A synthetic modular methodology allows the preparation of catalytic materials based on magnetic nanoparticles with iridium--N--heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes. The preparation of imidazolium salts containing a ketone/aldehyde as pendant functional groups are the key species. The condensation reaction of the Cp*IrNHC--CHO compound with magnetic nanoparticles containing amine groups on the surface yields the covalent anchoring of the iridium complex to the surface of the magnetite. The catalytic properties have been evaluated in transfer hydrogenation. The iridium complexes and the material are active in the reduction of ketones using isopropanol as solvent and hydrogen donor. The catalytic results reveal that the catalytic activity of the material and the molecular complex is equivalent. We have not observed any change in activity due to the support. The recyclability properties of the magnetic material have been evaluated. The results show that the catalyst activity is maintained for two runs. This work describes a simple methodology for the anchoring of molecular complexes on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles.
Electrochemical continuous-flow
reactors offer a great opportunity
for enhanced and sustainable chemical syntheses. Here, we present
a novel application of electrochemical continuous-flow oscillatory
baffled reactors (ECOBRs) that combines advanced mixing features with
electrochemical transformations to enable efficient electrochemical
oxidations under continuous flow at a millimeter distance between
electrodes. Different additive manufacturing techniques have been
employed to rapidly fabricate reactors. The electrochemical oxidation
of NADH, a very sensitive substrate key for the regeneration of enzymes
in biocatalytic transformations, has been employed as a benchmark
reaction. The oscillatory conditions improved bulk mixing, facilitating
the contact of reagents to electrodes. Under oscillatory conditions,
the ECOBR demonstrated improved performance in the electrochemical
oxidation of NADH, which is attributed to improved mass transfer associated
with the oscillatory regime.
Digitalisation and industry 4.0 are set to profoundly change the way chemical and materials discovery and development work. The integration of multiple enabling technologies such as flow synthesis, automation, analytics, and real-time reaction control lead to highly efficient, productive, data-driven discovery and synthetic protocols. For instance, the development of flow chemistry enables the fine control and automation of process parameters such as flow rates, temperature, and pressure, which inherently enhances process efficiency. Flow chemistry presents a more sustainable means of manufacturing in terms of waste minimisation, as it enables the integration of synthetic processes with downstream processing. Furthermore, it allows the integration of analytical techniques to provide in situ process monitoring of large amounts of process and product data. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) techniques allows rapid decision making that can optimise existing processes, and it has also been applied in the discovery of novel materials, synthetic pathways and chemicals. All this is contributing to an effective digitalisation of chemical and material synthetic processes from the laboratory to large-scale industrial deployment. This paper presents recent developments in the effective digitalisation of chemical synthetic processes which integrates continuous flow synthesis, analytics and artificial intelligence technologies. Specifically, this paper illustrates the emerging trend of process digitalisation through the advanced syntheses of materials with catalytic, optical and optoelectronic applications.
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