Photosynthesized silver-polyaminocyclodextrin nanocomposites as promising antibacterial agents with improved activity

Ag nanocomposites were prepared by photoreduction of ammoniacal silver acetate in the presence of poly-{6-[3-(2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylamino)propylamino]}-(6-deoxy)-β-CD (amCD). The obtained systems were characterized by means of various complementary techniques (UV-vis, FT-IR, TEM, SAED). In particular, FT-IR spectroscopy evidenced a partial oxidative degradation of the polyamine branches of the capping auxiliary, due to the fact that these groups function as a sacrificial reducing agent in the photoinduced formation of the Ag metal core. TEM and SAED micrographs showed that the Ag cores possess a relatively low polydispersity and a significantly crystalline character. The Ag–amCD system…

A joint action of deep eutectic solvents and ultrasound to promote Diels−Alder reaction in a sustainable way

The need to reduce environmental impact of chemical processes has induced a surge of attention in the choice of solvent and methodologies to carry them out. In this context, we studied the Diels−Alder reaction using N-ethylmaleimide as dienophile and changing the nature of the diene in deep eutectic solvents (DES) under both conventional heating and ultrasonic activation. DES obtained by the combination of different hydrogen bond acceptors and donors allowed assessing the role played by solvent nature. DES proved suitable solvent media for the target reaction, allowing higher yields and faster reactions compared to conventional organic solvents. The trend of yields, both in silent and under…

Environmentally Friendly Eutectogels Comprising l-amino Acids and Deep Eutectic Solvents: Efficient Materials for Wastewater Treatment.

Current concerns for sustainability and the environment make low-impact materials desirable for environmental remediation and, in particular wastewater treatment. We obtained supramolecular gels of l-amino acids in the deep eutectic solvent formed by choline chloride and phenylacetic acid. After gel characterization, and investigating gel-sol transition temperatures, gelation kinetics, rheological properties, and morphology, the gels were applied as sorbents to remove cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. The effects of the pH, dye nature, volume, and concentration of wastewater were analyzed, and the best result was obtained with a l-phenylalanine-based eutectogel. It can be reused for at …

L'AZIONE COMBINATA DES/ULTRASUONI PER LO STUDIO DELLA REAZIONE DI DIELS-ALDER

Supramolecular Eutecto Gels: Fully Natural Soft Materials

The obtainment of materials featured by high environmental compatibility is one of the main goals of modern research. On this subject, we herein report the first example of supramolecular gel in deep eutectic solvents. In particular, we prepared gels of the L-amino acids isoleucine and tryptophan in choline chloride/phenylacetic acid 1:2. All gel components are readily available and nontoxic. Gels have been fully characterized by standard gelation tests, rheology, X-ray diffraction, morphology and gelation kinetics. Data collected show that gels properties depend on the gelator nature. In particular, gel phases exhibit strong colloidal forces and, this high mechanical resistance, together w…

Ionic Liquid Binary Mixtures, Zeolites, and Ultrasound Irradiation: A Combination to Promote Carbohydrate Conversion into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

The efficient conversion of biomass into value-added compounds under mild and safer conditions is a cornerstone of present research efforts to meet the needs of the chemical industry with sustainable development. In this work, we studied the dehydration of fructose, glucose, and sucrose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), catalyzed by HY zeolite, in three ionic liquid mixtures differing for the cation, aromatic, or aliphatic. We investigated the effect of several operational parameters such as temperature, catalyst loading, zeolite counterion, solvent mixture, and added chloride. In the optimal experimental conditions, we obtained good conversions to 5-HMF especially for fructose and sucr…

DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENTS E LIQUIDI IONICI: SOLVENTI PER LO SVILUPPO DI PROCESSI ECO-COMPATIBILI

L’obiettivo di questi tre anni di Dottorato è stato lo studio e l’utilizzo nuovi solventi di reazione in grado di sostituire i solventi organici classici. In particolare sono stati studiati i Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) e le miscele di Liquidi Ionici (IL). I DES sono stati utilizzati come solventi per lo studio di reazioni organiche, usate per la formazione di nuovi legami C-C. Nello specifico sono state studiate la reazione di Diels-Alder, e diverse reazioni di coupling C-C catalizzate da Pd. In seguito, i DES sono stati utilizzati per la formazione di nuovi gel supramolecolari, chiamati eutectogel. Questi gel sono stati formati usando come gelator amminoacidi naturali, consentendo quindi …

Natural eutectogels: sustainable catalytic systems for C–C bond formation reactions

Natural eutecto gels were prepared combining properties of amino acids with the ones of deep eutectic solvents. Soft materials obtained were fully characterised determining the gel-sol transition temperatures and analysing mechanical and morphological features through rheological measurements and polarised optical microscopy. All eutecto gels were tested as catalytic reaction media for the enantioselective aldol reaction and, the best performing one was also used to carry out the Michael addition. In both cases, eutecto gels proved to have a great potential as sustainable reaction media, allowing to perform processes under mild conditions, obtaining excellent yields and, in some cases, also…

A Bipyridine‐Palladium Derivative as General Pre‐Catalyst for Cross‐Coupling Reactions in Deep Eutectic Solvents

A versatile and DES‐compatible bipyridine palladium complex has been developed as a general pre‐catalyst for different cross‐coupling reactions (Hiyama, Suzuki‐Miyaura, Heck‐Mizoroki and Sonogashira) in deep eutectic solvents. Hydrogen bond capacity of the ligand allows to keep the excellent level of results previously obtained in classical organic solvents. Palladium pre‐catalyst showed a high catalytic activity for many cross‐coupling reactions, demonstrating a great versatility and applicability. Also, this methodology employs sustainable solvents as a reaction medium and highlights the potential of DES as alternative solvents in organometallic catalysis. The catalyst and DES were easily…