Publications by authors named "Filippo Perna"

A sustainable and scalable protocol for synthesizing variously functionalized sulfonamides, from amines and sulfonyl chlorides, has been developed using environmentally responsible and reusable choline chloride (ChCl)-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs). In ChCl/glycerol (1 : 2 mol mol) and ChCl/urea (1 : 2 mol mol), these reactions yield up to 97 % under aerobic conditions at ambient temperature within 2-12 h. The practicality of the method is exemplified by the sustainable synthesis of an FFA4 agonist and a key building block en route to anti-Alzheimer drug BMS-299897.

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An enhanced, sustainable, and efficient method for synthesizing tacrine, achieving a 98% yield, has been developed by replacing volatile organic compounds with more eco-friendly solvents such as deep eutectic solvent (DESs). The optimized protocol scales easily to 3 g of substrate without yield loss and extends successfully to tacrine derivatives with reduced hepatotoxicity. Particularly notable is the synthesis of novel triazole-based derivatives, yielding 90-95%, by integrating an in situ preparation of aryl azides in DESs with -propargyl-substituted tacrine derivatives.

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A new scalable synthesis of ()-α,β-unsaturated esters has been developed using protic, non-toxic, and biodegradable deep eutectic solvents through the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction between triethyl phosphonates and (hetero)aromatic carbonyl compounds, encompassing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. Stereoselective preparation of disubstituted or trisubstituted ethyl cinnamate derivatives is achieved in the presence of LiOH, KCO, or DBU as bases, at room temperature and under air. Demonstrated with the synthesis of ()-ethyl 3-(4-bromophenyl)acrylate, the same eutectic mixture (choline chloride/urea) proved to be reusable for three consecutive runs.

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With respect to the Parkinson's disease (PD), herein, we aimed at synthetizing and characterizing two novel macromolecular conjugates where dopamine (DA) was linked to N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan or O-carboxymethyl chitosan, being both conjugates obtained from an organic solvent free synthetic procedure. They were characterized by FT-IR, H NMR spectroscopies, whereas thermal analysis (including Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis) revealed good stability of the two conjugates after exposure at temperatures close to 300 °C. Release studies in simulated nasal fluid elucidated that a faster release occurred since O-carboxymethyl chitosan-DA conjugate maybe due to the less steric hindrance exerted by the polymeric moiety.

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Advancing the development of perfecting the use of polar organometallics in bio-inspired solvents, we report on the effective generation in batch of organosodium compounds, by the oxidative addition of a C-Cl bond to sodium, a halogen/sodium exchange, or by direct sodiation, when using sodium bricks or neopentylsodium in hexane as sodium sources. C(sp )-, C(sp )-, and C(sp)-hybridized alkyl and (hetero)aryl sodiated species have been chemoselectively trapped (in competition with protonolysis), with a variety of electrophiles when working "on water", or in biodegradable choline chloride/urea or L-proline/glycerol eutectic mixtures, under hydrous conditions and at room temperature. Additional benefits include a very short reaction time (20 s), a wide substrate scope, and good to excellent yields (up to 98 %) of the desired adducts.

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The development of biorefinery approaches is of great relevance for the sustainable production of valuable compounds. In accordance with circular economy principles, waste cooking oils (WCOs) are renewable resources and biorefinery feedstocks, which contribute to a reduced impact on the environment. Frequently, this waste is wrongly disposed of into municipal sewage systems, thereby creating problems for the environment and increasing treatment costs in wastewater treatment plants.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dimethindene, a selective histamine H antagonist, is currently available as a racemate and is typically synthesized using petroleum-based solvents.
  • A new sustainable synthesis approach has been developed, using eco-friendly solvents like 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) and cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), which significantly reduces environmental impact and improves yield.
  • The switch from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to these greener solvents not only lowers the E-factor but also simplifies the synthesis process, with metrics evaluated using the CHEM21 toolkit showing enhanced overall efficiency.
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  • A new sustainable protocol was developed for oxidizing activated alcohols to carbonyl compounds using CuCl/TEMPO/TMEDA as a catalyst in water or a low melting mixture (LMM) of d-fructose-urea.
  • This process is efficient, operating at mild temperatures (room temperature or 40°C), and can achieve yields up to 98% in just 4 hours when using the LMM.
  • The methodology allows for one-pot transformations that convert primary alcohols into valuable secondary alcohols or nitroalkenes by combining oxidation with nucleophilic additions or nitroaldol reactions.
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Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium with a versatile and adaptable metabolism, which makes it a viable cell factory for microbial production. Electroactivity has recently been identified as a cellular characteristic linked with the metabolic activity of B. subtilis.

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An efficient and novel protocol was developed for a Cu-catalyzed 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 or Cu species] loading up to 5 mol% and K CO 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.

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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 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.

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Pd-catalyzed Negishi cross-coupling reactions between organozinc compounds and (hetero)aryl bromides have been reported when using bulk water as the reaction medium in the presence of NaCl or the biodegradable choline chloride/urea eutectic mixture. Both C(sp )-C(sp ) and C(sp )-C(sp ) couplings have been found to proceed smoothly, with high chemoselectivity, under mild conditions (room temperature or 60 °C) in air, and in competition with protonolysis. Additional benefits include very short reaction times (20 s), good to excellent yields (up to 98 %), wide substrate scope, and the tolerance of a variety of functional groups.

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An efficient and selective N-functionalization of amides is first reported via a CuI-catalyzed Goldberg-type C-N coupling reaction between aryl iodides and primary/secondary amides run either in Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) or water as sustainable reaction media, under mild and bench-type reaction conditions (absence of protecting atmosphere). Higher activities were observed in an aqueous medium, though the employment of DESs expanded and improved the scope of the reaction to include also aliphatic amides. Additional valuable features of the reported protocol include: (i) the possibility to scale up the reaction without any erosion of the yield/reaction time; (ii) the recyclability of both the catalyst and the eutectic solvent up to 4 consecutive runs; and (iii) the feasibility of the proposed catalytic system for the synthesis of biologically active molecules.

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Owing to a growing awareness towards environmental impact, the search for "greener", safer, and cost-effective solvents able to replace petroleum-derived solvents has never been greater today. In this context, the use of environmentally responsible solvents like water and the so-called deep eutectic solvents (DESs), constructed from bio-based compounds, has recently experienced important growth in several fields of sciences. This short review highlights the key features of the chemistry of water and (hydrated) DESs when applied to metal- and biocatalyzed transformations as well as to the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other biologically relevant compounds by providing, through discussion of all relevant literature over the past five years, a comparison of the outcomes of the reactions when carried out in one or the other solvent.

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We report that phenacyl azides are key compounds for a regiodivergent synthesis of valuable, functionalized imidazole (32-98% yield) and pyrimidine derivatives (45-88% yield), with a broad substrate scope, when using deep eutectic solvents [choline chloride (ChCl)/glycerol (1:2 mol/mol) and ChCl/urea (1:2 mol/mol)] as environmentally benign and non-innocent reaction media, by modulating the temperature (25 or 80 °C) in the presence or absence of bases (EtN).

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers successfully synthesized highly polarized lithium phosphides (LiPR) using deep eutectic solvents, showcasing a sustainable method at room temperature without a protective atmosphere.
  • The process involved the reaction of aliphatic and aromatic secondary phosphines (HPR) with n-BuLi, which allowed for rapid generation of LiPR.
  • The resulting LiPR was then quickly and selectively added to aldehydes or epoxides, producing α- or β-hydroxy phosphine oxides under standard air conditions, challenging traditional limitations in polar organometallic chemistry.
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  • A new method allows the smooth addition of organometallic compounds to chiral imines in a biodegradable solvent, leading to the creation of enantioenriched primary amines.
  • The reaction is efficient, running at room temperature for just 2 minutes and can produce sulfinamides with high yields (74-98%).
  • This process has practical applications in synthesizing pharmaceutical compounds like (R,R)-Formoterol and (R)-Cinacalcet with excellent enantiomeric excess (up to 98%).
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We report the first transition metal catalyst- and ligand-free conjugate addition of lithium tetraorganozincates (R ZnLi ) to nitroolefins. Displaying enhanced nucleophilicity combined with unique chemoselectivity and functional group tolerance, homoleptic aliphatic and aromatic R ZnLi provide access to valuable nitroalkanes in up to 98 % yield under mild conditions (0 °C) and short reaction time (30 min). This is particularly remarkable when employing β-nitroacrylates and β-nitroenones, where despite the presence of other electrophilic groups, selective 1,4 addition to the C=C is preferred.

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An unsubstituted 2-hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole has recently been included as a scaffold in a series of hybrids (including the hit compound PZ1) based on the framework of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor Donepezil, which is a new promising multi-target ligand in Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment. Building upon these findings, we have now designed and completed the whole synthesis of PZ1 in the so-called deep eutectic solvents (DESs), which have emerged as an unconventional class of bio-renewable reaction media in green synthesis. Under optimized reaction conditions, the preparation of a series of 2-hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole-based nuclei has also been perfected in DESs, and comparison with other routes which employ toxic and volatile organic solvents (VOCs) provided.

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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 KCO (aliphatic primary and secondary amines) or -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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Directed ortho metalation (DoM) or nucleophilic acyl substitution (SAc) can be efficiently programmed on the same aromatic carboxylic acid amide, in a choline chloride-based eutectic mixture, by simply switching the nature of the organolithium reagent. Telescoped, one-pot ortho-lithiation/Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings have also been demonstrated for the first time in Deep Eutectic Solvents.

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Electrolytically tunable graphene "building blocks" for reconfigurable and optically transparent microwave surfaces and absorbers have been designed and fabricated by exploiting Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs). DESs have been first explored as electrolytic and environmentally friendly media for tuning sheet resistance and Fermi level of graphene together with its microwave response (reflection, transmission and absorption). We consider the tunability of the reconfigurable surfaces in terms of transmittance, absorption and reflectance, respectively, over the X and Ku bands when the gate voltage is varied in the -1.

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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(sp )-C(sp ), C(sp )-C(sp ), and C(sp)-C(sp ) 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.

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The use of a hydrophobic eutectic solvent based on dl-menthol and a naturally occurring acid such as acetic acid has been tested as an eco-friendly electrolyte medium in dye-sensitized solar cells. In the presence of a de-aggregating agent and a representative hydrophobic organic photosensitizer, the corresponding devices displayed relatively good power conversion efficiencies in very thin active layers. In particular, the higher cell photovoltage detected in comparison to devices based on toxic and volatile organic compounds may stem from a more efficient interface interaction, as suggested by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies showing greater charge recombination resistance and electron lifetime.

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Bisphosphonates such as zoledronic, alendronic and risedronic acids are a class of drugs clinically used to prevent bone density loss and osteoporosis. Novel P-C-P bisphosphonates were synthesized for targeting human farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (hFPPS) and human geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (hGGPPS), key enzymes of the mevalonate pathway, and capable of anti-proliferative action on a number of cell lines (PC3, MG63, MC3T3, RAW 264.7, J774A.

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