Raluca Malacea

Renewable materials as precursors of linear nitrile-acid derivatives via cross-metathesis of fatty esters and acids with acrylonitrile and fumaronitrile

The cross-metathesis of fatty acids and esters, as renewable raw materials, with acrylonitrile and fumaronitrile is presented. The cross-metathesis reactions of both terminal and internal double bond containing compounds were performed using a ruthenium catalyst and led to bifunctional nitrile-esters or nitrile-acids with high conversions. The tandem ruthenium catalysed cross-metathesis and hydrogenation provide precursors of aminoacid monomers for the production of polyamides from renewable resources.

Ruthenium–alkylidene catalysed cross-metathesis of fatty acid derivatives with acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate: a key step toward long-chain bifunctional and amino acid compounds

The ruthenium catalysed cross-metathesis of fatty-esters arising from plant oils with acrylonitrile is presented. The resulting linear nitrile ester products have potential as new intermediates for polyamides synthesis. A series of commercially available catalysts are able to promote the transformation of methyl 10-undecenoate 1, dimethyl octadec-9-en-1,18-dioate 5 and methyl ricinoleate 9 with acrylonitrile and a protocol based on the slow addition of catalyst allowed TONs as high as 1900 (92% yield) to be reached for cross-metathesis with acrylonitrile. These cross-metathesis conditions have been applied to methyl acrylate and TONs up to 7600 were obtained.

Alkene Metathesis and Renewable Materials: Selective Transformations of Plant Oils

The olefin metathesis of natural oils and fats and their derivatives is the basis of clean catalytic reactions relevant to green chemistry processes and the production of generate useful chemicals from renewable raw materials. Three variants of alkene metathesis: self-metathesis, ethenolysis and cross-metathesis applied to plant oil derivatives will show new routes to fine chemicals, bifunctional products, polymer precursours and industry intermediates.

Diastereoselective heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 2-methyl nicotinic acid using pyroglutamate chiral auxiliary

The diastereoselective hydrogenation of 2-methyl nicotinic acid covalently bound to proline ester or pyroglutamic ester over supported metallic catalyst yielded moderate diastereoselectivity (26%). The hydrogenation of the corresponding pyridinium salt was studied and similar des were achieved.

Parahydrogen studies of H2 addition to Ir(I) complexes containing chiral phosphine-thioether ligands: implications for catalysis.

Ir(CO)[CpFe{eta5-C5H3(PPh2)CH2SR}]Cl [R = Ph and (t)Bu], containing a kappa2:P,S ligand, undergoes H2 addition across the S-Ir-CO axis under kinetic control to form two distinct diastereoisomeric products, which then rearrange via S dissociation in a process that can be hijacked for useful catalysis, but ultimately form a single diastereoisomer of the thermodynamic product where the hydride ligands are trans to chloride and phosphine.