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Sustainable Chemistry

Utilizing Silicon Chemistry: A Greener Approach for Achieving Regioselective Wittig Rearrangements and [1,2]-Carbon to Carbon Silyl Migration

The Wittig rearrangements ([2,3], [1,2] and [1,4]) are a pivotal synthetic strategy for forming carbon-carbon bonds. Despite extensive documentation of the [2,3]-Wittig, the questions related to the regioselective pathways of the [1,2] and [1,4]-Wittig rearrangements remain unanswered. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the [1,4]-Wittig occurs via a concerted or stepwise mechanism is unclear. The [1,4]-Wittig also has a limited substrate scope.

Green and Sustainable Solvents for Solid-Phase Peptoid Synthesis

Peptoids, or N-substituted glycine polymers, are an important platform for the development of new materials for therapeutic, cryopreservation, and biosensing applications. The stepwise solid-phase synthesis of peptoids uses iterative acylation and displacement reactions to grow the peptoid chain but relies on hazardous solvents, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), which are used in large quantities for resin swelling, washing, and solubilizing the required chemical reagents.

Identifying Chemistry Students’ Baseline Systems Thinking Skills when Constructing System Maps on Climate Change

Chemistry knowledge is essential in addressing solutions to complex global challenges such as achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. However, current teaching methods in chemistry often lack connections to global issues; without explicit practice and assessment, students cannot be expected to make these connections. Systems thinking (ST) has been proposed as part of an approach that aims to examine complex phenomena from a holistic perspective to prepare future scientists for the work needed to address these emerging global issues. 

Scaling of Sustainable Technologies to Transform GLYCEROL into Added-Value and Energetic Compounds

Glycerol hydrogenolysis allows to obtain lots of value added compounds, that, when the reactive comes from renewable sources such as a by-product of the biodiesel industry, it becomes the product renewable too. Each one of the possible product are aligned with the green engineering concept as they are sustainable and contribute to the green supply chain. Glycols, specically propyleneglycol, is an already known and proven molecule, which can be easily introduced into the market without any constrain.  

Synthesis of Phenantridinones and Benzochromenes by C-H Activation Reactions Catalised by Palladium Nanoparticles

In recent years, Palladium (Pd) catalysis has expanded to the use of metallic nanoparticles (NPs), due to their physicochemical properties that are related to catalytic activity. In particular, C-H bond activation reactions catalyzed by Pd attract interest because they can generate new C-C bonds without the need for prior functionalization, shortening synthesis steps and reducing waste generation. An example is phenanthridin-6(5H)-ones and benzo[c]chromenes, which are heterocycles present in various natural products and with important biological activities.

Green Photoredox Catalysis Using Near-Infrared Light: Two-Photon-Absorption Enabled Cyclization

Over the past two decades, there has been a significant surge of interest in the field of ultraviolet and/or visible (UV/vis) light photocatalysis. UV-vis irradiation merged with noble metal-based photosensitizers of Ru, Ir as catalysts is most useful combination in this segment as these metal photocatalysts mostly absorb in the UV/vis region. However, high energy UV/vis irradiation sources as well as the noble-metal based photosensitizer are not considered as green.

Preparation, Characterization and Application of Metallic and Bimetallic Nanocatalysts in the Synthesis of Potentially Bioactive Compounds, through Economic and Sustainable Processes

Supported metallic and bimetallic nanocatalysts were synthesized and characterized. They were employed in different steps of the synthesis of a variety of bioactive compounds, taken in place the high atom economy and the sustainability of the process. The recoverability and reusability of the nanocatalysts was studied. The nanocatalyst were used particularly in C-H activation reaction, through a cross dehydrogenative coupling reaction (CDC), to form new C-C and C-heteroatom bonds.

Designing CO2-responsive and Degradable Polymers

Plastic is a frequently used material that can vastly harm the environment. Most disposed plastics persist in the environment, breaking down into smaller particles known as microplastics that harm aquatic life and humans. Polymers capable of degradation can alleviate the presence of microplastics in the environment, but degradation rates are often slow (>100 years) and harsh acidic or basic conditions may be required for complete degradation. 

Synthesis of Minor Cannabinoid Analogues Related to Antiproliferative Natural Products

Throughout history, natural products have consistently proven to be invaluable sources of solutions for humanity, particularly regarding the development of treatments for diseases. If only small molecules are taken into consideration, almost half of the approved anti-cancer drugs since mid-last century are either natural products or compounds related to them in some way. Among the natural products that have gained increasing interest in recent decades are cannabinoids and related meroterpenoids. 

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