Transfer hydrogenation of ketone; an in situ approach toward an eco-friendly reduction.

The use of water as a solvent in chemical reactions has recently been brought to public attention, especially in the exploration of eco-friendly procedures. It is readily available, abundantly accessible, non-toxic, non-flammable, and at a low cost. As opposed to the previous limitation of reactant solubilities associated with aqueous media, a hydrogel such as a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) solution can significantly improve the reactant solubility. This investigation employed water and HPMC as the reaction solvent, and the reaction medium viscosity was impressively enhanced. Silica-supported Pd particles (Pd@SiO2) were synthesized and effectively catalyzed the reduction of acetophenone in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the hydrogen source. The conversion of acetophenone to 1-phenyl ethanol remained at a very high value of >99.34% with 100% selectivity towards 1-phenyl ethanol.

Alkali-modified heterogeneous Pd-catalyzed synthesis of acids, amides and esters from aryl halides using formic acid as the CO precursor.

To establish an environmentally friendly green chemical process, we minimized and resolved a significant proportion of waste and hazards associated with conventional organic acids and molecular gases, such as carbon monoxide (CO). Herein, we report a facile and milder reaction procedure, using low temperatures/pressures and shorter reaction time for the carboxyl- and carbonylation of diverse arrays of aryl halides over a newly developed cationic Lewis-acid promoted Pd/Co3O4 catalyst. Furthermore, the reaction proceeded in the absence of acid co-catalysts, and anhydrides for CO release. Catalyst reusability was achieved via scalable, safer, and practical reactions that provided moderate to high yields, paving the way for developing a novel environmentally benign method for synthesizing carboxylic acids, amides, and esters.