Experiments 🔬

Objective To develop a multi-component reaction (MCR), as an example of a high-atom-economy reaction. Also, in this special case, the Passerini reaction is performed in aqueous medium, which means dramatically reducing the environmental impact of the process. Background MCRs are reactions in which three or more molecules interact with each other to give a single … Read more

Objective To produce biodegradable polymers from renewable raw materials with different mechanical properties by the method of preparation. Background Starch is a natural polymer present in cereals or potatoes, consisting of glucose units. It is a fundamental component of the human diet, but in turn can be used as a basis for the development of … Read more

Objective To produce a slime, biodegradable polymer resulting from the reaction of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and borax. Background This name is applied to a non-toxic and biodegradable polymer prepared from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and borax, food coloring (tartrazine), or fluorescein can be added to the polymer. PVA is a polymer that in turn is synthesized … Read more

Objective To perform a Diels-Alder reaction using water as a solvent, instead of using high aromatic boiling point solvents as commonly used in organic reactions. Background Diels-Alder reactions are [4+2] cycloadditions that allow the formation of six-membered ring systems from a diene and a dienophile. They are considered some of the most notable synthetic processes for … Read more

Objective To conduct a Wittig reaction of carbon-carbon double bond C−C forming in the absence of solvent. Background The Wittig reaction is named after its discoverer Georg Wittig (Nobel Prize winner in 1979) and converts carbonyl compounds into alkenes. In such reactions, phosphorus ylides are produced from a phosphonium salt and a base. This ylide … Read more

Objective To reduce a cyclic ketone with sodium borohydride NaBH4 in an alkaline water solution. Background Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is a reagent that transforms aldehydes and ketones to the corresponding alcohol, primary or secondary, respectively. The conventional procedure is usually performed in MeOH or even with EtOH, but frequently the reaction with cyclohexanone as the starting … Read more

Objective To synthesize an acetal (5,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxane) from benzaldehyde in aqueous media. Background Acetals are common carbonyl compound derivatives that are often used in Organic Synthesis as protecting groups for aldehydes and ketones, as well as in many other reactions. Cyclic acetals are formed by the acid-catalyzed reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with a diol … Read more

Objective To perform the oxidation of an aldehyde to carboxylic acid, avoiding the use of transition metals (Cr, Mn, etc.), specifically the oxidation by Oxone®. Background Oxone® is the trade name of a triple salt with a molecular mass of 614 g/mol, formed by potassium peroxymonosulfate (KHSO5), potassium hydrogen sulfate (KHSO4), and sulfate potassium (K2SO4) … Read more

Objective Regiospecific preparation of o-nitrophenol using Ni(NO3)2 and p-toluenesulfonic acid. Background Conventional reactions of nitration of aromatic compounds involve the use of HNO3 as the nitrating agent in the presence of H2SO4. In this experiment a nitration process that is fast and regiospecific and that has low environmen- tal impact is proposed. The reaction is … Read more

Objective To conduct the Friedel-Crafts reaction under low environmental impact with a reusable catalyst. Background Alkylation of aromatic compounds is a remarkable reaction both at laboratory and at industrial scale. Such reactions are catalyzed by Lewis acids. One of the most widely used for its effectiveness is AlCl3. When the reaction occurs between an alkyl … Read more