Nano silica-H2SO4 is an efficient and mild catalysis system for the regeneration of aldehyde from aldoximes. Ketoximes are converted to amides by Beckmann rearrangement in the presence of nano silica-H2SO4. The reactions are carried out in solvent-free conditions under microwave irradiation (600 W) within 50-120 sec in good yields.

The subject of catalysis by coinage metals (copper, silver, and gold) comes up increasingly day-by-day. This Special Issue aims to cover the numerous aspects of the use of these metals as catalysts for several reactions. It deals with synthesis and characterization of copper, silver and gold based catalysis, their characterization and use, both for heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, and s...

Symmetry plays a fundamental role in chiral recognition and enantioselective catalysis. Porphyrins possess a number of structural features that make them attractive for the stereocontrol of chiral recognition and metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions. This article is a brief account of our studies on chiral recognition and enantioselective catalysis by optically active metalloporphyrins. Some of...

An efficient synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives was reported via four-component coupling reactions of aldehydes, 1,3-dicarbonyl ketones (dimedone or 1,3-cyclohexanedione), ethyl acetoacetate or methyl acetoacetate and ammonium acetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of nanocrystalline TiO2 under solvent free conditions. The reported method is mild, rapid and has the advantages su...

The catalytic effect of micelles, polymers (such as DNA, polypeptides) and nanoparticles, saturable receptors (cyclodextrins and calixarenes) and more complex systems (mixing some of the above mentioned catalysts) have been reviewed. In these microheterogeneous systems the observed changes in the rate constants have been rationalized using the Pseudophase Model. This model produces equations th...

An enantioconvergent catalytic process has the potential to convert a racemic starting material to a single highly enantioenriched product with a maximum yield of 100%. Three mechanistically distinct approaches to effecting enantioconvergent catalysis are identified, and recent examples of each are highlighted. These processes are compared to related, non-enantioconvergent methods.

Bifunctional catalysis concerns the use of low molecular weight, structurally defined molecules possessing two distinct functional groups to bring about new reactivity and/or selectivity in a reaction of interest. The reactions are typically polar addition reactions of pronucleophiles and electrophiles where, ideally, simple low-cost starting materials are converted into high-value, stereochemi...