abstract
Metal-free cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) solid-state assemblies promote acid-catalysed alcoholysis of aliphatic and aromatic epoxides under mild conditions to give beta-alkoxy alcohols, which are important intermediates for the synthesis of a vast range of compounds such as bioactive pharmaceuticals. The catalytic process is heterogeneous and the catalyst can be reused in consecutive runs without any reactivation treatment. The acid species responsible for the catalytic activity of CB7 may be entrapped hydronium ions.
keywords
BETA-ALKOXY ALCOHOLS; SUPRAMOLECULAR CATALYSIS; EFFICIENT CATALYST; ACID CATALYST; OXIDATION
subject category
Chemistry
authors
Bruno, SM; Gomes, AC; Oliveira, TSM; Antunes, MM; Lopes, AD; Valente, AA; Goncalves, IS; Pillinger, M
our authors
Ana Catarina Costa Gomes Alves
Assistant Researcher
Anabela Tavares Aguiar Valente
Principal Researcher
Isabel Maria de Sousa Gonçalves
Associate Professor
Maria Margarida Feitor Pintão Moreno Antunes
Junior Researcher
Martyn Pillinger
Junior Researcher
Sofia M. Bruno
Assistant ResearcherGroups
1 - inorganic functional nanomaterials and organic-inorganic hybrids
4 - biorefineries, biobased materials and recycling
Projects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UID/CTM/50011/2013)
Use of molecular containers to modify metallocene-based catalysts (PTDC/QEQ-SUP/1906/2012)
acknowledgements
This work was developed in the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 [FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) ref. UID/CTM/50011/2013], financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when applicable co-financed by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. We acknowledge funding by FEDER through COMPETE (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade) and by national funds through the FCT within the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-029779 (FCT ref. PTDC/QEQ-SUP/1906/2012, including the research grant with ref. BPD/UI89/4864/2014 to A. C. G.). The FCT and the European Union are acknowledged for post-doctoral grants to S. M. B. (ref. SFRH/BPD/46473/2008) and M. M. A. (ref. SFRH/BPD/89068/2012) co-funded by MCTES and the European Social Fund through the program POPH of QREN. We are grateful to Carla Patinha (Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro) for the IC measurements.