Synthetic applications of the Cannizzaro reaction.

The Cannizzaro reaction has emerged as a versatile synthetic tool for the construction of functionalized molecules. Dating back to the 19th century, this reaction, though initially used for the synthesis of an alcohol and acid functionality from aldehydes, has henceforth proven useful to generate diverse molecular entities using both intermolecular and intramolecular synthetic strategies. Immense applications in the synthesis of hydroxy acids and esters, heterocycles, fused carbocycles, natural products, and others with broad substrate scope have raised profound interest from methodological and synthetic standpoints. The ongoing development of reagents, solvents, and technologies for the Cannizzaro reaction reflects the broader trend in organic synthesis towards more sustainable and efficient practices. The focus of this review is to highlight some recent advances in synthetic strategies and applications of the Cannizzaro reaction towards the synthesis of potentially useful molecules.

Improved Synthesis of Nigricanin.

An ellagic acid-related natural product, nigricanin (1), was synthesized via the Ullmann coupling reaction of 2-bromo-3,4-dialkoxybenzaldehyde (4) followed by the Cannizzaro reaction for desymmetrization of the symmetric biaryl compound (5). Compared to our previously reported study, the presented synthesis improved the sequence step number.

Cu-Catalyzed Tandem Oxidation-Intramolecular Cannizzaro Reaction of Biorenewables and Bioactive Molecules.

A tandem Cu-catalyzed oxidation-intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction leading to bioactive α-hydroxyesters from α-hydroxyketones is reported. The process uses oxygen as a sole oxidant to achieve the formation of glyoxals, which are efficiently converted in situ to important α-hydroxyesters. The mechanistic insights are provided by isotopic labeling and supported by DFT calculations. The transformation proved a robust synthetic tool to achieve the synthesis of human metabolites and hydroxyl esters of various biologically active steroid derivatives.

Study of the effect of ceria on the activity and selectivity of Co and Ce co-doped birnessite manganese oxide for formaldehyde oxidation.

Catalytic oxidation is a promising approach to eliminating formaldehyde (HCHO) to improve indoor air quality. Herein, CeO2 was explored due to its remarkable properties for oxygen storage and oxygen transfer capability for co-doping δ-MnO2 alongside cobalt for enhanced low-temperature oxidation of HCHO. Various characterization techniques were deployed to understand the morphology and physicochemical properties of the synthesized catalysts. The Co-Ce co-doped catalysts with low CeO2 loading (0.05 and 0.1) showed higher catalytic activity for HCHO oxidation due to their higher concentration of surface-active oxygen species. Catalytic oxidation results showed that the presence of CeO2 leads to the generation of methanol as a secondary hazardous pollutant. Methanol selectivity increases with increasing CeO2 loading in the catalysts. The results from in-situ DRIFTS confirmed the formation of methoxy species in the presence of CeO2, which are intermediates for methanol generation. Considering the recent interest in CeO2 as a potential catalyst for practical abatement of HCHO from the indoor environment, this work has thus raised questions on the safety of using CeO2 as a catalytic material for HCHO oxidation. It also provides insights into the surface reaction mechanism leading to the generation of methanol in the presence of CeO2.

The Messy Alkaline Formose Reaction and Its Link to Metabolism.

Sugars are essential for the formation of genetic elements such as RNA and as an energy/food source. Thus, the formose reaction, which autocatalytically generates a multitude of sugars from formaldehyde, has been viewed as a potentially important prebiotic source of biomolecules at the origins of life. When analyzing our formose solutions we find that many of the chemical species are simple carboxylic acids, including α-hydroxy acids, associated with metabolism. In this work we posit that the study of the formose reaction, under alkaline conditions and moderate hydrothermal temperatures, should not be solely focused on sugars for genetic materials, but should focus on the origins of metabolism (via metabolic molecules) as well.

Hydroxymethanesulfonate from Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide: A "Mineral" Reservoir for Formaldehyde and Other Simple Carbohydrates in Prebiotic Chemistry.

While formaldehyde (HCHO) was likely generated in Earth's prebiotic atmosphere by ultraviolet light, electrical discharge, and/or volcano-created lightning, HCHO could not have accumulated in substantial amounts in prebiotic environments, including those needed for prebiotic processes that generate nucleosidic carbohydrates. HCHO at high concentrations in alkaline solutions self-reacts in the Cannizzaro reaction to give methanol and formate, neither having prebiotic value. Here, we explore the possibility that volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) might have generated a reservoir for Hadean HCHO by a reversible reaction with HCHO to give hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS). We show that salts of HMS are stable as solids at 90°C and do not react with themselves in solution, even at high (>8 M) concentrations. This makes them effective stores of HCHO, since the reverse reaction slowly delivers HCHO back into an environment where it can participate in prebiotically useful reactions. Specifically, we show that in alkaline borate solutions, HCHO derived from HMS allows formation of borate-stabilized carbohydrates as effectively as free HCHO, without losing material to Cannizzaro products. Further, we show that SO2 can perform similar roles for glycolaldehyde and glyceraldehyde, two intrinsically unstable carbohydrates that are needed by various models as precursors for RNA building blocks. Zircons from the Hadean show that the Hadean mantle likely provided volcanic SO2 at rates at least as great as the rates of atmospheric HCHO generation, making the formation of Hadean HMS essentially unavoidable. Thus, hydroxymethylsulfonate adducts of formaldehyde, glycolaldehyde, and glyceraldehyde, including the less soluble barium, strontium, and calcium salts, are likely candidates for prebiotically useful organic minerals on early Earth.