Encapsulation of lipase in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 induced by polyethyleneimine to form a honeycomb structure with enhanced activity.

Embedding an enzyme in the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) gives good protection to the fragile enzyme. However, this may also restrain the enzyme activity because of the decreased substrate accessibility. Encapsulation of lipase AK from Pseudomonas fluorescens for preparing the enzyme-MOF composite (AK@ZIF-8-PEI) was performed through a new strategy based on polyethyleneimine and enzyme induced in-situ growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). Characterizations indicate that AK@ZIF-8-PEI has a honeycomb structure and the hierarchical porosity formed during the preparation, which provides adequate mass transfer channels for catalytic applications. Activity evaluation shows that specific activity of AK@ZIF-8-PEI is 8-fold than the commercial lipase powder. AK@ZIF-8-PEI is demonstrated as an efficient catalyst in kinetic resolution of α-naphthol enantiomers through enantioselective transesterification. Within 12 h, the conversion and substrate enantiomeric excess (ees) reaches 49.8 % and 96.4 %, achieving an improved resolution than previous researches.

Resolution of (R,S)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol by lipase-catalyzed stereoselective transesterification and the process optimization.

An efficient lipase-catalyzed stereoselective transesterification reaction system was established for resolution of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol (MOPE) enantiomers. A series of lipases were tested and compared. The immobilized lipase Novozym 40086 is selected as the best choice. The effects of organic solvent, acyl donor, time and temperature on substrate conversion (c), and optical purity of the remaining substrate (eeS ) were investigated. Response surface methodology and central composite design were employed to evaluate the effect of some important factors and to optimize the process. Under the optimized conditions including solvent of n-hexane, acyl donor of vinyl acetate, temperature of 35°C, substrate molar ratio of 1:6, enzyme dosage of 20 mg, and reaction time of 2.5 h, eeS of 99.87% with c of 56.71% is achieved. The use of alkane solvent and immobilized enzyme, the mild reaction conditions, and the reduced reaction time make the system promising in industrial application.

PEG-modified lipase immobilized onto NH2-MIL-53 MOF for efficient resolution of 4-fluoromandelic acid enantiomers.

A new heterogeneous bio-catalyst was prepared by the immobilization of lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescents (PFL) onto metal-organic frameworks (MOF), NH2-MIL-53(Fe), using covalent cross-linking. The immobilized lipase [PEG-PFL@NH2-MIL-53(Fe)] was firstly applied in enantioselective resolution of 4-fluoromandelic acid (4-FMA) enantiomers. After optimization of the immobilization PFL onto NH2-MIL-53, its loading capacity is 224.5 mg PFL/g MOF. The optimal enzymatic conditions are temperature of 50 °C, VA/4-FMA substrate ratio of 6:1, immobilized lipase loading of 60 mg and reaction time of 12 h. Experimental results show that the catalytic activity and thermal stability of PFL are significantly improved by polyethylene glycol (PEG) modification and immobilization. At 65 °C, the catalytic activity of immobilized lipase retains 86.0% of initial activity. Under the optimal conditions, the excellent results were obtained with conversion of 49.6% and enantiomer excess of 98.0% for the immobilized PFL catalyzed transesterification reaction. Furthermore, the immobilized lipase exhibits excellent cycle stability with 83% of its initial activity after four cycle.

Fast and effective recovery of Au(III) from aqueous solution by a N-containing polymer.

In this work, a N-containing polymer was successfully synthesized by one-step treatment with 3-amine-1,2,4-triazole ligands and Zn(II) using the thermal solvent method, and employed to recover Au(III) from water. The adsorption kinetics was comprehensively studied through kinetics models including pseudo-first-order model, pseudo-second-order model, moving boundary model and Weber-Morris model. It is found that the overall adsorption rate was determined by chemical adsorption, and the rate-limiting step of diffusion steps is film diffusion. Rising temperature can improve the adsorption rate significantly, making the adsorption equilibrium time be reduced from 6 h at 298 K to 2 h at 318 K. The adsorption isotherm can be described well by Sips model, indicating it is a heterogeneous adsorption. The material shows high adsorption capacity towards Au(III) up to 1073 mg/g. It shows strong affinity towards Au(III) in the mixture solutions containing Au(III), Cu(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) ions. The material can be easily and completely desorbed by thiourea solution and still maintains its adsorption performance only with a slight decrease after three cycles. Combined with studies on pH influence, adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm and XPS analysis, it can be concluded that the adsorption mechanism could be attributed to electrostatic interaction, the coordination of the Zn-OH and -C-N/-CN- with Au(III), and partial reduction of Au(III) to Au(I) by -NH group on the polymer. The N-containing polymer is an excellent candidate for Au(III) recovery efficiently and selectively from aqueous solution.

Visible-light photoredox-catalyzed dual C-C bond cleavage: synthesis of 2-cyanoalkylsulfonylated 3,4-dihydronaphthalenes through the insertion of sulfur dioxide.

An efficient novel visible-light photoredox-catalyzed dual carbon-carbon bond cleavage of methylenecyclopropanes and cycloketone oximes for the synthesis of 2-cyanoalkylsulfonated 3,4-dihydronaphthalenes through the insertion of sulfur dioxide is established. This dual cleavage of carbon-carbon bonds involves a radical pathway and goes through a sequence of iminyl radical formation, carbon-carbon bond cleavage, sulfur dioxide insertion, sulfonyl radical addition, another carbon-carbon bond cleavage, and intramolecular cyclization.

Visible Light-Catalyzed Cascade Radical Cyclization of N-Propargylindoles with Acyl Chlorides for the Synthesis of 2-Acyl-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles.

A novel and convenient visible light-catalyzed tandem radical cyclization of N-propargylindoles with acyl chlorides for accessing 2-acyl-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles is established. This transformation involves sequential addition of the acyl radical to the carbon-carbon triple bond, intramolecular cyclization with the 2-position of indole, and isomerization of the carbon-carbon double bond. The experimental results show that this reaction contains a radical pathway and a radical chain process is not the major pathway for the formation of products.

Visible-light promoted one-pot synthesis of sulfonated spiro[4,5]trienones from propiolamides, anilines and sulfur dioxide under transition metal-free conditions.

A novel visible-light promoted sulfonylation/ipso-cyclization of N-arylpropiolamides with arylamines and DABCO·(SO2)2 to synthesize various sulfonated spiro[4,5]trienones is reported. This sulfonylation/ipso-cyclization reaction proceeds via a radical process and undergoes arylsulfonyl radical formation, sulfonylation, and ipso-cyclization. The experimental results indicate that H2O provides an oxygen atom for the construction of the carbonyl group.

Highly efficient and selective recovery of Au(III) by a new metal-organic polymer.

A metal-organic polymer with high water stability was successfully developed to efficiently recover Au(III) from aqueous solutions. This material shows excellent performance for the adsorption of Au(III). Nearly 100% of Au(III) could be removed with fast adsorption rate at low concentration solutions, and the maximum adsorption capacity of 1317 mg/g could be achieved. Significantly, the material shows encouraging selectivity toward Au(III) in the presence of competitive ions such as Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) in both batch and flow-through experiments. Additionally, the material could be regenerated effectively by thiourea with desorption ratio of almost 100%, and exhibits excellent reutilization without significant loss of adsorption capacity. The adsorption mechanism could be attributed to reduce Au(III) to Au(0) by the material. The material still exhibits excellent adsorption performance toward Au in real electronic waste (e-waste) solutions, providing a promising adsorbent for recycle of Au(III) from e-waste.

Experiment and simulation on kinetic resolution of (R,S)-2-chloromandelic acid by enzymatic transesterification.

Optically pure 2-chloromandelic acid (ClMA) is a very important chiral drug intermediate for synthesis of (S)-clopidogrel, belonging to the platelet aggregation inhibitor. Enantioselective resolution of (R,S)-2-chloromandelic acid was carried out in organic solvent through irreversible transesterification catalyzed by lipase AK with vinyl acetate acting as the acyl donor. Effects of various conditions on enantioselectivity and activity of lipase were investigated, including organic solvents, temperature, water content, substrate ratio, enzyme loading, and reaction time. Based on homogeneous reaction and Ping-Pong bi-bi mechanism, a quantitative model was constructed to simulate and optimize the reaction process. Under the optimal conditions, excellent results were obtained with high conversion of (R)-2-ClMA (c R , ≥98.85%) and large enantiomeric excess of substrate (ee s , ≥98.15%). There is a good agreement between predicted values and experiment data, which indicates that the established method is a powerful tool for optimization of the enantioselective transesterification process for enantiomers separation.

Oxidative radical ring-opening/cyclization of cyclopropane derivatives.

The ring-opening/cyclization of cyclopropane derivatives has drawn great attention in the past several decades. In this review, recent efforts in the development of oxidative radical ring-opening/cyclization of cyclopropane derivatives, including methylenecyclopropanes, cyclopropyl olefins and cyclopropanols, are described. We hope this review will be of sufficient interest for the scientific community to further advance the application of oxidative radical strategies in the ring-opening/cyclization of cyclopropane derivatives.

Visible-Light-Catalyzed C-C Bond Difunctionalization of Methylenecyclopropanes with Sulfonyl Chlorides for the Synthesis of 3-Sulfonyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes.

A novel visible-light-catalyzed sulfonylation/arylation of carbon-carbon σ-bond with sulfonyl chlorides for the synthesis of 3-sulfonylated 1,2-dihydronaphthalenes is developed. This difunctionalization proceeds via a sequence of C═C bond sulfonylation, C-C σ-bond cleavage, and intramolecular cyclization, and the experiment result shows that the C-C σ-bond difunctionalization reaction includes a radical process. This strategy provides a simple and convenient route for difunctionalization of C-C bonds with an aromatic carbon and a sulfonyl radical by one-pot construction of a C-S bond and a new C-C bond.

Silver-mediated oxidative C-C bond sulfonylation/arylation of methylenecyclopropanes with sodium sulfinates: facile access to 3-sulfonyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes.

The novel AgNO3-mediated oxidative sulfonylation/arylation of a C-C σ-bond in methylenecyclopropanes with sodium sulfinates to synthesize various 3-sulfonylated 1,2-dihydronaphthalenes is reported. This sulfonylation/arylation transformation proceeds via a sequence of sulfonylation, C-C σ-bond cleavage and intramolecular cyclization, and the experimental results show that the C-C σ-bond difunctionalization reaction includes a radical process. This strategy provides a simple and convenient route for the difunctionalization of C-C bonds with a phenyl ring and a sulfonyl radical via the one-pot construction of a C-S bond and a new C-C bond.

Lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of (R,S)-2,3-diphenylpropionic methyl ester enhanced by hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin.

The enantioselective hydrolysis of (R,S)-2,3-diphenylpropionic methyl ester ((R,S)-2,3-2-PPAME) catalyzed by lipase to (R)-2,3-diphenylpropionic acid ((R)-2,3-2-PPA) was studied in an aqueous system. The catalytic effects of different types of lipase were compared, and Candida antarctica lipase A (CALA) with higher catalytic activity and enantioselectivity was selected. Hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) was added to the aqueous system to increase the solubility of 2,3-2-PPAME, which resulted in an increase of 35.56% in substrate conversion remaining the high enantiomeric excess. The factors influencing the substrate conversion and the optical purity of product such as temperature, pH, concentrations of CALA and HP-ß-CD, substrate loading, and reaction time were optimized. The optimal conditions for this reaction were obtained, including pH of 5.5, 30 mg/mL CALA, 25 mmol/L HP-ß-CD, 0.12 mmol substrate, temperature at 60 °C, agitation speed at 400 rpm, and 48 h for reaction time. Under these optimal conditions, the substrate conversion was up to 44.70% and the optical purity of the product (R)-2,3-2-PPA was up to 98.20%. This work provides an efficient alternative method for lipase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of 2,3-2-PPAME to (R)-2,3-2-PPA by ß-cyclodextrin inclusion in an aqueous reaction system of hydrolysis. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:1355-1362, 2018.

Oxidative C-C Bond Functionalization of Methylenecyclopropanes with Aldehydes for the Formation of 2-Acyl-3,4-dihydronaphthalenes.

A new FeCl2- and DTBP (di- tert-butyl peroxide)-promoted oxidative ring-opening and cyclization of methylenecyclopropanes with aldehydes for the synthesis of 2-acyl-3,4-dihydronaphthalenes is presented. This oxidative cyclization reaction proceeds via a radical addition, ring-opening, and cyclization sequence facilitated by a Lewis acid, and it offers a practical and straightforward route for the oxidative cyclization of methylenecyclopropanes with an aromatic carbon and a C(sp2)-H bond by simultaneously forming two new carbon-carbon bonds.

Visible-Light-Mediated Ipso-Carboacylation of Alkynes: Synthesis of 3-Acylspiro[4,5]trienones from N-(p-Methoxyaryl)propiolamides and Acyl Chlorides.

A novel visible-light-mediated ipso-carboacylation of N-(p-methoxyaryl)propiolamides with acyl chloride has been established for the synthesis of diverse 3-acylspiro[4,5]trienones with high selectivity and efficiency. This method represents a new difunctionalization of alkynes through cross coupling of the acyl chloride C-Cl bonds with an ipso-aromatic carbon by simultaneously forming two new carbon-carbon bonds and one carbon-oxygen double bond.

Bu4NI-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Coupling of Diaryl Phosphinic Acids with C(sp3)-H Bonds of Arenes.

An efficient phosphorylation of C(sp3)-H bonds of arenes with diaryl phosphinic acids via Bu4NI-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling has been developed. This transformation proceeds efficiently under transition-metal-free reaction conditions and represents a straightforward method to prepare valuable organophosphorus compounds from readily available arenes and diaryl phosphinic acids.

Enantioseparation of pheniramine enantiomers by high-speed countercurrent chromatography using ß-cyclodextrin derivatives as a chiral selector.

The enantioselective separation of pheniramine was studied by a high-speed countercurrent chromatography method using ß-cyclodextrin derivatives as a chiral selector. Several key variables, for instance, type of organic solvent and chiral selector, concentration of chiral selector, pH value of aqueous phase, and temperature on the enantioselectivity, were investigated systematically by liquid-liquid extraction experiments. Combining the results of extraction experiments and high-speed countercurrent chromatography, the most suitable conditions for separation of pheniramine enantiomers were obtained with the two-phase system that consisted of isobutyl acetate/aqueous phase, containing 0.02 mol/L carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin, pH 8.50 at 278.15 K. Under the optimal conditions, pheniramine enantiomer was successfully resolved after four cycles of high-speed countercurrent chromatography. By using high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze the fractions, the purities of both (+)-pheniramine and (-)-pheniramine were over 99% and the recovery of this method was up to 85-90%.

Metal-Free Oxidative C-C Bond Functionalization of Methylenecyclopropanes with Ethers Leading to 2-Substituted 3,4-Dihydronaphthalenes.

A novel metal-free oxidative ring-opening/cyclization of methylenecyclopropanes with ethers was established for the synthesis of diverse 2-substituted 3,4-dihydronaphthalenes with high selectivity and efficiency. This oxidative cyclization is achieved by C(sp3)-H functionalization, ring-opening, and cyclization, and this method represents a new example of methylenecyclopropane oxidative cyclization with an aromatic carbon and a C(sp3)-H bond by simultaneously forming two new carbon-carbon bonds.

Chiral separation of brompheniramine enantiomers by recycling high-speed countercurrent chromatography using carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector.

A recycling high-speed countercurrent chromatography protocol was proposed for the enantioseparation of brompheniramine by employing ß-cyclodextrin derivatives as a chiral selector. The two-phase solvent system of n-hexane/isobutyl acetate/0.10 mol/L phosphate buffer solution with a volume ratio of 2:4:6 was selected by a series of extraction experiments. Factors that affected the distribution of the enantiomers over the two-phase system (e.g., the type and concentration of ß-cyclodextrin derivatives = pH value of the aqueous solution, and the separation temperature) were also investigated. In addition, the theory of thermodynamics is applied to verify the feasibility of the enantioseparation process and the corresponding results demonstrate that this separation process is feasible. The optimized conditions include carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin concentration of 0.010 mol/L, pH of 7.5, and temperature of 5°C. Under the optimal conditions, the purities of both monomer molecules were over 99%, and the recovery yields were 88% for (+)-brompheniramine and 85% for (-)-brompheniramine, respectively.

Fractional reactive extraction for symmetrical separation of 4-nitro-D,L-phenylalanine in centrifugal contactor separators: experiments and modeling.

The enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction of 4-nitro-D,L-phenylalanine (D,L-Nphy) using PdCl2 {(s)-BINAP} as extractant in dichloroethane was studied experimentally in a countercurrent cascade of 10 centrifugal contactor separators (CCSs) at 5°C, involving flow ratio, extractant concentration, and Cl(-) concentration. The steady-state enantiomeric excess (ee) in both stream exits was 90.86% at a 93.29% yield. The predicted value was modeled using an equilibrium stage approach. The correlation between model and experiment was satisfactory. The model was applied to optimize the production of both enantiomers in >97% ee and >99% ee. 14 stages and 16 stages are required for 97% ee and 99% ee for both enantiomers, respectively.