Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.3
3.9
Journals
Catalysts
Special Issues
10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of...
share announcement

10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalysis for Pharmaceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 12191

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andres R. Alcantara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, Plaza De Ramon y Cajal, S/N University City, Madrid, Spain
Interests: enzymatic synthesis of drugs and bioactive compounds; sustainable processes; biocatalyst upgrading; pharmaceutical industry; organic chemistry; pharmaceutical chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Catalysis has become gradually more significant in the pharmaceutical industry, as this technology facilitates the development of efficient and environmentally friendly processes. Many compounds used as APIs are complex and multifunctional molecules, whose synthesis usually requires a sequence of several chemical steps; in this scenario, Catalysis is pivotal for the selective transformation of a functional group of a given molecule into a new one, to prepare the starting material for the next synthetic step. This is why the inherent benefits of catalysts (chemo-, regio- and/or stereoselectivity) are of primary interest. Remarkably, catalysis is included in the twelve principles of Green Chemistry, as long as catalysed transformations reduce the generation of waste and increase the yield of the desired product, with a concomitant decrease in reaction time and use of energy. This fact is especially desirable when scaling reactions up to (semi)industrial levels.

In this context, a new section, “Catalyst for Pharmaceuticals”, has been launched to cover multiple aspects dealing with the use of different catalysts (chemical- and metal-based, organocatalysis, biocatalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, etc.) for the preparation of APIs and biologically active molecules.

This initial issue, also celebrating the 10th anniversary of Catalysts, is meant to gather contributions from EMBs and senior experts in the different research areas involving catalysis in the design, synthesis or analysis of pharmaceuticals. Therefore, on behalf of all EMBs, it is a great honor and pleasure to invite you to contribute a review article or an original research paper for peer review and possible publication in this initial issue of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals.

Prof. Dr. Andres R. Alcantara
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • APIs
  • biologically active molecules
  • organocatalysis
  • biocatalysis, asymmetrical catalysis
  • flow catalysis
  • electrocatalysis
  • photocatalysis
  • nanocatalysis
  • sustainable processes

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

5 pages, 204 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue Entitled “10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals”
by Andrés R. Alcántara
Catalysts 2024, 14(3), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14030161 - 22 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1005
Abstract
The worldwide market for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is currently in a favourable condition [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

15 pages, 2616 KiB  
Article
Enzymatic Synthesis of Thymol Octanoate, a Promising Hybrid Molecule
by Daniel Alberto Sánchez, Gabriela Marta Tonetto and María Luján Ferreira
Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030473 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1506
Abstract
Interest in the synthesis and application of thymol esters has increased in recent years due to the numerous applications associated with its biological activities. The enzymatic synthesis of thymol octanoate by esterification of thymol and octanoic acid was explored using soluble lipases and [...] Read more.
Interest in the synthesis and application of thymol esters has increased in recent years due to the numerous applications associated with its biological activities. The enzymatic synthesis of thymol octanoate by esterification of thymol and octanoic acid was explored using soluble lipases and immobilized lipase biocatalysts in solvent-free systems. Candida antarctica lipase B in its soluble form was the most active biocatalyst for this reaction. Different thymol and lipase feeding strategies were evaluated to maximize thymol octanoate production. The results suggest that there could be lipase inhibition by the ester product of the reaction. In this way, the optimal reaction condition was given using a thymol/acid molar ratio of 1:4 mol/mol. Under these conditions the conversion of thymol was close to 94% and the lipase maintained more than 90% of its initial activity after the reaction, showing the potential of the enzyme to be used in successive reaction cycles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1831 KiB  
Article
On the Use of Orthoformates as an Efficient Approach to Enhance the Enzymatic Enantioselective Synthesis of (S)-Ibuprofen
by Oussama Khiari, Nassima Bouzemi, José María Sánchez-Montero and Andrés R. Alcántara
Catalysts 2023, 13(2), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020251 - 22 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1651
Abstract
In this paper, we describe the effectiveness of the combination between an organic solvent system mixture with orthoformates with different chain sizes from one to four carbon atoms. These orthoesters have been used as a “water trapper/alcohol releaser molecule” to reach a notable [...] Read more.
In this paper, we describe the effectiveness of the combination between an organic solvent system mixture with orthoformates with different chain sizes from one to four carbon atoms. These orthoesters have been used as a “water trapper/alcohol releaser molecule” to reach a notable improvement in enantioselectivity and enantiomeric excess of our target compound, (S)-2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid (ibuprofen eutomer), during the enzymatic kinetic resolution of rac-ibuprofen using immobilized lipase B of Candida antarctica as a biocatalyst. At the same time, one of the great problems of biocatalysis in organic media has been solved by eliminating excess water in the medium that allows the reversibility of the reaction. Following the optimization of the reaction conditions, an increase in enantiomeric excess and enantioselectivity was reached by using these acyl donors in the presence of a cosolvent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 24519 KiB  
Article
A Brønsted Acidic Deep Eutectic Solvent for N-Boc Deprotection
by Debora Procopio, Carlo Siciliano, Roberta De Rose, Sonia Trombino, Roberta Cassano and Maria Luisa Di Gioia
Catalysts 2022, 12(11), 1480; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12111480 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3541
Abstract
The tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) group is one of the most widely used amine-protecting groups in multistep reactions in synthetic organic chemistry as well as in peptide synthesis. Traditional methods to remove the Boc group have disadvantages in terms of high acidity, the use of [...] Read more.
The tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) group is one of the most widely used amine-protecting groups in multistep reactions in synthetic organic chemistry as well as in peptide synthesis. Traditional methods to remove the Boc group have disadvantages in terms of high acidity, the use of expensive reagents, excessive amounts of catalysts and harmful solvents as well as high temperatures, making them environmentally unsustainable. Therefore, more efforts must be stepwise tightened to make Boc removal practical, clean, and minimize any potential impact. We describe an efficient and sustainable method for N-Boc deprotection by means of a choline chloride/p-toluenesulfonic acid deep eutectic solvent (DES), which is used as a reaction medium plus catalyst. The adopted conditions allow the deprotection of a wide variety of N-Boc derivatives in excellent yields. The strategy has found advantages in greening, simplicity, and short reaction times, resulting in a useful alternative to standard methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 9886 KiB  
Article
Covalent Modification of Iron Phthalocyanine into Skeleton of Graphitic Carbon Nitride and Its Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitroaromatic Compounds
by Jiajia Qian, Ying Liu, Weiran Zheng, Baocheng Zhou and Xiaoping Dong
Catalysts 2022, 12(7), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12070752 - 07 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1734
Abstract
It is of great urgency to eliminate nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) in wastewater due to their high residue and toxicity. Photocatalysis reduction is considered to be an efficient technology for converting NACs to their corresponding aromatic amines. In this work, a visible-light-driven hybrid photocatalyst [...] Read more.
It is of great urgency to eliminate nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) in wastewater due to their high residue and toxicity. Photocatalysis reduction is considered to be an efficient technology for converting NACs to their corresponding aromatic amines. In this work, a visible-light-driven hybrid photocatalyst was synthesized by covalently doping Fe phthalocyanine (FePc) into graphitic carbon nitride skeleton. Compared to the pristine gCN, the optimized gCN-FePc-1 photocatalyst showed enhanced absorption in visible light region, which promoted photogenerated charge transfer and separation. Using p-nitrophenol (p-NP) as the model pollutant, the CN-FePc-1 effectively reduced it to p-aminophenol (p-AP), with the photocatalytic reaction rate being 18 and 3 times higher, respectively, than those of the pristine gCN and the mechanically mixed photocatalyst of gCN/FePc. Moreover, excellent photocatalytic universality for other NACs, high stability, and good reusability also were confirmed. Based on the band structure of the gCN-FePc-1 photocatalyst, a plausible mechanism was proposed to illustrate the photocatalytic reduction process of p-NP to p-AP. This study demonstrates that the covalent modification of FePc into gCN skeleton is an effective strategy to modulate the electronic structure, and the hybrid gCN-FePc is a potential visible-light-driven photocatalyst that potentially can be used for eliminating NAC contamination in wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

17 pages, 21074 KiB  
Review
Green Oxidative Catalytic Processes for the Preparation of APIs and Precursors
by Pedro D. García-Fernández, Juan M. Coto-Cid and Gonzalo de Gonzalo
Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030638 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2105
Abstract
Asymmetric oxidation processes have constituted a valuable tool for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), especially for the preparation of optically active sulfoxides, compounds with interesting biological properties. Classical approaches for these oxidative procedures usually require the application of non-sustainable conditions that [...] Read more.
Asymmetric oxidation processes have constituted a valuable tool for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), especially for the preparation of optically active sulfoxides, compounds with interesting biological properties. Classical approaches for these oxidative procedures usually require the application of non-sustainable conditions that employ hazardous reagents and solvents. In the last decades, chemists have tried to combine the preparation of valuable compounds of high yields and selectivities with the development of more sustainable protocols. To achieve this objective, greener solvents, reagents, and catalysts are employed, together with the use of novel chemical techniques such as flow catalysis or photocatalysis. The last efforts in the development of greener approaches for the preparation of APIs and their intermediates using oxidative procedure will be reviewed herein. Most of these approaches refer to biocatalytic methods, in which mild reaction conditions and reagents are employed, but other novel techniques such as photocatalysis will be described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Recent Advances in the Use of Catalysts for Pharmaceuticals)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop