Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 23, Issue 28, 2019

Transition metal catalyzed cross-coupling reactions have always been very important in synthetic organic chemistry due to their versatility in forming all sorts of carbon-carbon and carbon-hetero atom bonds. Incorporation of ultrasound assistance to these protocols resulted in milder reaction conditions, faster reaction rates, etc. This review focuses on the contributions made by ultrasound-assisted protocols towards transition metal catalyzed crosscoupling reactions.

The development of C-C and C-heteroatom (C-N, C-O and C-P) bond reactions is a field of significant interest and has received momentous attention in modern organic chemistry. These reactions have been exploited in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and molecules of interest in materials science. With the increasing awareness of global warming and the use of renewable energies, it is of paramount importance to reduce the usage of hazardous chemicals in both industrial and academic research and to achieve a healthier environment through green practices. Green chemistry is a rapidly emerging approach that shows us a path for the sustainable growth of future science and technologies. In the recent past, healthy growth has been recorded in a number of organic reactions in aqueous media, which are environment-friendly and energy conserving. This review documents the literature on the development of green methodologies involving the design of C-C, C-O, C-N and C-P bond formations of coupling and condensed reactions. It emphasizes the exceptional practices and important advances achieved using alternative green tools, such as microwave (MW), high-speed ball milling (HSBM) and ultrasound irradiation techniques, and a variety of reusable catalysts and green solvents, with attention to water.

Saccharin (1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one-1,1-dioxide) is a very mild, cheap, commercially available, water soluble, environmentally benign and edible Brønsted acidic substance. Recently, with other utilities, saccharin and its derivatives were employed as catalysts for various organic transformations. In this review, catalytic applicability of saccharin and its derivatives under various reaction conditions is summarized.

Over the last decades, many methods have been reported for the synthesis of selenium- heterocyclic scaffolds because of their interesting reactivities and applications in the medicinal as well as in the material chemistry. This review describes the recent numerous useful methodologies on C-Se bond formation reactions which were basically carried out at low and room temperature.

Glycerol is a non-toxic, recyclable and biodegradable organic waste produced as a byproduct in the production of biodiesel fuel. Currently, glycerol is considered a green solvent and catalyst for a large variety of applications. This work discusses the significance of glycerol for heterocyclic synthesis. All the reported studies consider glycerol as an efficient and sustainable benign medium.