Catalysis by Transition Metal Modified Ceria and Ceria-Zirconia Mixed Oxides Prepared via Sol-Gel Route

The aim of catalysis research is to apply the catalyst successfully in economically important reactions in an environmentally friendly way. The present work focuses on the modification of structural and surface properties of ceria and ceria-zirconia catalysts by the incorporation of transition metals. The applications of these catalysts in industrially important reactions like ethylbenzene oxidation, alkylation of aromatics are also investigated.Sol-gel method is effective for the preparation of transition metal modified ceria and ceria-zirconia mixed oxide since it produces catalyst with highly dispersed incorporated metal. Unlike that of impregnation method plugging of pores is not prominent for sol-gel derived catalyst materials. This prevents loss of surface area on metal modification as evident for BET surface area measurements.The powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the cubic structure of transition metal modified ceria and ceria-zirconia catalysts. The thermal stability is evident from TGA/DTA analysis. DR UV-vis spectra provide information on the coordination environment of the incorporated metal. EPR analysis ofCr, Mn and Cu modified ceria and a ceria-zirconia catalyst reveals the presence of different oxidation states of incorporated metal.Temperature programmed desorption of ammonia and thermogravimetric desorption of 2,6-dimethyl pyridine confirms the enhancement of acidity on metal incorporation. High a-methyl styrene selectivity in cumene cracking reaction implies the presence of comparatively more number of Lewis acid sites with some amount of Bronsted acid sites. The formation of cyclohexanone during cyclohexanol decomposition confirms the presence of basic sites on the catalyst surface.Mn and Cr modified catalysts show better activity towards ethylbenzene oxidation. A redox mechanism through oxometal pathway is suggested.All the catalysts were found to be active towards benzylation of toluene and a-xylene. The selectivity towards monoalkylated products remains almost 100%. The catalytic activity is correlated with the Lewis acidity of the prepared systems.The activity of the catalysts towards methylation of phenols depends on the strength acid sites as well as the redox properties of the catalysts. A strong dependence of methylation activity on the total acidity is illustrated.

Alkylation of Benzene with higher olefins over zeolites: A green route for lab synthesis.

The objective of the present work is to improve the textural and structural properties of zeolite-Y through ion exchange with rare earth metals. We meant to obtain a comparative evaluation of the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity of rare earth modified H-Y, Na-Y, K-Y, and Mg-Y zeolites. Friedel-Crafts alkylations of benzene with higher 1- olefins such as 1-octene, 1-decene, and 1dodecene for the synthesis of linear alkylbenzene (LAB) have been selected for the present study. An attempt has also been directed towards the correlation of the enhancement in 2-phenylalkane formation to the improvement in the textural and structural properties upon rare earth modification for the zeolite-Y. The present method for LAB synthesis stands as an effective Green alternative for the existing hydrofluoric acid technology

Design and development of new green catalytic methodologies for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched molecules

The following Ph.D work was mainly focused on catalysis, as a key technology, to achieve the objectives of sustainable (green) chemistry. After introducing the concepts of sustainable (green) chemistry and an assessment of new sustainable chemical technologies, the relationship between catalysis and sustainable (green) chemistry was briefly discussed and illustrated via an analysis of some selected and relevant examples. Afterwards, as a continuation of the ongoing interest in Dr. Marco Bandini’s group on organometallic and organocatalytic processes, I addressed my efforts to the design and development of novel catalytic green methodologies for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched molecules. In the first two projects the attention was focused on the employment of solid supports to carry out reactions that still remain a prerogative of omogeneous catalysis. Firstly, particular emphasis was addressed to the discovery of catalytic enantioselective variants of nitroaldol condensation (commonly termed Henry reaction), using a complex consisting in a polyethylene supported diamino thiopene (DATx) ligands and copper as active species. In the second project, a new class of electrochemically modified surfaces with DATx palladium complexes was presented. The DATx-graphite system proved to be efficient in promoting the Suzuki reaction. Moreover, in collaboration with Prof. Wolf at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), cyclic voltammetry studies were reported. This study disclosed new opportunities for carbon–carbon forming processes by using heterogeneous, electrodeposited catalyst films. A straightforward metal-free catalysis allowed the exploration around the world of organocatalysis. In fact, three different and novel methodologies, using Cinchona, Guanidine and Phosphine derivatives, were envisioned in the three following projects. An interesting variant of nitroaldol condensation with simple trifluoromethyl ketones and also their application in a non-conventional activation of indolyl cores by Friedel-Crafts-functionalization, led to two novel synthetic protocols. These approaches allowed the preparation of synthetically useful trifluoromethyl derivatives bearing quaternary stereocenters. Lastly, in the sixth project the first γ-alkylation of allenoates with conjugated carbonyl compounds was envisioned. In the last part of this Ph.D thesis bases on an extra-ordinary collaboration with Prof. Balzani and Prof. Gigli, I was involved in the synthesis and characterization of a new type of heteroleptic cyclometaled-Ir(III) complexes, bearing bis-oxazolines (BOXs) as ancillary ligands. The new heteroleptic complexes were fully characterized and in order to examine the electroluminescent properties of FIrBOX(CH2), an Organic Light Emitting Device was realized.

Nuovi processi catalitici per la sintesi di prodotti ad attività farmacologica

The transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation (Tsuji-Trost type reaction) is a powerful tool for C-C, C-N, and C-O bond formation, which has been widely applied to organic chemistry over the last decades. Typical substrates for this transformation are activated allylic compounds such as halides, esters, carbonates, carbamates, phosphates, and so on. However, use of these substrates is associated with the disadvantage of generating a stoichiometric amount of chemical waste. Furthermore, these starting materials have to be prepared in an extra step from the corresponding allylic alcohol. Thus, ideal substrates would be the allylic alcohols themselves, with water being the only byproduct in this case. However, the scarse propensity of the hydroxyl moiety to act as good leaving group has significantly limited their use so far. During the last decade significant efforts have been made in order to develop more atom-economical and environmentally-friendly allylic alkylation protocols by employing allylic alcohols directly. In this PhD dissertation two main projects addressing this topic are presented. “Project 1” deals with the development of new metal-catalyzed intramolecular Friedel-Crafts (FC) allylic alkylations of electron-rich (PAPER A), as well as challenging electron-poor arenes (PAPER B) with alcohols. In “Project 2”, gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular and stereoselective allylic alkylation reactions are reported. In particular, a FC alkylation of indole-containing allylic alcohols is presented in PAPER C. While, an O-alkylation of aminol-containing allylic alcohols is reported in PAPER D. To the best of knowledge, these reports represent the first example of gold(I)-catalyzed stereoselective alkylations with alcohols.

A Versatile C-H Functionalization of Tetrahydroisoquinolines Catalyzed by Iodine at Aerobic Conditions

A versatile aerobic catalytic system (I-2 and O-2/TBHP) for C-H functionalization is reported. This CDC (cross-dehydrogentive coupling) reaction is compatible with a large number of nucleophiles and is performed under ambient reaction conditions. The scope of the metal-free CDC is illustrated by synthesizing a variety of functionalized tetrahydroisoquinolines and N,N-dimethylaniline. The highlight of the method is a Friedel-Crafts reaction of phenols and indole with tertiary amines.

具有环氧化酶-2选择性抑制活性的多取代蒽醌的合成

1-甲基-2-甲氧羰基-3, 6, 8-三羟基-7-甲氧基蒽醌是从唐菖蒲干球茎中分离到的具有环氧化酶-2选择性抑制活性的多取代蒽醌类化合物。本文试图合成该化合物，实现了其类似物的合成，同时发现了几个未见报道的反应。 1．通过Diels-Alder 反应合成了关键中间体——3-甲基-5-羟基-1, 2, 4-苯三甲酸三甲酯，1-COOMe选择性水解产物与1, 2, 3-三甲氧基苯进行分子间Friedel-Crafts反应的产物再进行分子内Friedel-Crafts反应得到了目标产物的类似物1-甲基-2-甲氧羰基-3-羟基-6，7，8-三甲氧基蒽醌（路线1）。目标产物及其它类似物的合成正在进行中。 2．以乙酰乙酸甲酯和巴豆醛为原料，经过Michael加成、分子内的Aldol反应、芳香化、选择性甲酰化和还原反应，得到关键中间体2-甲基-3-羟甲基-6-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯及其衍生物。通过该化合物与3，4，5-三甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯进行Friedel-Crafts烷基化反应得到了多取代的二苯基甲烷衍生物，拟进一步关环合成目标化合物（路线2）。 3．发现邻甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯中酯甲基可以被正丁基锂和仲丁基锂中烷基交换生成相应的酯，反应的机理不明确。当使用叔丁基锂时，得到的是邻甲氧基苯基叔丁酮，这个方法可以用来合成芳基叔丁酮类化合物。 4．以2-苄氧基-6-甲基苯甲酸甲酯为原料进行氯甲基化反应时，以苯和二氯乙烷作溶剂，发生了苄基的迁移和芳环的偶联，分别得到2，2'-二甲基-3，3'-二甲氧羰基-4，4'-二羟基联苯和2，2'-二甲基-3，3'-二甲氧羰基-4，4'-二羟基-5，5'-二苄基联苯。这是对称联苯合成的新方法。 5．水杨酸羟基邻对位的选择性甲酰化可以分别通过水杨酸和水杨酸甲酯用HMTA/CF3COOH来实现。 6．Lewis酸催化3，4，5-三甲氧基苄醇环化成1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13-nonamethoxyl-10,15-dihydro-5H-trbibenzo [a, d, g] cyclononene (NDTC)，产率(54%)高于已有方法（12%）。 Methyl 3,6,8-trihydroxy-7-methoxy-1-methylanthraquinone-2-carboxylate is a new COX-2 selective inhibitor isolated from Gladiolus gandavensis. Two strategies were investigated to synthesis this compound, in which some important reactions were discovered. 1. The key intermediate 5-hydroxy-3-methylbenzene-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid 2,4-dimethyl ester was prepared via Diels-Alder reaction followed by selective hydrolysis of 1-COOMe. This compound was coupled with 1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene and the product undergo intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction to give methyl 3-hydroxy-5,6,7-trimethoxy-1-methylanthraquinone-2-carboxylate (1st route). The target compound and other analogues are being prepared with the same procedure. 2. The key intermediates methyl 3-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxy-2-methylbenzoate and its derivatives were prepared starting from crotonaldehyde and methyl acetoacetate via Michael addition, intramolecular aldol reaction, aromatization, formylation and reduction. The intermediates were coupled respectively with derivatives of gallic acid to give polysubstituted diphenylmethane. However, attempts to cyclize these compounds to the target compounds and analogues were not successful (2nd route). 3. In the process for ortho-lithiation of methyl 2-methoxybenzoate, the substrate converted respectively to n-butyl 2-methoxybenzoate and sec-butyl 2-methoxybenzoate when n-BuLi and sec-BuLi were used. However, tert-BuLi reacted with methyl 2-methoxybenzoate afford 2-methoxyphenyl tert-butyl ketone, which could be used to synthesize aryl tert-butyl ketones. 4. The transformtion of methyl 2-benzoxy-6-methylbenzoate to dimethyl 4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate in benzene, and dimethyl 5,5'-dibenzyl-4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate in 1,2-dichloroethane in the presence of ZnCl2 provides a new method for the synthesis of symmetric biphenyl. 5. The formylation of salicylic acid at C-5 and methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate at C-3 could be regioselectively realized by using HMTA/CF3COOH. 6. Racemic 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13-nonamethoxyl-10, 15-dihydro-5H-trbibenzo [a, d, g] cyclononene was prepared via Lewis acids catalyzed trimerization of 3, 4, 5-trimethoxylbenzyl alcohol with yield (54%) higher than the reported procesure (12%).

天然产物Standishinal 的首次全合成研究

具有1，1，4α-三甲基氢化芴骨架结构的天然三环二萜化合物自然界中不常见。在该类化合物中，Standishinal 具有良好的芳香化酶抑制活性和细胞毒活性。迄今未发现有Standishinal 的全合成报道，因此，我们对Standishinal 的全合成进行了探索，在该过程中得到以下实验结果： 1. 发现MSA/P2O5、MSA 在无溶剂条件下，25 °C 时烷氧基苯即可实现向苯酚的转化，但在CH3NO2 中，温度升高至80 °C 并未发生反应。 2. 烷氧基苯或对溴苯酚与α-环香叶酸在不同温度下以MSA/P2O5、MSA、PPA为催化剂以CH3NO2 为溶剂或以BF3·Et2O为催化剂时均不发生Friedel-Crafts酰化反应。 3. 对溴苯酚与香叶酸在p-TsOH 催化作用下发生了香叶酸向α-环香叶酸环化、α-环香叶酸环与对溴苯酚的酯化，得到了唯一产物α-环香叶酸对溴苯酯，产率68%。 Standishinal is one of tricyclic-diterpenes possessing the uncommon 1, 1,4a-trimethylhydrofluorene skeleton. Standishinal possesses cytotoxic and aromataseinhibitory activities. Till now, no synthesis of standishinal has been reported. Inattempt to synthesize standishinal, the following phenomenon were observed: 1. Alkyloxybenzenes could be transformed into corresponding phenol at 25 °C inthe presence of MSA/P2O5 or MSA under solvent free condition. ButAlkyloxybenzenes are stable in presence of MSA/P2O5 or MSA in CH3NO2 even at 80 °C. 2. Friedel-Crafts acylation of alkyloxybenzenes and p-bromophenol withα-cyclogeranic acid could not be realized under catalysis of MSA/P2O5, MSA or PPAin CH3NO2, or under catalysis of BF3·Et2O without CH3NO2. 3. The reaction of 4-bromaophenol and geranic acid in the presecnce of p-TsOHafforded 4-bromophenol α-cyclogeranoate in which cyclization of geranic acid toα-cyclogeranic acid was followed by esterification of α-cyclogeranic acid with p-bromophenol.

A Facile and Practical One-Pot Synthesis of beta-Oxo Thioamides from beta-Oxo Amides and Isothiocyanates

A facile and practical one-pot synthesis of beta-oxo thioamides from beta-oxo amides has been developed. By treatment with isothiocyanates in ethanol in the presence of potassium carbonate, a series of beta-oxo amides was converted, under reflux, in high yields into the corresponding beta-oxo thioamides.

PEG-supported dipyridyl ligand for palladium-catalyzed Suzuki and Suzuki-type reactions in PEG and aqueous media

An air- and water-stable PEG-supported bidentate nitrogen ligand is prepared and its applications in the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki reaction of aryl halides with arylboronic acids in PEG and Suzuki-type reaction of aryl halides with sodium tetraphenylborate in aqueous media are reported. The homogeneous catalyst system is environmentally friendly and offers the advantages of high activity, reusability and easy separation.

Studies on the adduct reaction of disubstituted benzenes with ion system of acetone in gas phase

Ion - molecule reactions of disubstituted benzene with ion system of acetone and deuterium - labelled acetone under chemical ionization conditions were examined and the fragmentation reactions of the adduct ions formed by the ion - molecule reactions were studied using collision - induced dissociation (CID) technique. It was found that the electron - releasing groups favored the adduct reactions, whereas the electron - withdrawing groups did not. The position and properties of substituted groups affected the relative abundance of the adduct ions. The fragmentation reaction of the adduct ion formed by ortho - phenylenediamine with acetyl ion was similar to the reductive alkylation reaction of amine in condensed phase.

The suppression of the Haller-Bauer scission for synthetic purposes /|nby S. M. Vines. -- 260 St. Catharines, Ont. : [s. n.],

A number of 2-chlorobenzophenones, containing electron releasing groups (e.g. hydroxy, thiomethoxy and methoxy) in the 4' - position, were prepared by the Friess rearrangement, or the Friedel-Crafts reaction. These ketones, when treated with potassamide in liquid ammonia, underwent partial Haller-Bauer scission, unlike 2-chlorobenzophenone which is known to undergo complete scission. Under similar conditions 4-nitrobenzophenone also underwent partial scission, but the main reaction in this case was nucleophilic amination of the nitro containing ring. This amination reaction was shown not to be a useful general reaction for aromatic nitro compounds. 3-Methylxanthone was then prepared by treatment of 2- and 3- chloro-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylbenzophenone with . little, if any, attendant scission. The corresponding 2fluoro- compound also gave the xanthone, but as the 3-fluoro compound did not, it was concluded that the 2-fluoro compound reacted through a nucleophilic substitution mechanism, rather than the benzyne mechanism invoked for the chloro and bromo compounds. 3-Methylthioxanthone was synthesised by treatment of methyl 4-tolyl sulphide and 2-chlorobenzoyl chloride with aluminum chloride in carbon disu1phide, followed.by heating. This compound was also prepared by treatment of 3-chloro-2'thiomethoxy- 5'-methylbenzophenone with potassamide in liquid ammonia.

Chemoenzymatic Total Synthesis of Morphine alkaloids: Synthesis of Dihydrocodeine and Hydrocodone via a Double Claisen Strategy and ent-Hydromorphone via an Oxidative Dearomatization/intramolecular [4+2] Cycloaddition

This thesis describes the chemoenzymatic synthesis of three morphine alkaloids. The total synthesis of dihydrocodeine and hydrocodone was accomplished starting from bromobenzene in 16 and 17 steps, respectively. The key steps included a microbial oxidation of bromobenzene by E. coli JM109 (pDTG601A), a Kazmaier-Claisen rearrangement of glycinate ester to generate C-9 and C-14 stereo centers, a Johnson-Claisen rearrangement to set the C-13 quaternary center, and a C-10/C-11 ring closure via a Friedel-Crafts reaction. In addition, the total synthesis of ent-hydromorphone starting from β-bromoethylbenzene in 12 steps is also described. The key reactions included the enzymatic dihydroxylation of β-bromoethylbenzene to the corresponding cis-cyclohexadienediol, a Mitsunobu reaction, and an oxidative dearomatization followed by an intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition.

Studies on Catalysis by Vanadia Supported On Metal Oxides

Catalysis is an essential technology in manufacturing industries. The investigation based on supported vanadia catalysts and it’s sulfated analogues. Vanadia is a transition metal oxide and is used in oxidation reactions in chemical industry. It is more active and selective catalysts on suitable supports. The work deals with preparation of vanadia incorporated tin oxide and zirconia systems by wet impregnation. Physico-chemical characterization using instrumental techniques like BET etc. The surface acidic properties were determined by the ammonia TPD studies, Perylene absorption studies and Cumene conversion reaction. The catalytic activities of the prepared systems are tested by Friedel-Crafts benzylation of arenes and Bechmann rearrangement of Cyclohexanol oxime. Here the rector reactions are relatively rare. So to test the application of the catalyst systems for the selective oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone and finally evaluate the catalytic activity of the systems for the vapour phase oxidative dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene, which leads to the formation of Industrially important compound ‘styrene’ is another objective of this work

Surface Properties and Catalytic Activity of Manganese Ferrospinels

In recent years considerable advances have been achieved in the study of the surface structure and mechanism of action of environmentally benign heterogeneous catalysts. The study entitled as surface properties and catalytic activity of manganese ferrospinels. In the present study we have prepared manganese ferrospinels of general formula Mn(1-x)BxFe2O4 via low temperature controlled co-precipation method. The study employed low temperature co-precipitation method for the preparation ofMn(1-x)BxFe2O4 specimens, where B is a metal cation such as Cr,Co, Ni,Cu and Zn. The catalytic activities of the systems were investigated for liquid-phase benzoylation of aromatic compounds and phenol hydroxylation and for vapour-phase reactions such as aniline alkylation, phenol methylation and ODH of ethylbenzene. The different series of manganese ferrites are proved to be excellent catalysts for various industrially important reactions such as Friedel-crafts benzoylation of aromatic compounds, methylation of aniline and phenol, hydroxylation of phenol and oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. Due to the tightening of the environmental regulations, production of diphenols from phenol hydroxylation and reduction of phenolic pollutants in waste waters using these catalysts can be a promising approach because it demands only simple techniques and produce little environmental pollution.

Studies on catalysis by transition metal promoted sulphated zirconia

The present project was a systematic investigation of the physico-chemical properties and catalytic activity of some transition metal promoted sulphated zirconia systems. The characterisation and catalytic activity results were compared with that of pure Zr02 and simple sulphated zirconia systems. Sulphated zirconia samples were prepared by a controlled impregnation technique. In the case of metal incorporated systems, a single step impregnation was carried out using required amounts of sulphuric acid and metal salt solutions. As a preliminary step, optimisation of calcination temperature and sulphate content was achieved. For further studies, the optimised sulphate loading of 10 ml per gram of hydrous zirconium oxide and a calcination temperature of 700°C was employed. Metal incorporation had a positive influence on the physico-chemical properties. Vapour phase cumene conversion served as a test reaction for acidity. Some industrially important reactions like Friedel-Crafts reaction, phenol hydroxylation, nitration, etc. were selected to test the catalytic activity of the prepared systems.