Enhanced Heterogeneous Catalytic Conversion of Furfuryl Alcohol into Butyl Levulinate
We study the catalytic condensation of furfuryl alcohol with 1-butanol to butyl levulinate. A screening of several commercial and as-synthesized solid acid catalysts shows that propylsulfonic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica outperforms the state-of-the-art phosphotungstate acid catalysts. The catalyst is prepared via template-assisted sol-gel polycondensation of TEOS and MPTMS. It gives 96 % yield (and 100 % selectivity) of butyl levulinate in 4h at 110 °C. Reaction profiles before and after a hot filtration test confirm that the active catalytic species do not leach into the solution. The catalyst synthesis, characterization, and mode of operation are presented and discussed. Sour ca…
Heterogeneous vs Homogeneous Palladium Catalysts for Cross-Coupling Reactions
A large number of immobilized-Pd-catalysts for cross-coupling reactions have been introduced in the last decade. Are the observed catalyzed reactions truly heterogeneous or are they homogeneous due to leached palladium? This account critically addresses the leaching issue by selectively referring to some of the newly developed catalytic systems in an attempt to evaluate said systems based on uniform criteria. The report is concluded by identifying the relevant chemical and structural challenges in the field.
A new class of heterogeneous Pd catalysts for synthetic organic chemistry
A new series of leach-proof nanostructured Pd(0) catalysts able to catalyze a number of fundamental organic transformations including C–C bond formation has been developed. Reactions in general proceed with high yield and often at completion, while the catalysts can be reused in further reaction runs. This establishes a new class of relevant solid catalysts for synthetic organic chemistry trademarked SiliaCat Pd0 Hydrogel.
Heterogeneously catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura conversion of broad scope
The reaction tolerates a broad range of functional groups in the coupling partners and is usually performed in solution under homogeneous conditions at T ¢ 60 uC using 2–3 mol% catalytic amounts. The catalyst is often a Pd(0) complex with triarylphosphane ligands. 2 The catalytic cycle (Scheme 2) begins with the oxidative addition of an aryl halide to a Pd(0) species formed in situ to form an arylpalladium(II) halide intermediate. 3 Chloroarenes, especially nonactivated aryl chlorides, are notoriously less reactive due to the stability of the C–Cl bond (the relative reactivity of Ar–X is correlated to the respective bond dissociation energy: Ph–Cl: 96 kcal mol 21 ,P h–Br: 81 kcal mol 21 ,P …
Enhanced Heterogeneously Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction over SiliaCat Pd(0)
Abstract The SiliaCat Pd(0) solid catalyst can be efficiently employed in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of an ample variety of haloarenes, including economically viable chloroarenes. The catalyst can be extensively recycled without loss of activity and with low leaching of valued palladium, opening the route to widespread utilization of the method to afford high yields of biaryls devoid of contaminating by-products.
Heterogeneous Sonogashira Coupling over Nanostructured SiliaCat Pd(0)
Sol–gel entrapped catalyst SiliaCat Pd(0) heterogeneously mediates the Sonogoashira coupling of different aryl halides and phenylacetylene either under thermal conditions or, much more efficiently, under microwave irradiation, affording good conversions of coupled products. Leaching of valued Pd is limited, and the catalyst can be reused.
Characterization of Nanostructured SilicaCat Pd0
Structural investigation on nanostructured SiliaCat Pd0 palladium catalyst sheds light into the origins of the remarkable activity of these new catalytic materials.
Hemicellulose hydrolysis catalysed by solid acids
Depolymerising hemicellulose into platform sugar molecules is a key step in developing the concept of an integrated biorefinery. This reaction is traditionally catalysed by either enzymes or homogeneous mineral acids. We compared various solid catalysts for hemicellulose hydrolysis, running reactions in water, under neutral pH and relatively mild temperature and pressure (120°C and 10 bar) conditions. Sulphonated resins are highly active, but they leach out sulphonic groups. Sulphonated silicas are less active, but more stable. They have weakly and strongly bound sites and the strongly bound ones do not leach. Zeolites are moderately active and stable. Among them, H-ferrierite especially, d…
Catalysis with Doped Sol-Gel Silicates
Silicates doped with catalytic species have only been slowly adopted by the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries, in spite of their remarkable and unique properties such as pronounced physical and chemical stability; high (enantio)selective activity and ease of materials production and application. This is now changing thanks to stricter safety regulations and to concomitant success of the first commercial catalysts. In this account we tell the story of these materials and identify some deficiencies in the innovation process that may serve as lesson in guiding the future management of innovation in these relevant industries.