Alkoxy alkyl groups migrate to benzylic carbon when alkyl alkylphenyl ethers are treated with n-butyllithium and potassium t-butoxide. For alkyl 2,6-dialkylphenyl ethers, yields of the rearrangement products range from 45-70%. Rearrangement products are obtained in 10-30% yield from other dimethylanisoles and methylanisoles. The reactions appear to proceed by homolytic cleavage of the alkoxy alkyl group of alkoxybenzyl anions followed by recombination of the resulting radical pair in a different way. The reaction is useful for preparing 2,6-dialkylphenols and their corresponding ethers. The rearrangement can be avoided by using methyl ethers and working at or below room temperature. This was shown by reacting the dianion from methyl 2,6-dimathylanisole with dialkyl sulfates to give methyl 2,6-dialkylanisoles, with a,ω-dihalides to give methoxy[n]metacyclophanes (n = 8-15), dimethoxy[n.n]metacyclophanes (n = 5-10) and trimethoxy[S.S.S]metacyclophane, and with oxidizing agents to yield dimethoxy[2.2]metacyclophane.

No description available.

The overall objective of this study was the optimization of a model enzymatic system in organic solvent media for the biosynthesis of selected phenolic lipid compounds. The model enzymatic system consisted of cinnamic acid and oleyl alcohol as substrates using commercial immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) from Candida antarctica. The experimental findings showed that an increase in the hydrophobicity of the solvent mixture and a decrease in the aw values of the reaction medium increased the initial enzymatic activity and bioconversion yield; the use of an iso-octane and butanone solvent mixture (85:15, v/v) and an initial aw of 0.05 resulted in an initial enzymatic activity of 192.7 nmol product/g enzyme/min and a corresponding bioconversion yield of 95.3% after a 16-day reaction period.

Lipase-catalyzed esterification and transesterification reactions of selected phenolic acids with lipids were investigated in organic solvent media. The esterification of linoleyl alcohol with dihydrocaffeic acid (DHA) in neat hexane medium resulted in highest esterification yield (EY) of 17% when a Candida antarctica lipase (Novozym 435) was used to catalyze the reaction. The use of co-solvents t-butanol and 2-butanone with hexane resulted in a dramatic increase in EY. The highest EY of 83% was obtained in hexane:2-butanone mixture of 85:15 (v/v) using Novozym 435; however lower EY (40%) was obtained when a lipase from Rhizomucor meihei (Lipozyme IM 20) was used. Increasing the amount of the co-solvent 2-butanone in the hexane:2-butanone mixture to 75:25 (v/v) resulted in a lower EY of 75% with Novozym 435; using the same enzyme, the esterification of a more unsaturated alcohol, linolenyl alcohol, with DHCA in the hexane:2-butanone mixture of 75:25 (v/v) resulted in EY of 76% which was similar to that obtained with linoleyl alcohol as lipid substrate. The esterification of DHCA and ferulic acid with linolenyl alcohol in the hexane:2-butanone mixture of 65:35 (v/v) resulted in an EY of 58 and 16%, respectively. Both linoleyl and linolenyl alcohols demonstrated mass action effects with EY of 99% in DHCA: fatty alcohol ratio of 1:8. Using a molar ratio of 1:2, the transesterification reactions of DHCA with trilinolein (TLA) and trilinolenin (TLNA) in hexane:2-butanone mixture of 75:25 (v/v) resulted in total transesterification yields (TYs) of phenolic lipids of 66 and 62%, respectively. The TYs of phenolic monoacylglycerols was higher than that of phenolic diacylglycerols for both TLA and TLNA transesterification reactions. A lower molar ratio of DHCA to TLA of 1:4 resulted in a lower TY of 53%. Using a molar ratio of 1:2, the TY of TLA and TLNA with ferulic acid in hexane:2-butanone mixture of 65:35 (v/v) was 16 and 14%, respectively. An equal molar transesterification reaction of DHCA with flaxseed oil, in a hexane:2-butanone mixture of 75:25 (v/v), resulted in the production of only phenolic monoacylglycerols (19%); however, decreasing the molar ratio resulted in the production of both phenolic mono and diacylglycerols. A molar ratio of DHCA to flaxseed oil (1:8) resulted in a TY of 76%, with 43 and 33% phenolic mono and diacylglycerols, respectively. Changing the solvent mixture of hexane:2-butanone from 65:35 to 85:15 (v/v) resulted in an increased in the TY of phenolic diacylglycerols from 24 to 55% with no significant effect on the TY of phenolic monoacylglycerols. The transesterification reaction resulted in a change in the composition of the C18:3 FA from 53% in the unmodified oil to 60 and 65% in the phenolic mono and diacylglycerols. Transesterification reaction of DHCA with fish liver oil in the solvent mixtures of hexane:2-butanone of 75:25 and 85:15 (v/v) resulted in TY of 56 and 65%, respectively. Transesterification in solvent: mixture of 75:25 resulted in a 40 and 16% TY of phenolic mono and diacylglycerols, respectively, whereas that in the solvent mixture of 85:15 (v/v) resulted in a 38 and 37% TY of phenolic mono and diacylglycerols, respectively. The structures of phenolic lipids of linoleyl and linolenyl alcohols with DHCA were confirmed by LC/MS analysis likewise for the phenolic mono and diacylglycerols from transesterification of DHCA with TLA and TLNA as well as flaxseed and fish liver oils. The phenolic esters of the fatty alcohols demonstrated radical scavenging properties similar to that of alpha-tocopherol but less than for DHCA; however, the phenolic lipids obtained with the use of TLA and TLNA as substrate as well as flaxseed and fish liver oil, demonstrated significant radical scavenging effects but less than that of alpha-tocopherol and DHCA.

This study has resulted in a crown ether functionalized with both phosphine and phenol groups, 5-diphenylphosphino-1,3-xylyl-18-crown-5. The target molecule was obtained from a six step synthesis. 4-Bromophenol was treated in sequence with formaldehyde, dimethylsulfate, and phosphorus tribromide producing 4-bromo-2,6-bis(bromomethyl)anisole. The main intermediate, 5-diphenylphosphino-1,3-xylyl-18-crown-5, was obtained by treating 4-bromo-2,6-bis(bromomethyl)anisole in sequence with tetraethylene glycol, lithium iodide, and methyldiphenyl phosphonite. The lithium iodide cleaved the anisole-to-methyl group bond, and the methyldiphenyl phosphonite provided the phosphine group for the crown ether following a lithium bromine exchange reaction. The 31P NMR of the phosphine crown ether showed a single signal at 6 -5.9, showing consistency of a single product. The IH NMR of the phosphine crown ether in deuterated chloroform showed signals at 6 3.55-3.7 (crown CH2), 6 4.6 (benzylic CH2), 6 7.1 (d, J = 7.o Hz, crown aromatic CH2), and 6 7.2-7.4 (noncrown aromatic CH2). / Department of Chemistry

No description available.

M.Tech. / In this study, ethylene vinyl acetate-fly ash (EVA-FA) composites were explored for the removal of phenols from water. The composites were prepared from EVA and untreated and acid treated fly ash via the melt-mixing technique using a rheomixer. The fly ash was characterised by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area measurement. Fly ash is composed mainly of SiO2, Al2O3, CaO and Fe2O3. Modified fly ash gave a better specific surface area of 0.4180 m2/g, while 0.0710 m2/g was obtained for unmodified fly-ash due to the disintegration of the outer layer which resulted in smaller particles, hence a larger surface area. EVA-FA composites were prepared from fly ash loadings of 3 to 20% and further characterised by XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and SEM. XRD showed successful incorporation of fly ash into the EVA matrix through the appearance of fly ash diffraction peaks on the EVA-FA composite diffraction pattern. The incorporation of fly ash into the EVA matrix resulted in an improvement in the thermal stability of EVA, but did not have an effect on the melting temperature of the composites. However, a decrease in crystallisation temperature was observed. SEM micrographs revealed uniform dispersion of fly ash particles in the polymer matrix. Adsorption studies were performed using p-chlorophenol (PCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) and p-nitrophenol (PNP) as model pollutants. An increase in adsorption efficiency of EVA-FA composites was observed as fly ash loading was increased from 3 to 10%. Between 10 and 20% fly-ash loading the removal efficiencies remained constant. The effect of contact time, pH and initial concentration was investigated. Polymer composites prepared from unmodified fly ash resulted in a higher adsorption capacity of phenols. The maximum uptake of PCP was 0.18 mg/g and that for TCP was 0.19 mg/g over a pH range of pH 3 to 5 and after contact time of 8 h. However, the adsorption capacity of 0.30 mg/g for PNP was achieved at pH 5 after a period of 10 h. Equilibrium adsorption data were evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. There was no significant difference in the correlation coefficients (R2) from both models for the adsorption of PCP and TCP. However, the equilibrium adsorption data for PNP were better described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The kinetics data were analysed by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model gave better correlation coefficients (> 0.9) for the adsorption of the phenols and the amount adsorbed at equilibrium was comparable to that calculated from the pseudo-second-order equation. Desorption studies were performed using NaOH solution with varying concentrations (0.1 to 0.3 M) and the studies revealed that PNP was the most difficult to be desorbed. Approximately 75% of PNP was recovered while 82% of PCP and 84% of TCP were recovered.

The base-catalysed reaction of 4H-pyran-4-one with a range of nucleophiles, namely diethyl malonate, ethyl acetoacetate, nitromethane, acetylacetone and ethyl cyanoacetate, was developed as a reliable, high yielding method for the preparation of para-substituted phenols. The methodology was extended to include the use of the substituted pyranones, maltol, 2,6-dimethyl-4H-pyran-4-one and diethyl chelidonate. Reactions were studied using conventional heating methods and microwave irradiation. Microwave irradiation had definite beneficial effects, with improved yields, reduced reaction times and cleaner reaction profiles. The potential of this methodology was examined for the regioselective placement of ¹³C-atoms into benzene rings using ¹³C-labelled nucleophiles or ¹³C-labelled 4H-pyran-4-ones. [3,5-13C₂]4H-Pyran-4-one and [2,6-13C₂]4H-pyran-4-one were prepared from various ¹³C-labelled versions of triethyl orthoformate and acetone. This methodology was applied to the synthesis of [1,3,5-¹³C₃]gallic acid, via the base-catalysed reaction of [3,5-¹³C₂]4H-pyran-4-one with diethyl [2-¹³C]malonate, followed by subsequent transformations to yield [1,3,5-¹³C₃]gallic acid. The preparation of [2-¹³C]phloroglucinol was carried out via [2-¹³C]resorcinol, with regioselective placement of a single ¹³C-atom into the aromatic ring. This was accomplished from non-aromatic precursors, with the source of the ¹³C-atom being [¹³C]methyl iodide. The key step in this synthesis was the introduction of the third hydroxyl group, which was achieved using a modified iridium-catalysed C-H activation/borylation/oxidation procedure. The scope of an existing C-H activation/borylation reaction was modified and expanded to include a range of protected resorcinol derivatives. A catalyst system was developed which allowed high conversion to the intermediate arylboronic acids, followed by oxidation using aqueous Oxone® to yield the corresponding phenols. Finally, to demonstrate the potential of these new methods for application in the synthesis of isotopically labelled natural products and polyphenols, the syntheses of ¹³C-labelled anthocyanins were studied. A route was developed that could be applied to the synthesis of either cyanidin-3-glucoside or delphinidin-3-glucoside. Only the final coupling/cyclisation step to yield the desired anthocyanin targets remains to be carried out.