Diversification of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Processes: Taking the Plunge into the Non-PGM Catalyst Pool.

Recent global events have led to the cost of platinum group metals (PGMs) reaching unprecedented heights. Many chemical companies are therefore starting to seriously consider and evaluate if and where they can substitute PGMs for non-PGMs in their catalytic processes. This review covers recent highly relevant applications of non-PGM catalysts in the modern pharmaceutical industry.

Stereodivergent, Kinetically Controlled Isomerization of Terminal Alkenes via Nickel Catalysis.

Because internal alkenes are more challenging synthetic targets than terminal alkenes, metal-catalyzed olefin mono-transposition (i.e., positional isomerization) approaches have emerged to afford valuable E- or Z- internal alkenes from their complementary terminal alkene feedstocks.

Rapid Access to Carbon-Isotope-Labeled Alkyl and Aryl Carboxylates Applying Palladacarboxylates.

Herein, we report a strategy for the formation of isotopically labeled carboxylic esters from boronic esters/acids using a readily accessible palladium carboxylate complex as an organometallic source of isotopically labeled functional groups. The reaction allows access to either unlabeled or full C- or C-isotopically labeled carboxylic esters, and the method is characterized by its operational simplicity, mild conditions, and general substrate scope. Our protocol is further extended to a carbon isotope replacement strategy, involving an initial decarbonylative borylation procedure.

Regioselective Hydroalkylation of Vinylarenes by Cooperative Cu and Ni Catalysis.

Disclosed here is a dual copper and nickel catalytic system with a silyl hydride source for promoting the linear selective hydroalkylation of vinylarenes. This carbon-carbon bond-forming protocol is applied to couple a variety of functionalized vinylarenes with alkyl halides applying a nickel(II) NNN pincer complex in the presence of an NHC-ligated copper catalyst. This combination allows for a 1 mol % loading of the nickel catalyst leading to turnover numbers of up to 72.

Controlled Release of Reactive Gases: A Tale of Taming Carbon Monoxide.

This Personal Account describes the development of air-stable and solid precursors for on-demand release of carbon monoxide. In combination with the development of a two-chamber reactor, COware®, CO liberation can be achieved under safe working conditions, as well as allowing transition metal-mediated carbonylations with stoichiometric carbon monoxide. Particularly appealing is the adaptability of this chemical technology for the preparation of carbon isotope labeled bioactive compounds.

Carbon Isotope Labeling Strategy for β-Amino Acid Derivatives via Carbonylation of Azanickellacycles.

A series of 4-membered azametallacycles have been prepared by the oxidative addition of Ni(0) with aziridines. Stoichiometric C-labeled carbon monoxide could be efficiently incorporated via Ni-C bond insertion to generate air stable and isolable cyclic Ni-acyl complexes. Upon subjection to a range of C-, N-, O-, and S-nucleophiles, C-labeled β-amino acids and derivatives thereof, as well as β-aminoketones, could be rapidly accessed.

Scalable carbon dioxide electroreduction coupled to carbonylation chemistry.

Significant efforts have been devoted over the last few years to develop efficient molecular electrocatalysts for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, the latter being an industrially important feedstock for the synthesis of bulk and fine chemicals. Whereas these efforts primarily focus on this formal oxygen abstraction step, there are no reports on the exploitation of the chemistry for scalable applications in carbonylation reactions. Here we describe the design and application of an inexpensive and user-friendly electrochemical set-up combined with the two-chamber technology for performing Pd-catalysed carbonylation reactions including amino- and alkoxycarbonylations, as well as carbonylative Sonogashira and Suzuki couplings with near stoichiometric carbon monoxide.

Full-text publication of abstracts in emergency medicine in Denmark.

Introduction: Abstracts presented at medical conferences or scientific meetings should ideally be published as full-text articles in peer-reviewed journals after initial presentation and feedback regardless of the findings. The aim of this survey was to determine the publication rate of papers presented at the Danish Emergency Medicine Conferences in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Methods: Abstracts presented at the conferences were identified and authors contacted to obtain publication information.

Screening tool development for health impact assessment of large administrative structural changes.

Aims: Screening is the first, extremely important step of health impact assessment (HIA) methodology. It contributes to the decision to conduct or not conduct a full assessment, and predefines the main fields of interest of the assessment.

Methods: Although there are examples of screening tools available on the Internet and in the scientific literature, in many cases lack of access to those tools creates a barrier to the use of HIA.