P2O5 / SiO2 as a mild and efficient reagent for acylation of alcohols, phenols and amines under solvent-free conditions

Metabolic, toxicological, chemical, and commercial perspectives on esterification of dietary polyphenols: a review

Molecular modifications have been practiced for more than a century and nowadays they are widely applied in food, pharmaceutical, or other industries to manipulate the physicochemical, bioactivity, metabolic/catabolic, and pharmacokinetic properties. Among various structural modifications, the esterification/O-acylation has been well-established in altering lipophilicity and bioactivity of parent bioactive compounds, especially natural polyphenolics, while maintaining their high biocompatibility. Meanwhile, various classic chemical and enzymatic protocols and other recently emerged cell factory technology are being employed as viable esterification strategies. In this contribution, the main motivations of phenolic esterification, including the tendency to replace synthetic alkyl phenolics with safer alternatives in the food industry to improve the bioavailability of phenolics as dietary supplements/pharmaceuticals, are discussed. In addition, the toxicity, metabolism, and commercial application of synthetic and natural phenolics are briefly introduced. Under these contexts, the mechanisms and reaction features of several most prevalent chemical and enzymatic esterification pathways are demonstrated. In addition, insights into the studies of esterification modification of natural phenolic compounds and specific pros/cons of various reaction systems with regard to their practical application are provided.

An efficient conversion of β-diketones into β-keto enol ethers with P2O5/SiO2 under solvent-free conditions

P2O5/SiO2 was found to be an efficient reagent for converting cyclic-β-diketones into their corresponding β-keto enol ethers at room temperature under solvent-free conditions.

"Traditional" Sol-Gel Chemistry as a Powerful Tool for the Preparation of Supported Metal and Metal Oxide Catalysts

The sol-gel method is an attractive synthetic approach in the design of advanced catalytic formulations that are based on metal and metal oxide with high degree of structural and compositional homogeneity. Nowadays, though it originated with the hydrolysis and condensation of metal alkoxides, sol-gel chemistry gathers plenty of fascinating strategies to prepare materials from solution state precursors. Low temperature chemistry, reproducibility, and high surface to volume ratios of obtained products are features that add merit to this technology. The development of different and fascinating procedure was fostered by the availability of new molecular precursors, chelating agents and templates, with the great advantage of tailoring the physico-chemical properties of the materials through the manipulation of the synthesis conditions. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the “traditional” sol-gel synthesis of tailored and multifunctional inorganic materials and their application in the main domain of heterogeneous catalysis. One of the main achievements is to stress the versatility of sol-gel preparation by highlighting its advantage over other preparation methods through some specific examples of the synthesis of catalysts.

Metal Acetate/Metal Oxide in Acetic Acid: An Efficient Reagent for the Chemoselective N-Acetylation of Amines under Green Conditions

The use of catalytic amount of metal acetate or metal oxide in acetic acid is a new and highly efficient acetylating system for chemoselective N-acetylation of primary and secondary amines in excellent yields under reflux condition. No other solvent is required. The noted features of this method include mild reaction conditions, use of innocuous reagents, excellent yields, convenient work-up, and reuse of catalyst.