Abeda S. Touchy

Direct synthesis of quinazolinones by acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of o-aminobenzamide and alcohols by heterogeneous Pt catalysts

HBEA zeolite-supported Pt metal nanoclusters (Pt/HBEA) effectively catalyze direct dehydrogenative synthesis of quinazolinones from o-aminobenzamide and alcohols under promoter-free conditions. This is the first heterogeneous catalytic system for this reaction, which has a turnover number (TON) more than 25 times higher than previous homogeneous catalysts as well as wide scope for aliphatic and aromatic alcohols.

Selective Synthesis of Primary Amines by Reductive Amination of Ketones with Ammonia over Supported Pt catalysts

Supported platinum catalysts are studied for the reductive amination of ketones under ammonia and hydrogen. For a model reaction with 2‐adamantanone, Pt‐loaded MoOx/TiO2 (Pt‐MoOx/TiO2) shows the highest yield of primary amine. The catalyst is effective for the selective transformation of various aliphatic and aromatic ketones to the corresponding primary amines, which demonstrates the first example of the selective synthesis of primary amines by this reaction. The yield of the amine increases with increase in the negative shift of the CO stretching band in the infrared spectra of adsorbed acetone on the catalysts, suggesting that Lewis acid sites on the support material play an important role in this catalytic system.

Versatile and sustainable alcoholysis of amides by a reusable CeO2 catalyst

CeO2 catalyzed the esterification between an equivalent molar ratio of primary amides and alcohols under neutral conditions, which provides the first versatile reusable catalytic system for direct alcoholysis of amides to esters with wider scope and 67 times higher turnover number (TON) than previous catalytic systems.

Hydrodeoxygenation of sulfoxides to sulfides by a Pt and MoOx co-loaded TiO2 catalyst

Supported metal nanoparticle catalysts were studied for the hydrodeoxygenation of sulfoxides to sulfides under solvent-free and mild conditions (50–155 °C, 1 or 7 atm H2). The catalytic activity for the model reaction of diphenyl sulfoxide depended on the type of metals, support materials and co-loaded oxides of transition metals (V, Nb, Mo, W, Re). Pt and MoOx co-loaded TiO2 (Pt–MoOx/TiO2) showed the highest activity. Pt–MoOx/TiO2 was reusable after the reaction and was effective for the reduction of various sulfoxides and showed a higher turnover number (TON) than previously reported catalysts. Using Pt–MoOx/TiO2, benzylphenylsulfone was reduced by H2 to give phenylbenzyl sulfide via benzylphenyl sulfoxides, which represented the first example of catalytic conversion of a sulfone to a sulfide by H2. Characterization studies of Pt–MoOx/TiO2 show that the surface of TiO2 is covered by small (or thin layer) Mo oxide species with exposed Mo cations as Lewis acid sites, and 4–5 nm sized Pt metal nanoparticles are supported on the Mo oxide-covered TiO2.

TiO2-Supported Re as a General and Chemoselective Heterogeneous Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Carboxylic Acids to Alcohols

TiO2 -supported Re, Re/TiO2 , was found to promote selective hydrogenation of carboxylic acids having aromatic and aliphatic moieties to the corresponding alcohols. Re/TiO2 showed superior results compared to other transition-metal-loaded TiO2 and supported Re catalysts for selective hydrogenation of 3-phenylpropionic acid. 3-phenylpropanol was produced in 97 % yield under mild conditions (5 MPa H2 at 140 °C). Contrary to typical heterogeneous catalysts, Re/TiO2 does not lead to the formation of dearomatized byproducts. The catalyst is recyclable and shows a wide substrate scope in the synthesis of alcohols (22 examples; up to 97 % isolated yield).

Rhenium-Loaded TiO2: A Highly Versatile and Chemoselective Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives and the N-Methylation of Amines Using H2 and CO2

Herein, we report a heterogeneous TiO2 -supported Re catalyst (Re/TiO2 ) that promotes various selective hydrogenation reactions, which includes the hydrogenation of esters to alcohols, the hydrogenation of amides to amines, and the N-methylation of amines, by using H2 and CO2 . Initially, Re/TiO2 was evaluated in the context of the selective hydrogenation of 3-phenylpropionic acid methyl ester to afford 3-phenylpropanol (pH2 =5 MPa, T=180 °C), which revealed a superior performance over other catalysts that we tested in this study. In contrast to other typical heterogeneous catalysts, hydrogenation reactions with Re/TiO2 did not produce dearomatized byproducts. DFT studies suggested that the high selectivity for the formation of alcohols in favor of the hydrogenation of aromatic rings is ascribed to the higher affinity of Re towards the COOCH3 group than to the benzene ring. Moreover, Re/TiO2 showed a wide substrate scope for the hydrogenation reaction (19 examples). Subsequently, this Re/TiO2 catalyst was applied to the hydrogenation of amides, the N-methylation of amines, and the N-alkylation of amines with carboxylic acids or esters.

Synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles via dehydrogenative condensation of secondary alcohols and 1,2-amino alcohols by supported platinum catalysts

Direct synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles has been achieved via acceptorless dehydrogenative heterocyclization of 1,2-aminoalcohols and secondary alcohols by utilizing a heterogeneous carbon-supported Pt catalyst (Pt/C). The optimized method gave 92% yield of 2-ethyl-5-phenyl-1H-pyrrole as a desired product from 2-amino-1-butanol and 1-phenylethanol in the presence of 0.1 mol% of Pt/C and 1.1 equiv. of KOtBu. It has been revealed that Pt/C demonstrates superior catalytic activity to a number of catalysts tested in this study including other transition metal-loaded carbon and various metal-oxide-supported Pt catalysts. In addition, the turnover number (TON) obtained in the present system was found to be higher than those obtained in previously-reported catalytic systems. It is significant that the Pt/C catalyst could be recycled as a heterogeneous catalyst without significant loss in the activity and showed a wide substrate scope for the 2,5-disubstituted pyrrole forming process.

Direct Synthesis of Cyclic Imides from Carboxylic Anhydrides and Amines by Nb2O5 as a Water‐Tolerant Lewis Acid Catalyst

In the 20 types of heterogeneous and homogenous catalysts screened, Nb2O5 showed the highest activity for the synthesis of N‐phenylsuccinimide by dehydrative condensation of succinic anhydride and aniline. Nb2O5 was used in the direct imidation of a wide range of carboxylic anhydrides with NH3 or amines with various functional groups and could be reused. Kinetic studies showed that the Lewis acid Nb2O5 catalyst was more water tolerant than both the Lewis acidic oxide TiO2 and the homogeneous Lewis acid ZrCl4, which resulted in higher yields of imides through the use of Nb2O5.

Heterogeneous catalysts for the cyclization of dicarboxylic acids to cyclic anhydrides as monomers for bioplastic production

Cyclic anhydrides, key intermediates of carbon-neutral and biodegradable polyesters, are currently produced from biomass-derived dicarboxylic acids by a high-cost multistep process. We present a new high-yielding process for the direct intramolecular dehydration of dicarboxylic acids using a reusable heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst, Nb2O5·nH2O. Various dicarboxylic acids, which can be produced by a biorefinery process, are transformed into the corresponding cyclic anhydrides as monomers for polyester production. This method is suitable for the production of renewable polyesters in a biorefinery process.

Direct Olefination of Alcohols with Sulfones by Using Heterogeneous Platinum Catalysts

Carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/C) were found to be effective heterogeneous catalysts for the direct Julia olefination of alcohols in the presence of sulfones and KOtBu under oxidant-free conditions. Primary alcohols, including aryl, aliphatic, allyl, and heterocyclic alcohols, underwent olefination with dimethyl sulfone and aryl alkyl sulfones to give terminal and internal olefins, respectively. Secondary alcohols underwent methylenation with dimethyl sulfone. Under 2.5 bar H2, the same reaction system was effective for the transformation of alcohol OH groups to alkyl groups. Structural and mechanistic studies of the terminal olefination system suggested that Pt(0) sites on the Pt metal particles are responsible for the rate-limiting dehydrogenation of alcohols and that KOtBu may deprotonate the sulfone reagent. The Pt/C catalyst was reusable after the olefination, and this method showed a higher turnover number (TON) and a wider substrate scope than previously reported methods, which demonstrates the high catalytic efficiency of the present method.