Amorphous silica and crystalline silicalite (MFI structure) are demonstrated to be active and environmentally benign catalysts for propionic acid ketonisation at 450-500 °C to form 3-pentanone. The silicalite is particularly efficient, and its ketonisation selectivity is increased by base modification probably through generation of silanol nests.

Ball-milling and pestle and mortar grinding have emerged as powerful methods for the development of environmentally benign chemical transformations. Recently, the use of these mechanochemical techniques in asymmetric organocatalysis has increased. This review highlights the progress in asymmetric organocatalytic reactions assisted by mechanochemical techniques.

Organocatalysts containing primary-secondary diamines based on bispidine have been developed to catalyze the asymmetric Michael addition of ketones to alkylidene malonates and nitroalkenes. The corresponding products were obtained in high yields (up to 99%) with high diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) and high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) under mild conditions using either environmental...

A zeolite-catalyzed, simple, one-pot, solvent-free, cost effective, and environmentally benign process for the synthesis of dihydropyrimidones is described. This reaction is scaleable to multigram scale and the catalyst is recyclable. This methodology has resulted in an efficient synthesis of monastrol, a potent inhibitor of kinesin Eg5.

Synthetic modification of trichlorofluoromethane (CFCl3) to non-volatile and useful fluorinated precursors is a cost-effective and an environmentally benign strategy for the safe consumption/destruction of the ozone depleting potential of the reagent. In this report, we present a novel method for in situ Grignard reaction using magnesium powder and CFCl3 for synthesis of dichlorofluoromethyl ar...

Anion-induced molecular threading is an emerging strategy for generating mechanically interlocked molecular architectures. Herein, we report the preparation of two pseudorotaxane structures generated from aromatic sulfonate anions and a tetraimidazolium-containing macrocycle in organic media, as well as under environmentally benign aqueous conditions.