@article {48669, title = {Green, practical \& scalable approach towards the synthesis of valuable α-keto amides using a metal-free catalyst under solvent-free conditions}, journal = {New Journal of Chemistry}, volume = {47}, year = {2023}, month = {OCT}, pages = {19679-19687}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

alpha-Ketoamides are very important motifs as they are present in many natural products, drugs \& biologically important molecules. We synthesized a very simple, cheap, eco-friendly \& reusable glucose-based carbonaceous material (GCM), which showed high performance as a catalyst in the oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction of alpha-ketoaldehydes with amines for the synthesis of alpha-ketoamides. The GCM catalyst was also very efficient for one-pot two-step synthesis of alpha-ketoamides from alpha-ketoalcohols as well. The GCM catalyst was able to catalyze alcohol oxidation in alpha-ketoalcohols followed by CDC reaction with amines to form alpha-ketoalcohols. The reactions were found to proceed smoothly at a low temperature of 50 degrees C using a green \& economical metal-free catalyst under base-free, ligand-free \& solvent-free reaction conditions to get the corresponding alpha-ketoamides in good to excellent yields. The results demonstrated that the GCM catalyst showed acidic as well as superior oxidising catalytic activity due to the presence of a carboxylic acid (-COOH) and hydroxyl (-OH)-enriched carbonaceous framework, which enabled the synthesis of important alpha-ketoamide motifs. The applicability of the catalyst was also evaluated for the synthesis of an anti-HIV agent drug molecule. Greener, cheaper \& eco-friendly GCM catalyst as well as catalytic process for synthesis of alpha-Keto Amides.

}, issn = {1144-0546}, doi = {10.1039/d3nj03087c}, author = {Bankar, Shubham R. and Ghadge, Sambhaji S. and Jadhav, Vrushali H.} } @article {49398, title = {Selective oxidation of biomass derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) over spent dry cell battery cathode material (BCM-2)}, journal = {ACS Applied Engineering Materials}, volume = {2}, year = {2024}, month = {NOV}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Widespread use of batteries across the globe generates a huge amount of waste. This work is the first to report spent dry cell (Zn-Carbon) battery cathode material (BCM-2) as a heterogeneous catalyst for selective synthesis of fine chemical 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF). Cathode material was easily separated from spent batteries, and acid leached followed by calcination to obtain black powder that was denoted as BCM-2. The catalyst was characterized using various techniques such as P-XRD, EDAX, SEM, HR-TEM, TGA, XPS, and BET analysis. Superior catalytic activity was shown by the catalyst for selective formation of DFF using molecular O2\ as a sole oxidant. The catalyst was found to give excellent HMF conversion of 97\% with 98\% high selectivity of DFF. The BCM-2 catalyst was easily recycled and reused without any significant loss in its catalytic activity. This is one of the best examples for a sustainable, cost-effective, and highly efficient catalytic system for the synthesis of the value-added chemical DFF.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.4c00537}, author = {Ghadge, Sambhaji S. and Bankar, Shubham R. and Jadhav, Vrushali H.} } @article {49595, title = {Graphitic-C3N4/γ-Al2O3 composite catalyst for synthesis of 5-(Hydroxymethyl) furfural from d-Glucose}, journal = {Energy \& Fuels}, volume = {39}, year = {2025}, month = {APR }, pages = {8529-8539}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Currently, the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), with high yields and selectivity from different renewable sources, is an important focus in the biomass conversion area. In the present study, a g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) composite catalyst was prepared using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and acidic gamma-alumina (gamma-Al2O3), which was evaluated for its catalytic activity in converting sugars, mainly glucose, to 5-HMF. In the g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst, N-containing groups on g-C3N4 provided basicity and gamma-Al2O3 provided Lewis acidity to the catalyst. The g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) composite catalyst showed superior activity for 5-HMF synthesis compared to gamma-Al2O3 and g-C3N4 alone. The increased acidic and basic properties of the g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst significantly influenced both glucose-to-fructose isomerization and dehydration of fructose to HMF by increasing the yield of 5-HMF. In addition, the solvent DMSO:water also played an important role in the one-pot conversion of glucose to HMF by minimizing side reactions, which significantly improved the 5-HMF yield. The reaction was optimized for various solvents, temperatures, and catalyst concentrations to get a maximum yield of 91\% from glucose with \>99\% selectivity of crude 5-HMF. Other sugars like fructose, sucrose, and lactose also provided good yields of 5-HMF. The g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst was stable and was effectively reused for up to four cycles.

}, issn = {0887-0624}, doi = {10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c00390}, author = {Kirdant, Swapnali P. and Ghadge, Sambhaji S. and Jadhav, Vrushali H.} }