Mohammad Ali Zolfigol*,
Roya Ayazi-Nasrabadi and
Saeed Baghery
Faculty of Chemistry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 6517838683, Iran. E-mail: zolfi@basu.ac.ir; mzolfigol@yahoo.com; Fax: +98-8138257407
First published on 4th August 2015
2-Carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as novel, mild and biological-based nano organocatalysts with urea moiety were designed, synthesized and fully characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, thermal gravimetric, derivative thermal gravimetric, X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and UV/Vis analysis. The catalytic applications of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid were studied in the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol), coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and cinnamic acid derivatives via the condensation reaction between several aromatic aldehydes and 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one (synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ols)), the Knoevenagel condensation of Meldrum’s acid with salicylaldehyde derivatives (synthesis of coumarin-3-carboxylic acids) and the condensation of Meldrum’s acid with aromatic aldehydes (synthesis of cinnamic acids) under mild and solvent-free conditions. In the presented studies, some products were formed and reported for the first time. The described nano organo solid acids have potential in industry.
The design, synthesis and use of high efficiency catalysts in synthetic organic procedures such as metal-free organic molecules (organocatalysts) have a high amount of attention from the scientific community as they have gradually improved approaches for the synthesis of more complex molecules.7 Organocatalysts have an important influence and advantage in the creation of pharmacological intermediates when compared with transition metal catalysts. One advantage of organocatalysts relates to their favorable surface to volume ratio which enhances the contact between reactants and catalyst support and in turn increases the catalytic activity.8–10
Heterocycles are very common in organic and bioorganic chemistry both industrially and biologically. Among them, pyrazoles appear in a range of bio-active drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, as they are the main structure moiety of various biologically active compounds.11 For instance, they represent analgesic, anti-pyretic, anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory properties. 2,4-Dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one derivatives counting 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ols) have a wide spectrum of agreed biological activity, being applied as antidepressant,12 gastric secretion stimulatory,13 anti-pyretic,14 anti-bacterial15 anti-inflammatory16 and anti-filarial agents.17 Furthermore, the analogous 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ols) are used as insecticides,18 pesticides,19 fungicides20 and dyestuffs21 and as the chelating and extracting reagents for numerous metal ions.21
Coumarin derivatives have a wide range of uses in the perfume, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.22 Various carboxycoumarins have been applied as triplet sensitizers23,24 and fluorescent probes.25,26 Coumarin-3-carboxylic acid derivatives are common starting materials for the synthesis of coumarins, which are identified natural products and have various biological activities.27 Coumarin-3-carboxylic acids are usually synthesized via Knoevenagel condensation28 of ortho-hydroxyaryl aldehydes with malonic acid,28,29 cyanoacetic ester30 and malonic ester.29,31
In biological chemistry, cinnamic acid is a main intermediate in phenylpropanoid and shikimate methods. Shikimic acid is a precursor of aromatic amino acids, numerous alkaloids and indole derivatives. It is created both in free form, and in the form of esters (cinnamyl, ethyl, benzyl), in several essential oils, oil of cinnamon, resins and balsams, balsam of Peru and balsam of Tolu etc. These derivatives are significant intermediates in the biosynthetic process of most aromatic natural products. They are broadly spread in plants and have a broad range of activities.32 Furthermore cinnamic acids are also applied as precursors for the synthesis of commercially significant cinnamic esters.33
In continuation of our previous studies related to the design, synthesis, applications and development of novel solid acids,34 N-halo reagents,35 novel nano structure, green and harmless ionic liquids, molten salts and organocatalysts for organic functional group transformations,36 herein, we wish to report the synthesis and characterization of two biological-based nano organocatalysts with urea moiety. With this aim, semicarbazide hydrochloride and urea have been used for the synthesis of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid, respectively (Scheme 1). The synthesized organocatalysts were used for the synthesis of numerous 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives via the condensation reaction between several aromatic aldehydes and 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one under mild, green and solvent-free conditions (Scheme 2). Moreover, in additional work two organocatalysts were used in the synthesis of several coumarin-3-carboxylic acids via the Knoevenagel condensation of Meldrum’s acid with salicylaldehyde derivatives, and in the synthesis of cinnamic acids via the condensation of Meldrum’s acid with aromatic aldehydes under mild, green and solvent-free conditions (Scheme 3).
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Scheme 2 The synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives using 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as the nano organocatalysts. |
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Scheme 3 The synthesis of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and cinnamic acid derivatives using 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as the nano structure organocatalysts. |
The IR spectrum of the nano organocatalyst showed two peaks at 3430 cm−1 and 3304 cm−1 which can be related to the N–H stretching group on the semicarbazide moiety and the O–H stretching group on the –SO3H, respectively. Furthermore, the two peaks at 1207 cm−1 and 1172 cm−1 are linked to the vibrational modes of O–SO2 bonds. The absorption related to SO bond vibration appeared at 1043 cm−1. Also, the two peaks at 1686 cm−1 and 1609 cm−1 are correlated to the C
O stretching group on amide moiety, respectively (Fig. S1†).
Moreover, the 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of the 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid in DMSO-d6 are confirmed in Fig. S2 and S3,† respectively. Fig. S2† shows that the main peak in the 1H NMR spectra of the nano organocatalyst is linked to two –NH groups which are detected at δ = 9.35 ppm. The peaks related to the –SO3H group are found at 8.73 ppm and the peak correlated to the –NH2 group on semicarbazide moiety appears at 6.59 ppm.
Also, the significant peak in the 13C NMR spectra of the nano structure organocatalyst is related to the amide group on the semicarbazide moiety which is detected at δ = 158.2 ppm (Fig. S3†).
The mass spectrum is also in accordance with the catalyst structure and displays a parent peak at 155 m/z (Fig. S4†). Also, the elemental analysis data (CHNS) confirms the presence of a water molecule.
Thermal gravimetric (TGA), derivative thermal gravimetric (DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid were considered at 25 to 700 °C, with a temperature increase rate of 10 °C min−1 under a nitrogen atmosphere. The results are shown in Fig. 1. The TG, DTG and DTA analysis of the nano structure organocatalyst displayed significance losses in one step, and decomposed after 367 °C.
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) from the attained nano structure organocatalyst confirmed the presence of the expected elements in the structure of the organocatalyst, namely oxygen and sulfur (Fig. 2).
The size, shape and morphology of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. The XRD pattern of the organocatalyst was considered in an area of 10–90° (Fig. 3). As revealed in Fig. 3, the XRD pattern displays diffraction lines of high crystalline nature at 2θ ≈ 16.50°, 20.30°, 21.20°, 23.40°, 25.50°, 26.60°, 27.80°, 28.90°, 31.20°, 36.90°, and 40.20°. The peak width (FWHM), size and inter planar distance from the XRD pattern of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid were considered in the 16.50° to 36.90° range and the achieved results are summarized in Table 1. For instance, assignments for the highest diffraction line, 26.60°, presented an FWHM of 0.15 and a crystalline size for the catalyst of ca. 54.42 nm using the Scherrer equation [D = Kλ/(βcos
θ)] (where D is the crystalline size, K is the shape factor, being analogous to 0.9, λ is the X-ray wavelength, β is the full width at half maximum of the diffraction peak, and θ is the Bragg diffraction angle in degrees). An inter planar distance of 0.334710 nm (using the highest diffraction line at 26.60°) was found using the Bragg equation: dhkl = λ/(2
sin
θ), (λ: Cu radiation, 0.154178 nm). Crystallite sizes obtained from several diffraction lines by the Scherrer equation were found to be in the nanometer range (27.02–54.42 nm), which is mainly in accordance with the SEM and TEM (Fig. 4).
Entry | 2θ | Peak width [FWHM] (°) | Size (nm) | Inter planar distance (nm) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16.50 | 0.18 | 44.60 | 0.536612 |
2 | 20.30 | 0.17 | 47.47 | 0.436939 |
3 | 21.20 | 0.19 | 42.55 | 0.418590 |
4 | 23.40 | 0.22 | 36.88 | 0.379709 |
5 | 25.50 | 0.15 | 54.30 | 0.348895 |
6 | 26.60 | 0.15 | 54.42 | 0.334710 |
7 | 27.80 | 0.16 | 51.16 | 0.320529 |
8 | 28.90 | 0.20 | 41.02 | 0.308574 |
9 | 31.20 | 0.19 | 43.42 | 0.286331 |
10 | 36.90 | 0.31 | 27.02 | 0.243304 |
11 | 40.20 | 0.25 | 33.84 | 0.224059 |
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique that lets us find and analyze surfaces with high resolution and attention. AFM provides great benefits, almost any model can be imaged: for example hard surfaces such as the surface of a ceramic material, or the dispersal of a metallic nano composite; or very soft, such as plastic materials, or molecules of proteins. Fig. 5 shows the two and three dimensional AFM images of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid. No key division area in size is identified in the illustrations. From the three dimensional 2.1 μm2 × 2.1 μm2 framework, we can see that the achieved nano structure organocatalyst shows an interrupted structure with a preferable outside planarity. The surface of the coat on the 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid nano structure was clearly shown to be less than 65 nm.
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Fig. 5 Two-dimensional (a and b) and three-dimensional (c and d) AFM topography images of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid. |
The UV/Vis absorbance spectrum of the nano structure organocatalyst was compared with those of reactants and reaction mixture to highlight the distinction between the UV/Vis absorbance pattern of the catalyst, reactants and reaction mixture. As revealed in Fig. S5,† λmax in the UV/Vis spectrum of the organocatalyst was at about 227 nm. In the UV/Vis spectra of 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one and the reaction mixture, the λmax values displayed at about 252, 240 and 244 nm, respectively.
The IR spectrum of the carbamoylsulfamic acid nano structure has two distinct peaks at 3331 cm−1 and 3180 cm−1 which can be assigned to the N–H stretching group on the urea moiety and O–H stretching group on –SO3H, respectively. Additionally, the two peaks at 1233 cm−1 and 1171 cm−1 are related to vibrational modes of O–SO2 bonds. The absorption correlated to SO bond vibration appears at 1024 cm−1. Moreover, the two peaks at 1700 cm−1 and 1554 cm−1 are correlated to the C
O stretching group and C–N stretching group on the amide moiety (Fig. S6†).
Furthermore, the 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of the carbamoylsulfamic acid in DMSO-d6 are shown in Fig. S7 and S8,† respectively. Fig. S7† displays a key peak related to –NH and –NH2 group which are known at δ = 9.09 ppm, and peaks correlated to –SO3H group are presented at 7.11 ppm.
Furthermore, the main peak of the 13C NMR spectra is linked to the amide group on the urea moiety which is identified at δ = 154.8 ppm (Fig. S8†).
The mass spectrum of the nano structure is in agreement with the structure of the catalyst and shows the parent peak at 140 m/z (Fig. S9†). Also, the elemental analysis data (CHNS) confirms the presence of a water molecule.
TGA, DTG and DTA of carbamoylsulfamic acid were also considered. The correlating diagrams are presented in Fig. 6. These reveal that the nano structure has good stability; accordingly there was no clear mass loss before 498 °C. The significant weight loss of the catalyst occurred after 498 °C, so it is suitable for catalytic applications in organic synthesis.
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) from the achieved nano structure shows the existence of the anticipated elements in the structure, namely oxygen and sulfur (Fig. 7).
To confirm the nano structure of carbamoylsulfamic acid, firstly, its XRD pattern was considered. As revealed in Fig. 8, the XRD pattern displays peaks at 2θ ≈ 15.70°, 21.50°, 23.20°, 24.70°, 30.10°, 34.10° and 41.80°. SEM and TEM were also carried out (Fig. 9). Peak width (FWHM), size and inter planar distance linked to the XRD pattern were considered in the 16.00° to 32.40° range and the achieved results are summarized in Table 2. The average crystallite size, D, was calculated by the Debye–Scherrer formula: D = Kλ/(βcos
θ), K is the Scherrer constant, λ is the X-ray wavelength, β is the half-maximum peak width, and θ is the Bragg diffraction angle. The average size of the nano structure attained from this equation was found to be about 9.01–63.92 nm, which is in good agreement with the SEM and TEM images (Fig. 9).
Entry | 2θ | Peak width [FWHM] (°) | Size (nm) | Inter planar distance (nm) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15.70 | 0.32 | 36.45 | 0.563772 |
2 | 21.50 | 0.63 | 12.84 | 0.414817 |
3 | 23.20 | 0.90 | 9.01 | 0.390921 |
4 | 24.70 | 0.25 | 32.53 | 0.360010 |
5 | 30.10 | 0.30 | 27.71 | 0.296539 |
6 | 34.10 | 0.13 | 63.92 | 0.262614 |
7 | 41.80 | 0.40 | 21.26 | 0.215845 |
The UV/Vis absorbance spectrum of the nano structure was compared with that of the reactants, reaction mixture and product to highlight the difference. As displayed in Fig. S10,† λmax in the UV/Vis spectrum of the organocatalyst appears at about 233 nm. In comparison the UV/Vis spectra of 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one, the reaction mixture and product, have λmax values presented at about 252, 240, 229 and 245 nm, respectively.
Entry | Catalyst amount (mol%) | Reaction temperature (°C) | Reaction time (min) | Yield (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |||
1 | — | 60 | 160 | 160 | 60 | 60 |
2 | 10 | 50 | 25 | 30 | 87 | 85 |
3 | 10 | 60 | 15 | 20 | 91 | 93 |
4 | 10 | 70 | 20 | 20 | 90 | 90 |
5 | 10 | 80 | 20 | 20 | 92 | 90 |
6 | 10 | 90 | 20 | 20 | 92 | 90 |
7 | 15 | 50 | 25 | 30 | 87 | 85 |
8 | 20 | 50 | 25 | 30 | 87 | 85 |
9 | 15 | 60 | 15 | 20 | 91 | 93 |
10 | 20 | 60 | 15 | 20 | 91 | 93 |
11 | 15 | 70 | 20 | 20 | 90 | 90 |
12 | 20 | 70 | 20 | 20 | 90 | 90 |
After optimization of the reaction conditions, to study the efficacy and the scope of the offered process, several 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives were produced via the condensation reaction between aromatic aldehydes and 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one in the presence of catalytic amounts of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as the nano structure organocatalysts under solvent-free reaction conditions. The results are presented in Table 4. The effect of substituents on the aromatic ring was estimated to have a strong effect in terms of yields under these reaction conditions. Both class of aromatic aldehydes with electron-releasing or electron-withdrawing substituents on their aromatic ring offered the favorable products in high to excellent yields within a short reaction time. The reaction times of aromatic aldehydes with electron withdrawing groups were faster than those with electron donating groups.
Entry | Aldehyde | Time (min) | Yield (%) | Mp (°C) [lit.] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |||
1 | N,N-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde | 210 | 210 | 87 | 85 | 172–173 |
2 | 4-Chloro-3-nitrobenzaldehyde | 20 | 20 | 95 | 92 | 238–240 [237–238]37 |
3 | 3-Bromobenzaldehyde | 15 | 12 | 96 | 98 | 172–174 [173–176]38 |
4 | Terephthalaldehyde (2![]() ![]() |
30 | 25 | 90 | 87 | 211–213 |
5 | Terephthalaldehyde | 40 | 40 | 83 | 85 | 213–215 [194–196]39 |
6 | Terephthalaldehyde-mono-diethylacetal | 60 | 50 | 89 | 85 | 254–255 |
7 | 3-Fluorobenzaldehyde | 30 | 25 | 97 | 96 | 183–184 |
8 | Ethyl-3-formyl-1H-indol-2-carbaldehyde | 30 | 30 | 90 | 93 | 231–233 |
9 | 4-Pyridinecarboxaldehyde | 20 | 20 | 94 | 93 | 248–250 |
10 | 4-Chlorobenzaldehyde | 15 | 20 | 91 | 93 | 213–214 [215–216]37 |
11 | 2-Chlorobenzaldehyde | 12 | 15 | 95 | 94 | 236–237 [235–237]37 |
12 | 2,4-Dichlorobenzaldehyde | 25 | 30 | 90 | 85 | 229–230 [227–229]37 |
13 | 3-Chlorobenzaldehyde | 15 | 15 | 92 | 94 | 235–237 [150–152]39 |
14 | 2-Methoxybenzaldehyde | 40 | 45 | 88 | 90 | 212–213 [210–213]37 |
15 | 3-Hydroxybenzaldehyde | 30 | 30 | 93 | 94 | 166–168 [165–168]40 |
16 | Benzaldeyhe | 20 | 20 | 95 | 93 | 161–163 [169–171]37 |
17 | 3-Nitrobenzaldehyde | 15 | 20 | 97 | 94 | 150–151 [151–154]37 |
18 | 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde | 10 | 10 | 98 | 95 | 230–232 [225]37 |
19 | 3-Phenoxybenzaldehyde | 25 | 30 | 94 | 97 | 194–195 |
20 | α-Methylcinnamaldehyde | 45 | 55 | 90 | 92 | 163–164 |
21 | 2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde | 30 | 30 | 93 | 90 | 227–228 [227–229]41 |
22 | Naphthalene-2-carbaldehyde | 27 | 35 | 95 | 90 | 206–207 [204–206]37 |
23 | Naphthalene-1-carbaldehyde | 45 | 45 | 98 | 99 | 213–215 [228–230]38 |
24 | 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde | 45 | 50 | 91 | 94 | 205–207 [200–201]42 |
25 | 2-Nitrobenzaldehyde | 30 | 30 | 90 | 92 | 222–224 [221–223]39 |
26 | 4-Bromobenzaldehyde | 10 | 10 | 96 | 94 | 202–204 [183–185]37 |
27 | 4-Fluorobenzaldehyde | 20 | 25 | 95 | 97 | 145–146 [182–184]37 |
A probable mechanism to explain the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives 3, includes: an initial step to create benzylidene intermediate 8 via the nucleophilic addition of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone 2 to aromatic aldehyde 1 followed by dehydration; then, Michael addition after the 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone 2 is added gives 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives 3 (Scheme 4).
Additionally, reusability of the catalysts was examined upon condensation between 4-chlorobenzaldehyde and 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one. After the completion of the reaction, ethyl acetate was added to the reaction mixture and stirred and heated to separate the product and remaining starting materials from the catalyst. This solution was washed with absolute ethanol to separate the organocatalysts (the product and starting materials are soluble in hot ethyl acetate and the nano organocatalysts are soluble in absolute ethanol). The organocatalysts were then separated from the ethanol and reused for alternative reactions. The catalytic activity of the catalysts was retained within the limits of the experimental errors for four continuous runs (Fig. 10). The structure of the reused organocatalysts was confirmed via IR spectra. Furthermore, the size and morphology of the reused catalysts was studied by XRD (Fig. S11 and S12†).
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Fig. 10 The reusability of the nano structure organocatalyst (i) in 20 minutes and nano structure organocatalyst (ii) in 15 minutes. |
To study the efficacy of our organocatalysts (via the calculated TOF, TON and atomic economic values) on the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives, the condensation of 4-chlorobenzaldehyde and 1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-one was used as a model. The TOF values were calculated via the equation TOF = yield (%)/[time (min) × catalyst amount (mol%)]. TON values were calculated via the equation TOF = yield (%)/catalyst amount (mol%). Atomic economic values were calculated via the equation AE = [molecular weight/the total molecular weight] × 100. In the presence of cat (i) the TOF value was found to be 0.47, and using cat (ii) the TOF value 0.61 was found. In the presence of cat (i) the TON value 9.3 was measured, and using cat (ii) the TON was 9.1. In the presence of cat (i) or cat (ii) the atomic economic value, 96.32, was found (Table 5). In homogeneous catalyst systems, TON is the number of molecules of reactants that per molecule of catalyst converts to molecules of product. While, TOF is the number of molecules of reactants that molecule of catalyst can in seconds, minutes or hours converts them to molecules of product.
Recycle | TOF | TON | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |
1 | 0.61 | 0.47 | 9.1 | 9.3 |
2 | 0.59 | 0.43 | 8.8 | 8.5 |
3 | 0.53 | 0.30 | 8.0 | 6.0 |
4 | 0.49 | 0.26 | 7.3 | 5.1 |
Entry | Catalyst amount (mol%) | Reaction temperature (°C) | Reaction time (min) | Yield (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |||
1 | 5 | 50 | 20 | 30 | 91 | 94 |
2 | 10 | r.t. | 180 | 180 | 70 | 72 |
3 | 10 | 50 | 5 | 15 | 97 | 98 |
4 | 10 | 60 | 5 | 15 | 97 | 98 |
5 | 10 | 70 | 5 | 15 | 97 | 98 |
6 | 15 | 50 | 5 | 15 | 96 | 96 |
7 | 20 | 50 | 5 | 15 | 96 | 96 |
Following optimization, to study the efficiency and the scope of the introduced procedure, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid derivatives were formed via the Knoevenagel condensation reaction between several salicylaldehyde with Meldrum’s acid, using catalytic amounts of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as the organocatalysts under solvent-free reaction conditions. The results are presented in Table 7. The effect of substituents on the aromatic ring was evaluated and has a strong effect in terms of yield. Aromatic salicylaldehydes with electron-releasing or electron-withdrawing substituents on their aromatic ring produced the appropriate products in high to excellent yields in a short reaction time. The reaction times of aromatic salicylaldehydes with electron withdrawing groups were faster than those with electron donating groups. In addition, reusability of the catalysts were also examined.
Entry | Salicylaldehyde | Time (min) | Yield (%) | Mp (°C) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |||
1 | Salicylaldehyde | 5 | 15 | 87 | 98 | 190–192 (ref. 43) |
2 | 5-Bromosalicylaldehyde | 20 | 30 | 94 | 95 | 196–198 (ref. 43) |
3 | 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde | 40 | 50 | 95 | 96 | 183–185 (ref. 43) |
4 | 5-Nitrosalicylaldehyde | 15 | 20 | 97 | 85 | 216–217 (ref. 43) |
5 | 5-Hydroxysalicylaldehyde | 5 | 15 | 96 | 88 | 268–270 (ref. 44) |
6 | 3-Hydroxysalicylaldehyde | 40 | 30 | 95 | 83 | 284–286 |
7 | 3,5-Dichlorosalicylaldehyde | 20 | 25 | 94 | 96 | 193–195 (ref. 44) |
Entry | Catalyst amount (mol%) | Reaction temperature (°C) | Reaction time (min) | Yield (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | ||||
1 | 5 | 110 | 45 | 60 | 91 | 93 | |
2 | 10 | r.t. | 180 | 180 | 50 | 50 | |
3 | 10 | 60 | 180 | 180 | 75 | 75 | |
4 | 10 | 90 | 120 | 120 | 96 | 94 | |
5 | 10 | 100 | 60 | 60 | 95 | 96 | |
6 | 10 | 110 | 20 | 25 | 97 | 98 | |
7 | 15 | 110 | 20 | 25 | 96 | 97 | |
8 | 20 | 110 | 20 | 25 | 95 | 92 |
After optimization of the reaction conditions, to study the performance and the scope of the presented process, several cinnamic acid derivatives were synthesized via the condensation reaction between various aromatic aldehydes with Meldrum’s acid in the presence of catalytic amounts of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid and carbamoylsulfamic acid as the organocatalysts under solvent-free reaction conditions. The results are shown in Table 9. The effect of aromatic ring substituents was estimated to have a strong effect on yield under these reaction conditions. Both class of aromatic aldehydes containing electron-releasing or electron-withdrawing substituents provided the applicable products in high to excellent yields in a short reaction time. The reaction times of aromatic aldehydes with electron withdrawing groups were faster than those with electron donating groups. Moreover, reusability of the catalysts were also studied.
Entry | Aldehyde | Time (min) | Yield (%) | Mp (°C) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | Cat (ii) | Cat (i) | |||
1 | Benzaldehyde | 20 | 25 | 97 | 98 | 128–129 (ref. 45) |
2 | 4-Chlorobenzaldehyde | 5 | 10 | 94 | 94 | 254–256 (ref. 45) |
3 | 2-Chlorobenzaldehyde | 10 | 20 | 95 | 96 | 209–210 |
4 | 2,4-Dichlorobenzaldehyde | 5 | 8 | 98 | 98 | 235–238 |
5 | 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde | 5 | 10 | 93 | 95 | 292![]() |
6 | 4-Chloro-3-nitrobenzaldehyde | 15 | 20 | 95 | 93 | 187–189 |
7 | 3-Nitrobenzaldehyde | 10 | 15 | 92 | 92 | 202–203 (ref. 45) |
8 | Naphthalene-1-carbaldehyde | 5 | 8 | 96 | 95 | 215–217 |
9 | 3-Bromobenzaldehyde | 10 | 12 | 94 | 93 | 174–175 |
10 | 4-Methoxybenzaldehyde | 20 | 25 | 93 | 96 | 168–170 (ref. 45) |
11 | 2-Methoxybenzaldehyde | 30 | 40 | 91 | 94 | 183–185 (ref. 47) |
12 | 4-Methylbenzaldehyde | 30 | 30 | 95 | 94 | 200–202 (ref. 46) |
13 | Terephthalaldehyde | 10 | 10 | 90 | 89 | 187(Decompose) |
A probable mechanism for the synthesis of coumarin-3-carboxylic acids and cinnamic acids are suggested in Scheme 5.43,45 The mechanism involves a Knoevenagel reaction between salicylaldehyde derivatives (4) with Meldrum’s acid (5) in the presence of catalytic amounts of 2-carbamoylhydrazine-1-sulfonic acid or carbamoylsulfamic acid to give adduct (17), followed by nucleophilic attack of the phenolic group on the carbonyl group of Meldrum’s acid. This resulted in the opening of Meldrum’s acid ring and the preparation of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid derivatives (6). Also, Meldrum’s acid has pKa = 5 and because it is sensitive to heat, decyclization happens at high temperatures according to the previously proposed mechanism.48 The initial step contains the formation of intermediate (21) via the nucleophilic addition of Meldrum’s acid with open ring (20) to aromatic aldehyde (8). Finally, the removal of one water molecule leads to the synthesis of cinnamic acids (7).
To compare the efficacy of our catalyst with some reported catalysts for the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol), coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and cinnamic acid derivatives, we have presented the results of these catalysts in condensation reactions of: 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (in the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ol)); Meldrum’s acid with salicylaldehyde (in the synthesis of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid); and benzaldehyde with Meldrum’s acid (in the synthesis of cinnamic acid) in Table 10. As Table 10 shows, nano structure organocatalysts have remarkably improved the synthesis of products.
Entry | Reaction condition | Catalyst loading | Time (min) | Yield (%) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cat (i), solvent-free, 60 °C | 10 mol% | 20 | 93 | This work |
2 | Cat (ii), solvent-free, 60 °C | 10 mol% | 15 | 91 | This work |
3 | [Dsim]AlCl4, solvent-free, 90 °C | 1 mol% | 40 | 91 | 36e |
4 | Silica-bonded S-sulfonic acid (SBSSA), EtOH, reflux condition | 18 mol% | 40 | 90 | 40 |
5 | PEG-400, 110 °C | 282 mol% | 60 | 94 | 49 |
6 | Poly(ethylene glycol)-bound sulfonic acid (PEG-SO3H), water, reflux condition | 1.5 mol% | 15 | 93 | 39 |
7 | Cat (i), solvent-free, 50 °C | 10 mol% | 15 | 95 | This work |
8 | Cat (ii), solvent-free, 50 °C | 10 mol% | 5 | 87 | This work |
9 | Silica sulfuric acid, 120 | 0.02 g | 45 | 90 | 50 |
10 | SnCl2·2H2O, solvent-free, 80 °C | 10 mol% | 60 | 80 | 43 |
11 | K3PO4, C2H5OH, r.t. | 20 mol% | 45 | 94 | 44 |
12 | Cat (i), solvent-free, 110 °C | 10 mol% | 25 | 98 | This work |
13 | Cat (ii), solvent-free, 110 °C | 10 mol% | 20 | 97 | This work |
14 | Piperidine, C2H5OH (200 mL), 100 °C | 1.5 mmol | 7 h | 80 | 51 |
15 | BBr3, 4-DMAP, Py | — | 12 h | 65 | 45 |
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5ra14001c |
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