Direct palladium-catalysed cross-couplings between organolithiums and (hetero)aryl halides (Br, Cl) proceed fast, cleanly and selectively at room temperature in air, with water as the only reaction medium and in the presence of NaCl as a cheap additive. Under optimised reaction conditions, a water-accelerated catalysis is responsible for furnishing Csp 3 -Csp 2 , Csp 2 -Csp 2 , and Csp-Csp 2 cross-coupled products, competitively with protonolysis, within a 20 s reaction time, in yields of up to 99%, and in the absence of undesired dehalogenated/homocoupling side-products even if it starts from challenging secondary organolithiums. It is worth noting that the proposed protocol is scalable and the catalyst and water can easily and successfully be recycled up to 10 times, with an E-factor as low as 7.35.

The CuI-catalyzed Ullmann amine cross-coupling between (hetero)aryl halides (Br, I) and aromatic and aliphatic amines has been accomplished in deep eutectic solvents as environmentally benign and recycling reaction media. Under optimized conditions, the reaction proceeds smoothly under mild conditions (60–100°C) in air, in the absence of ligands, with a catalyst (CuI) loading of 10 mol% and K2CO3 (aliphatic primary and secondary amines) or t-BuOK (aromatic amines) as the base. A variety of amines have been synthesized in yields up to 98% with a broad substrate scope.

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Background: The blood–brain barrier (BBB) bypass of dopamine (DA) is still a challenge for supplying it to the neurons of Substantia Nigra mainly affected by Parkinson disease. DA prodrugs have been studied to cross the BBB, overcoming the limitations of DA hydrophilicity. Therefore, the aim of this work is the synthesis and preliminary characterization of an oxidized alginate-dopamine (AlgOX-DA) conjugate conceived for DA nose-to-brain delivery. Methods: A Schiff base was designed to connect oxidized polymeric backbone to DA and both AlgOX and AlgOX-DA were characterized in terms of Raman, XPS, FT-IR, and 1H- NMR spectroscopies, as well as in vitro mucoadhesive and release tests. Results: Data demonstrated that AlgOX-DA was the most mucoadhesive material among the tested ones and it released the neurotransmitter in simulated nasal fluid and in low amounts in phosphate buffer saline. Results also demonstrated the capability of scanning near-field optical microscopy to study the structural and fluorescence properties of AlgOX, fluorescently labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate microstructures. Interestingly, in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line up to 100 μg/mL, no toxic effect was derived from AlgOX and AlgOX-DA in 24 h. Conclusions: Overall, the in vitro performances of AlgOX and AlgOX-DA conjugates seem to encourage further ex vivo and in vivo studies in view of nose-to-brain administration.

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) have been widely used in many fields to exploit their ecofriendly characteristics, from green synthetic procedures to environmentally benign industrial methods. In contrast, their application in emerging solar technologies, where the abundant and clean solar energy is used to properly respond to most important societal needs, is still relatively scarce. This represents a strong limitation since many solar devices make use of polluting or toxic components, thus seriously hampering their eco-friendly nature. Herein, we review the literature, mainly published in the last few years, on the use of DESs in representative solar technologies, from solar plants to last generation photovoltaics, featuring not only their passive role as green solvents, but also their active behavior arising from their peculiar chemical nature. This collection highlights the increasing and valuable role played by DESs in solar technologies, in the fulfillment of green chemistry requirements and for performance enhancement, in particular in terms of long-term temporal stability.

A sustainable two-step protocol was developed for the synthesis of the antihistamine drug Thenfadil by combining a reductive amination process with a Cu-catalyzed Ullmann-type C− N coupling reaction run in environmentally responsible deep eutectic solvents (DESs), constructed from biobased compounds. Under optimized conditions, both reactions proceed smoothly under aerobic conditions and in the absence of any additional ligand, with the desired active pharmaceutical ingredient isolated in an overall reaction yield of 39% with an effective suppression of the side products arising from competitive Cu-catalyzed C−O coupling reactions. A novel and simplified workup procedure has also been set up, which avoids the need for chromatographic purification, while allowing the recovery and the recycling of the unreacted intermediate secondary amine. The potential application and the robustness of the proposed methodology has been demonstrated (a) in scale-up studies up to 50 g of substrate in 0.5 kg of DES, taking place with no decrease in the reaction yield, and (b) in the synthesis of three other ethylenediamine derivatives (Thenfadil's analogs) like tripelennamine, methaphenilene, and thonzylamine in 39%−44% overall yield. Typical metrics applied at First and Second Pass, according to the CHEM21 Metrics Toolkit, have been calculated as well for the whole synthetic procedure of Thenfadil and results compared with those of the classical procedure.

An efficient and novel protocol was developed for a Cucatalyzed Ullmann-type aryl alkyl ether synthesis by reacting various (hetero)aryl halides (Cl, Br, I) with alcohols as active components of environmentally benign choline chloride-based eutectic mixtures. Under optimized conditions, the reaction proceeded under mild conditions (80 °C) in air, in the absence of additional ligands, with a catalyst [Cu I or Cu II species] loading up to 5 mol% and K 2 CO 3 as the base, providing the desired aryloxy derivatives in up to 98 % yield. The potential application of the methodology was demonstrated in the valorization of cheap, easily available, and naturally occurring polyols (e. g., glycerol) for the synthesis of some pharmacologically active aryloxypropanediols (Guaiphenesin, Mephenesin, and Chlorphenesin) on a 2 g scale in 70-96 % yield. Catalyst, base, and deep eutectic solvent could easily and successfully be recycled up to seven times with an E-factor as low as 5.76.

Direct palladium‐catalysed cross‐couplings between organolithium reagents and (hetero)aryl halides (Br, Cl) proceed fast, cleanly and selectively at room temperature in air, with water as the only reaction medium and in the presence of NaCl as a cheap additive. Under optimised reaction conditions, a water‐accelerated catalysis is responsible for furnishing C(sp3)–C(sp2), C(sp2)–C(sp2), and C(sp)–C(sp2) cross‐coupled products, in competition with protonolysis, within a reaction time of 20 s, in yields of up to 99 %, and in the absence of undesired dehalogenated/homocoupling side products even when challenging secondary organolithiums serve as the starting material. It is worth noting that the proposed protocol is scalable and the catalyst and water can easily and successfully be recycled up to 10 times, with an E‐factor as low as 7.35.