Premium
Recent Trends and Prospects in the Copper‐Catalysed “on Water” Reactions
Author(s) -
Shilpa Thomas,
Neetha Mohan,
Anilkumar Gopinathan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced synthesis and catalysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.541
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1615-4169
pISSN - 1615-4150
DOI - 10.1002/adsc.202001407
Subject(s) - chemistry , green chemistry , catalysis , copper , aqueous solution , biochemical engineering , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , reaction mechanism , materials science , engineering
Recalling the serious hazards imposed by the “ungreen” techniques used over the years, chemists are now expected to adopt synthetic tactics that strictly adhere to the three E's of green chemistry: Environmental, Economical and Energy efficient. Among the various measures undertaken to improve the benignity of a chemical system, top priority has been given for identifying abundant, non‐toxic and non‐flammable greener solvents such as water, replacing detrimental organic solvents. Despite the safer aspects, reactions in aqueous solutions hardly meet the green chemical standards, particularly due to the challenging product isolation and purification techniques. Sharpless's demonstration of, until then almost unknown, “on water” effect was a major breakthrough in the realm of sustainable organic chemistry. Needless to say, integration of homo‐/heterogeneous water‐compatible catalysts under “on water” conditions without deteriorating its efficiency, has also awakened the industrial prospects of the protocol. Among the various transition metals, copper complexes or salts are considered as first line catalysts due to their irrevocable contributions to the synthetic world. Also, due to the water tuneable nature of these catalysts, many copper‐catalysed organic transformations that once required harsh conditions, could now be obtained using clean and safe protocols. This review comprehends the recent advancements in the copper‐catalysed “on water” reactions covering literatures since 2006.