibillion-dollar companies are established around these plastic materials, and each polymer takes years to optimize, secure intellectual property, comply with the regulatory bodies such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals and the Environmental Protection Agency and develop consumer confidence. Therefore, developing a fully sustainable new plastic material with even a slightly different chemical structure is a costly and long process. Hence, the production of the common plastic materials with exactly the same chemical structures that does not require any new registration processes better reflects the reality of how to address the critical future of sustainable plastics. In this review, we have highlighted the very recent examples on the synthesis of common monomers using chemicals from sustainable feedstocks that can be used as a like-for-like substitute to prepare conventional petrochemical-free thermoplastics.

Photo-on-Demand In Situ Synthesis of N-Substituted Trichloroacetamides with Tetrachloroethylene and Their Conversions to Ureas, Carbamates, and Polyurethanes

N-substituted trichloroacetamides (NTCAs), which serve as blocked isocyanates, were synthesized in ∼97% yields by in situ photo-on-demand trichloroacetylation of amines with tetrachloroethylene (TCE). The reactions were performed by photo-irradiation of TCE solutions containing an amine under O2 bubbling over 70 °C with a low-pressure mercury lamp. TCE underwent photochemical oxidation to afford trichloroacetyl chloride having high toxicity and corrosivity, which then reacts in situ with the amine to afford NTCA. Compared with conventional NTCA synthesis with hexachloroacetone, the present reaction has the advantage of being widely applicable to a variety of amines, even those with low nucleophilicity such as amides, fluorinated amines, and amine HCl salts. NTCAs could be converted to the corresponding N-substituted ureas and carbamates through base-catalyzed condensation with amines and alcohols, respectively, with the elimination of CHCl3. The reaction may proceed by the initial formation of isocyanate and its subsequent addition reaction with the amine or alcohol. This photochemical reaction also enables the synthesis of fluorinated NTCAs, which accelerate the reactions, and realizes the synthesis of novel fluorinated chemicals including polyurethanes.

Sustainable Route Toward N-Boc Amines: AuCl3 /CuI-Catalyzed N-tert-butyloxycarbonylation of Amines at Room Temperature

N-tert-butoxycarbonyl (N-Boc) amines are useful intermediates in synthetic/medicinal chemistry. Traditionally, they are prepared via an indirect phosgene route with poor atom economy. Herein, a step- and atom-economic synthesis of N-Boc amines from amines, t-butanol, and CO was reported at room temperature. Notably, this N-tert-butyloxycarbonylation procedure utilized ready-made substrates, commercially available AuCl₃ /CuI as catalysts, and O₂ from air as the sole oxidant. This catalytic system provided unique selectivity for N-Boc amines in good yields. More significantly, gram-scale preparation of medicinally important N-Boc amine intermediates was successfully implement, which demonstrated a potential application prospect in industrial syntheses. Furthermore, this approach also showed good compatibility with tertiary and other useful alcohols. Investigations of the mechanisms revealed that gold catalyzed the reaction and copper acted as electron transfer mediator in the catalytic cycle.

Iodide-Catalyzed Selenium-Assisted Sequential Multicomponent Synthesis of a Luminescence Benzo-Oxazino-Isoindole Framework

We have described an unexpected pathway using the R-NC/Se system for the synthesis of the unreported benzo-oxazino-isoindole framework by the iodide-catalyzed selenium-assisted sequential multicomponent reaction of the Knoevenagel adduct of ninhydrin and malononitrile, isocyanide, amine, and elemental selenium under mild reaction conditions. The photophysical properties of the products were investigated by absorption and emission spectroscopy, revealing that the new heterocyclic system has good fluorescence properties.

Recent progress in selenium-catalyzed organic reactions

Selenium-based catalysts, including organo- and inorganoselenium ones, in organic synthesis in the recent decade are reviewed.

A Simple Zinc Catalyst for Carbamate Synthesis Directly from CO2

Several zinc salts were employed as catalysts for the synthesis of carbamates directly from aromatic amines, CO₂ , and silicate esters. Zn(OAc)₂ offered the best performance among the salts tested. The addition of an N-donor ligand such as 1,10-phenanthroline increased the yield. The best catalytic performance of Zn(OAc)₂ can be explained by carboxylate-assisted proton activation. The interaction between the substrate and the catalyst can be observed by chemical shifts in ¹ H and ¹⁵ N NMR spectra. Isocyanate was a key intermediate, which was generated from amine and CO₂ . Silicate ester was finally converted to siloxane, which was determined by ²⁹ Si NMR. The commercially available catalyst system could be reused. The yield of isolated carbamate could reach up to 96 % with various substrates, and the catalytic reaction was amine-selective in the presence of other functional groups.

Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff base/Pd complex as an efficient heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst for chemoselective N-arylation of O-alkyl primary carbamates

An Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff base/Pd complex as an efficient, heterogeneous magnetically recoverable and reusable catalyst for the N-arylation of O-alkyl primary carbamates.