Long-chain alkylbenzenes are industrially synthesized precursors to commercial surfactants such as laundry detergent. The process of benzene alkylation currently utilizes homogeneous acidic catalysts (HF, AlCl3, etc.), which cause a multitude of problems such as production of toxic waste, hazards to workers, and corrosion of expensive industrial equipment. These problems can be avoided by the use of heterogeneous highly acidic catalysts. Solid catalysts do not corrode equipment and are relatively simple to remove from the post-reaction mixture. Phosphotungstic acid (PTA) supported on silica gel could be a possible catalyst due to its high acidity with an estimated pKa ≈ -13. However, it is soluble in many solvents and can be leached from silica gel during the process. The objective of this research is to obtain a superacidic stable heterogeneous catalyst containing covalently immobilized PTA, and evaluate its activity and stability in the alkylation of benzene by long-chain alkenes. The catalyst PTA/SiO2 was prepared via the sol-gel method by co-condensation of PTA with tetraethoxysilane in acidic media. Surfactant Pluronic P123 was used as a template to form porous structure. Then the catalyst was granulated to prevent caking of the powder during reaction. For granulation, the powder PTA/SiO2 was mixed with aluminum oxide (an inert adhesive agent) and pressured at 7 t to make tablets. The tablets were converted to granules of 1-2 mm diameter and calcined at 400 °C to remove moisture. FT-IR spectra confirmed the presence of PTA in the obtained material. Analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy showed PTA contents of 0.027 mmol/g. The catalyst was mesoporous with BET surface area of 168 m2/g and mean particle size of 856 nm. The reaction of alkylation of benzene by octene-1 and decene-1 was carried out in a fixed bed flow reactor at 200-250 °C where mixtures of benzene and an alkene flowed through the catalyst with constant rate. Products were collected and analyzed on a GC chromatograph. The catalyst demonstrated good catalytic activity at temperatures above 200 °C. In all experiments mixtures of isomeric alkylbenzenes were obtained with 2-phenylalkanes as main products. Decreasing of flow rate and ratio alkene:benzene favored conversion of alkenes. Characterization of the catalyst after the reaction showed little changes in porosity and particle size. No leaching of PTA was observed. However, carbon deposits were found on the catalyst that requires regeneration before next use in catalysis.

Les travaux réalisés pendant cette thèse ont porté sur deux thématiques indépendantes.Les deux premières parties concernent la thématique « alcaloïdes de Vinca », molécules d’origine naturelle aux propriétés anticancéreuses. Les travaux ont tout d’abord porté sur la synthèse d’analogues oxygénés de la 20,20-difluorocatharanthine, comme précurseurs d’alcaloïdes dimères originaux de Vinca. Bien que les voies de synthèses explorées n’aient pas conduit aux dérivés oxygénés souhaités, les différents résultats obtenus ont cependant permis de montrer que la présence du groupement gem-difluoré sur le squelette de la catharanthine changeait dramatiquement la réactivité du substrat de manière imprévisible. La deuxième partie de ce travail a été dédiée à l’élucidation du mécanisme de fluoration d’alcaloïdes dimères de Vinca en milieu superacide. Le marquage isotopique au deutérium a permis de discriminer deux hypothèses mécanistiques et de valider le mécanisme de fluoration passant par une migration 1,2 d’hydrure dont la contribution minimale est de 20 %. Enfin, la troisième partie de ce travail a été consacrée à la synthèse asymétrique de la (R)-méquitazine. La synthèse de cette dernière s’est basée sur la chiralité déjà « imprimée » dans le squelette d’alcaloïdes de cinchona. La synthèse de la (R)-méquitazine dont les excès énantiomériques finaux sont supérieurs à 99% a été conclue en 8 étapes à partir de la quinine, confirmant le contrôle total du centre asymétrique tout au long de la synthèse. / The work carried out during this thesis has focused on two independent parts.The first two sections have dealt with the “Vinca alkaloids” part, natural products with anticancer properties. Firstly, the work has focused on the synthesis of oxygenated analogs of the 20,20-difluorocatharanthine as precursors of original dimeric Vinca alkaloid. Although explored synthesis pathways have not led to the desired oxygenated derivatives, different results has enabled to show that the presence of the gem-difluoro groupment on catharanthine skeleton dramatically changed the reactivity of the substrate in an unpredictable manner. The second part of this work was dedicated to the elucidation of the mechanism of fluorination of alkaloids dimers of Vinca in superacid medium. Isotopic labelling with deuterium has allowed to discriminate two mechanistic hypotheses and to validate the mechanism of fluoridation via a 1,2-hydride migration whose minimum contribution is 20 %.Finally, the third part of this work has been devoted to the asymmetric synthesis of (R)- mequitazine. The synthesis is based on the chirality already "printed" into the skeleton of cinchona alkaloids. Synthesis of (R)-mequitazine with greater than 99% final enantiomeric excess was reached in 8 steps from quinine, confirming full control of the asymmetrical centre during the synthesis.

There is a continuing interest in the subject of arene carbonylation, especially in strong acids and environmentally-benign alternatives are sought to HF/BF3 and to AlCl3 as conversion agents. Ionic liquids offer a powerful solvent for useful conversion agents such as aluminum chloride. The ILs permit AlCl3 to be used at lower HCl partial pressures than with other solvents. The superior reactivity demonstrated by acidic, chloroaluminate ILs is probably due to their enhanced solvation power for HCl and CO. Addition of HCl gas increased reactivity of the system by forming Brnsted acids, and toluene carbonylation is a Brnsted demanding reaction. It was found that reaction is stoichiometric in Al species and only intrinsically acidic ILs are active for toluene carbonylation, therefore it was possible to correlate observed conversion with predicted amounts of Lewis + Brnsted acids. Molecular modeling provided information about the different species present in these ILs and predicted 1H NMR, and 27Al NMR spectrum. Predictions suggested that three types of HCl species are present; and these predictions were confirmed using data of 13C-labeled acetone and its 13C-NMR spectra. These data showed that only one of the three types of HCl in the IL were super acidic. Reactivity towards arene formylation can be tuned by adjusting the ligands R and R in the organic cation and by changing the anion. This reactivity tuning can be exploited in a process where high acidity is required for the conversion of substrate but where separation of product from IL is facilitated by low acidity.