The first organocatalyzed sulfoxidation reaction towards enantioenriched (R)-modafinil (Armodafinil®), a drug against narcolepsy, is reported here. A series of chiral organocatalysts, e.g., different chiral BINOL-phosphates, or a fructose-derived N-substituted oxazolidinone ketone (Shi catalyst) were applied for the sulfoxidation reaction with environmentally friendly H2O2 as a convenient oxyge...

An environmentally friendly and highly efficient procedure has been developed for the selective synthesis of 2-aryl-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-oxazines and 2-aryl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidines by cyclocondensation of arylnitriles with 3-amino-1-propanol and 1,3-diaminopropane in the presence of catalytic amounts of H3PW12O40 under thermal conditions and MW irradiation. Under the same reaction condition...

Visible light driven organic chemistry has sparked much excitement over the last several years. This review summarizes recent progress in combining visible light activation with asymmetric catalysis, processes that are either mediated by photoinduced electron or energy transfer. The tasks of photoactivation and asymmetric catalysis are typically accomplished by dual catalyst systems but several...

(-)-Ambrox is recognised as the prototype of all ambergris odorants. Widely used in perfumery, (-)-Ambrox is an important ingredient due to its unique scent and excellent fixative function. An environmentally friendly and practical preparation of (-)-Ambrox is still unavailable at present although a lot of attention has been paid to this hot research topic for many years. A one-pot synthesis of...

Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of heteroaromatic compounds is undoubtedly a straightforward and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of a wide range of optically active heterocyclic compounds, which are widespread and ubiquitous in naturally occurring and artificial bioactive molecules. Over the past decade, a number of transition metal (Ir, Rh, Ru, and Pd) cat...

Tetra-N-Butyl Ammonium Hydroxide was used as a catalyst for one-pot, three component condensation reactions consisting of aromatic aldehydes, malononitrile and barbituric acid in ethanol:water solvent system at 60oC. Current method has major advantages like mild reaction conditions with simple operation, high yields, by using a less toxic and lower costlier catalyst.In conclusion, we have explo...

The concept of combining heterogeneous transition metal and amine catalysis for enantioselective cascade reactions has not yet been realized. This is of great advantage since it would allow for the recycling of expensive and non-environmentally friendly transition metals. We disclose that the use of a heterogeneous Pd-catalyst in combination with a simple chiral amine co-catalyst allows for hig...

A rapid and efficient solvent-free one-pot synthesis of coumarin derivatives by Pechmann condensation reactions of phenols with ethyl acetoacetate using FeF3 as a catalyst under microwave irradiation is described. This one-pot synthesis on a solid inorganic support provides the products in good yields. The newly synthesized compounds were systematically characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS ...

Kaolin-SO3H nanoparticles were prepared via reaction of kaolin and chlorosulfonic acid and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, XRF, EDS, BET and TGA. The activity of this green catalyst was probed by the synthesis of aryl diazonium salts as the starting reactant and then, their diazo coupling with  2-naphthol to form azo dyes in a solvent-free medium at room temperature...