Glycerol as a cheap, safe and sustainable solvent for the catalytic and regioselective β,β-diarylation of acrylates over palladium nanoparticles

Herein we show that glycerol can be considered as a promising cheap and green solvent for the regioselective β,β-diarylation of alkenes. Whereas this reaction is generally catalyzed under an inert atmosphere by expensive phosphine or carbene-palladium complexes, we show here that the diarylation of alkenes can be conveniently achieved in glycerol in the presence of air-stable palladium nanoparticles. These palladium nanoparticles were stabilized over a sugar-based surfactant derived from biomass. By an adjustment of the reaction temperature, we were able to control the mono- and diarylation step of alkenes, thus offering a convenient route to unsymmetrical diarylated alkenes. At the end of the reaction, the diarylated alkenes were cleanly and selectively extracted from the glycerol-palladium catalytic phase using supercritical carbon dioxide, thus affording a convenient purification work-up. Within the framework of green chemistry, this work combines (i) catalysis in a cheap, safe and sustainable medium, (ii) easily made and air-stable palladium nanoparticles as the catalyst, and (iii) a clean and selective extraction of the reaction products with supercritical carbon dioxide

Edifices supramoléculaires dans le glycérol : Caractérisation et application en catalyse

Thèse soutenue publiquement le 3 novembre 2010 Diplôme : Dr. d'UniversitéThis PhD work deals with the use of glycerol as a green and sustainable solvent. The main objective is to show that glycerol can be used as a solvent first, to obtain supramolecular buildings (cohesive solvent) and emulsions using an organic phase and then, to develop a catalysis in unconventional conditions (high boiling point and low vapour pressure). The first part consists in the study of aggregation properties using fatty acids as surfactants. By changing the nature of the counter-ion, these molecules allow producing various supramolecular assemblies such as micelles, vesicles and even tubes. In glycerol these aggregates show a smaller size compared to water. Those dispersions were then used in the formation of liquid crystal phases and emulsions with hexadecane as the oil component. In a second part, in order to develop selective catalytic processes in glycerol, we have synthesized new sugar-based surfactants. They are capable to (i) circumvent the low solubility of organic substrates in glycerol and (ii) limit the intrinsic reactivity of glycerol through the formation of hydrophobic domains. In one model reactions studied (Heck coupling), it is possible, by a control of temperature, to change the reaction selectivity. This allows us to envisage the synthesis of more valuable products. The selective extraction of the products formed in glycerol has been studied using supercritical CO2 mainly because the glycerol is poorly soluble in this solvent.Ce travail de thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre du développement durable au travers de l’utilisation du glycérol en tant que solvant. L’objectif est de montrer qu’il peut servir de solvant soit, pour l’obtention d’agrégats de tensioactifs (solvant cohésif) ainsi que d’émulsions au contact d’une phase organique, soit pour la réalisation d’une catalyse dans des conditions peu usuelles (forte température d’ébullition et faible pression de vapeur saturante). L’objectif de la première partie consiste en l’étude des propriétés d’agrégation en utilisant des acides gras comme tensioactifs. En changeant la nature du contre ion, ces molécules offrent un large polymorphisme d’agrégats. Ainsi, nous décrivons dans le glycérol, l’obtention de micelles, de vésicules ou encore de tubes. Ces assemblages présentent la particularité d’être de plus petite taille comparativement à l’eau. Ces systèmes ont ensuite été utilisés dans la formation de phases cristal liquide ou d’émulsions en présence d’hexadécane. Dans une deuxième partie, de manière à développer des procédés catalytiques sélectifs dans le glycérol, nous avons synthétisé des agrotensioactifs dérivés de sucres (aminopolysaccharides). Ces derniers sont capables de (i) contourner la faible solubilité des substrats organiques dans le glycérol et de (ii) limiter la réactivité intrinsèque du glycérol, grâce à la formation de domaines hydrophobes. Dans l’une des réactions modèles étudiées (couplage de Heck), il est possible, par effet de température, de contrôler la sélectivité de la réaction ce qui permet d’envisager la synthèse de composés à plus haute valeur ajouté. L’extraction sélective des produits formés dans le glycérol a ensuite été étudiée en utilisant le CO2 supercritique puisque la solubilité du glycérol dans ce solvant est relativement faible

Stabilization of air bubbles in oil by surfactant crystals: A route to produce air-in-oil foams and air-in-oil-in-water emulsions

International audienc

Self-assembly and emulsions of oleic acid–oleate mixtures in glycerol

International audienceIt is known that mixtures of oleic acid and sodium oleate spontaneously form vesicles in water. In this paper, we study this system in glycerol, and show that it also forms vesicles in this solvent, but with a considerably lower diameter. The critical vesicle concentration (cvc) was higher in glycerol (cvc = 27.1 mM) than in water (cvc = 0.10 mM). This finding was confirmed using an analogous system made of palmitoleic acid and palmitoleate. The vesicles in glycerol were characterized using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) which showed that the fatty acids are embedded in a fluid bilayer phase. These fatty acid dispersions were used to produce emulsions in glycerol, using hexadecane as the oil component. We show that a higher energy is required to produce emulsions in glycerol than in water, probably because of the higher viscosity of glycerol. However, emulsions were shown to be stable in glycerol. Altogether, this shows that supramolecular self-assembly occurs in glycerol, and that emulsions can be successfully produced in this solvent

Edifices supramoléculaires dans le glycérol (caractérisation et application en catalyse)

Ce travail de thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre du développement durable au travers de l'utilisation du glycérol en tant que solvant. L'objectif est de montrer qu'il peut servir de solvant soit, pour l'obtention d'agrégats de tensioactifs (solvant cohésif) ainsi que d'émulsions au contact d'une phase organique, soit pour la réalisation d'une catalyse dans des conditions peu usuelles (forte température d'ébullition et faible pression de vapeur saturante). L'objectif de la première partie consiste en l'étude des propriétés d'agrégation en utilisant des acides gras comme tensioactifs. En changeant la nature du contre ion, ces molécules offrent un large polymorphisme d'agrégats. Ainsi, nous décrivons dans le glycérol, l'obtention de micelles, de vésicules ou encore de tubes. Ces assemblages présentent la particularité d'être de plus petite taille comparativement à l'eau. Ces systèmes ont ensuite été utilisés dans la formation de phases cristal liquide ou d'émulsions en présence d'hexadécane. Dans une deuxième partie, de manière à développer des procédés catalytiques sélectifs dans le glycérol, nous avons synthétisé des agrotensioactifs dérivés de sucres (aminopolysaccharides). Ces derniers sont capables de (i) contourner la faible solubilité des substrats organiques dans le glycérol et de (ii) limiter la réactivité intrinsèque du glycérol, grâce à la formation de domaines hydrophobes. Dans l'une des réactions modèles étudiées (couplage de Heck), il est possible, par effet de température, de contrôler la sélectivité de la réaction ce qui permet d envisager la synthèse de composés à plus haute valeur ajouté. L'extraction sélective des produits formés dans le glycérol a ensuite été étudiée en utilisant le CO2 supercritique puisque la solubilité du glycérol dans ce solvant est relativement faible.This PhD work deals with the use of glycerol as a green and sustainable solvent. The main objective is to show that glycerol can be used as a solvent first, to obtain supramolecular buildings (cohesive solvent) and emulsions using an organic phase and then, to develop a catalysis in unconventional conditions (high boiling point and low vapour pressure). The first part consists in the study of aggregation properties using fatty acids as surfactants. By changing the nature of the counter-ion, these molecules allow producing various supramolecular assemblies such as micelles, vesicles and even tubes. In glycerol these aggregates show a smaller size compared to water. Those dispersions were then used in the formation of liquid crystal phases and emulsions with hexadecane as the oil component. In a second part, in order to develop selective catalytic processes in glycerol, we have synthesized new sugar-based surfactants. They are capable to (i) circumvent the low solubility of organic substrates in glycerol and (ii) limit the intrinsic reactivity of glycerol through the formation of hydrophobic domains. In one model reactions studied (Heck coupling), it is possible, by a control of temperature, to change the reaction selectivity. This allows us to envisage the synthesis of more valuable products. The selective extraction of the products formed in glycerol has been studied using supercritical CO2 mainly because the glycerol is poorly soluble in this solvent.POITIERS-BU Sciences (861942102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Glycerol and supercritical carbon dioxide : towards greener catalytic processes

Here in this communication, we report that combination of glycerol with scCO2 is a convenient tool for designing highly green catalytic processes. Indeed, as water, glycerol is cheap, abundant and non toxic. However, as compared to water, glycerol is poorly miscible and non reactive with scCO2 offering thus an alternative of choice for overcoming a lot of drawbacks encountered with water and scCO2 Key-words. Glycerol, scCO2, catalysis; green process, Heck couplin

Removing isoflavones from modern soyfood: Why and how?

AbstractEstrogenic isoflavones were found, in the 1940s, to disrupt ewe reproduction and were identified in soy-consumers’ urine in 1982. This led to controversy about their safety, often supported by current Asian diet measurements, but not by historical data. Traditional Asian recipes of soy were tested while assaying soy glycosilated isoflavones. As these compounds are water-soluble, their concentration is reduced by soaking. Pre-cooking or simmering time-dependently reduces the isoflavone:protein ratio in Tofu. Cooking soy-juice for 15 or 60min decreases the isoflavone:protein ratios in Tofu from 6.90 to 3.57 and 1.80, respectively (p<0.001). Traditional Tempeh contains only 18.07% of the original soybean isoflavones (p<0.001). Soy-juice isoflavones were reduced by ultra-filtration (6.54 vs 1.24 isoflavone:protein; p<0.001). Soy-protein and isoflavones are dissociated by water rinsing and prolonged cooking, but these have no equivalent in modern processes. As regards human health, a precise definition of the safety level of isoflavone intake requires additional studies

Characterisation of fatty acid forms using benchtop NMR in omega-3 oil supplements

International audienceAbstract Omega‐3 fatty acid supplements, such as fish oil and plant‐based oils, have gained popularity because of their potential health benefits. However, the quality and composition of these supplements can vary widely, particularly in terms of the two main forms of omega‐3 fatty acids: triacylglycerols (TAGs) and ethyl esters (EEs). TAGs are the natural form found in fish oil but are prone to oxidation, whereas EEs are more stable but less well absorbed by the body. Differentiating between these forms is crucial for assessing the efficacy and tolerance of omega‐3 supplements. This article describes a novel approach to differentiate between TAG and EE forms of omega‐3 fatty acids in dietary supplements, utilizing a 60‐MHz benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. The proposed method using 1 H and 1 H‐ 1 H COSY NMR provides a quick and accurate approach to screen the forms of omega‐3 fatty acids and evaluate their ratios. The presence of diacylglycerol (DAGs) in some supplements was also highlighted by this method and adds some information about the process used (i.e., esterification/enrichment). The affordability and user‐friendliness of benchtop NMR equipment make this method feasible for food processing companies or quality control laboratories. In this study, 24 oil supplements were analyzed using NMR analysis in order to demonstrate the potential of this method for the differentiation of TAG and EE forms in omega‐3 supplements