Alessandro Scarso

Recent advances in catalysis in micellar media

The present review paper deals with the development of catalytic systems in water in the presence of micelles obtained by addition of surfactants, focusing on the effects of these simple, economic, and green reaction media on important aspects like recyclability, activity, product and substrate selectivity. Contributions from 2005 to 2014 are surveyed with particular emphasis on emerging findings and directions in the field of catalysis. Surfactants enable formation of nanosized apolar aggregates in bulk water where the catalysts and reagents can be dissolved thanks to weak intermolecular interactions like the hydrophobic effect and ion pairing operating in a more concentrated system compared to the bulk solvent. While in the past the use of surfactants was a straightforward approach to enable solubilization of reaction mixtures in water, nowadays specific interactions between substrates, catalysts and micelles are investigated by means of NMR and other techniques to better understand the molecular basis of this kind of supramolecular catalysis. Specifically designed surfactants to engineer micelles in order to compete efficiently with traditional catalysis in organic solvents are nowadays available.

Supramolecular control on chemo- and regioselectivity via encapsulation of (NHC)-Au catalyst within a hexameric self-assembled host

The encapsulation of a Au(I) catalyst within a self-assembled, hydrogen bonded, hexameric capsule dramatically changes its catalytic activity, leading to unusual products due to the steric requirements of the hosts cavity.

Catalytic Asymmetric Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation in Water by Using PtII Catalysts and Hydrogen Peroxide: Supramolecular Control of Enantioselectivity

The enantioselective Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones is a challenging reaction, especially when using environmentally friendly oxidants. The reaction was carried out in water by using soft Lewis acid Pt(II) complexes that have chiral diphosphines as well as monophosphines. Addition of a surfactant is crucial, which leads to the formation of micelles that act as nanoreactors in which the substrate and catalyst encounter each other in an ordered medium that in several cases positively influences both the conversion and the selectivity of the reactions. This is due to the combination of the hydrophobic effect (which confines the components of the reaction in the micelles), together with supramolecular interactions between the partners within the ordered palisade provided by the alkyl chains of the surfactant. For the oxidation of meso-cyclobutanones, addition of surfactant allowed the reaction to proceed in high yields and the enantiometic excess (ee; 56%) was higher than in organic solvents. Subsequent extension to meso-cyclohexanones resulted in a general decrease in yields but an enhancement of enantioselectivity (ee up to 92%) moving from organic to water-surfactant media, regardless of the substrate or the catalyst employed. Different behaviour was observed with chiral cyclobutanones 7 and 10: with 7 the best catalyst was 1 g, whereas with the larger substrate, 10, complexes 1 a-b performed better in terms of enantioselectivity. Each combination of substrate, catalyst and surfactant is a new system and supramolecular reciprocal interactions together with the hydrophobic character of the counterparts play crucial roles. The asymmetric Baeyer-Villiger oxidation in water catalyzed by 1 a-h in the presence of micelles is a viable reaction that often benefits from the hydrophobic effect, leading to substantial increases in enantioselectivity.

A peptide template as an allosteric supramolecular catalyst for the cleavage of phosphate esters

The heptapeptide H-Iva-Api-Iva-ATANP-Iva-Api-Iva-NHCH3 (P1a), where Iva is (S)-isovaline, Api is 4-amino-4-carboxypiperidine, and ATANP is (S)-2-amino-3-[1-(1,4,7-triazacyclononane)]propanoic acid, has been synthesized. Its conformation in aqueous solution is essentially that of a 310-helix. By connecting three copies of P1a to a functionalized Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (Tren) platform a new peptide template, [T(P1)3], was obtained. This molecule is able to bind up to four metal ions (CuII or ZnII): one in the Tren subsite and three in the azacyclononane subunits. The binding of the metals to the Tren platform induces a change from an open to a closed conformation in which the three short, helical peptides are aligned in a parallel manner with the azacyclonane units pointing inward within the pseudocavity they define. T(P1)3 shows a peculiar behavior in the transphosphorylation of phosphate esters; the tetrazinc complex is a catalyst of the cleavage of 2-hydroxypropyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (HPNP), whereas the free ligand is a catalyst of the cleavage of an oligomeric RNA sequence with selectivity for pyrimidine bases. In the case of HPNP, ZnII acts as a positive allosteric effector by enhancing the catalytic efficiency of the system. In the case of the polyanionic RNA substrate, ZnII switches off the activity, thus behaving as a negative allosteric regulator. It is suggested that the opposite behavior of the catalyst induced by ZnII is associated with the change of conformation of the Tren platform, and consequently of the relative spatial disposition of the three linked peptides, that occurs after binding of the metal ion.

Efficient nitrile hydration mediated by RuII catalysts in micellar media

Efficient nitrile hydration to the corresponding amide derivatives is observed in water using poorly soluble [RuCl2(η6-arene)(PR3)] catalysts 1 with the aid of surfactants to ensure substrate and catalyst solubilization, and enabling ligand effect study on catalytic activity. Amide yields of 40 to 95% can be observed with a variety of aromatic and aliphatic nitriles using the optimized catalyst system, [RuCl2(p-cymene)(PPh2OEt)]/Triton X-114. Catalyst separation and recycling is possible.

Asymmetric Baeyer–Villiger oxidation with Co(Salen) and H2O2 in water: striking supramolecular micelles effect on catalysis

A micellar environment enables catalytic, diastereoselective and enantioselective Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclobutanones (ee up to 90%) with H2O2 as oxidant using Co(Salen) catalyst 1, while the same catalytic system is inactive in organic solvents.

Efficient isonitrile hydration through encapsulation within a hexameric self-assembled capsule and selective inhibition by a photo-controllable competitive guest

Catalytic hydration of neutral isonitriles to yield the corresponding N-formylamides was achieved by reversible encapsulation in a self-assembled hexameric resorcin[4]arene capsule. Encapsulation of a photochromic dithienylethene bis-cation provides different levels of competitive inhibition depending on the geometry assumed by the cationic inhibitor.

Mild catalytic oxidation of secondary and tertiary amines to nitrones and N-oxides with H2O2 mediated by Pt(II) catalysts

Bridging hydroxo complexes of Pt(II) can be used as catalysts for the oxidation of tertiary and secondary amines under mild conditions using the environmentally benign hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. The reaction proceeds with medium to excellent yields particularly in the case of the more electron rich tertiary amines.

Micellar Promoted Multi-Component Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazoles in Water at Room Temperature

Micellar media in water provide a simple and efficient environment favoring the multi-component synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles from organic bromides, sodium azide and terminal alkynes in the presence of [Cu(IMes)Cl] 1 catalyst at room temperature within a few hours. The micellar medium favors both the in situ formation of the organic azide and its metal promoted cycloaddition with the alkyne.

The Pt(II)-catalyzed Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone with H2O2 in ionic liquids

The Pt(II)-catalyzed Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone with H2O2 in a two-phase system, H2O–IL, is a viable procedure, characterized by synthetically interesting yields, better than those of the same reaction in H2O–halogenated solvents.