• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2015

BEA-zeolite was modified by alkaline solution to introduce mesoporosity in the crystals and the homogeneous chiral Co(III) salen was immobilized in the mesopores. The dinuclear chiral Co(salen)-$GaCl_3$ catalyst immobilized on mesoporous BEA-zeolite showed high activity for the regioselective ring opening of terminal epoxides by carboxylic acids. Various chiral monoester derivatives could be synthesized with moderate enantioselectivity (47~69 ee%) from racemic epoxides through above reaction. When the chiral (S)-ECH was used as a reactant, it was efficiently resolved by carboxylic acid with a high enantioselectivity in the presence of heterogenized chiral salen catalyst, and the ring opened product afforded optically pure monoester epoxide (R)-GB (up to 98 ee%) through the ring closing in the basic solution by elimination of HCl. The heterogeneous catalyst could be fabricated easily, and the catalytic activity was retained for several times reuse without any further regeneration step.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.365-370
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• 2019

In this study, effects of the ultrasonic irradiation during the reaction process were investigated for the enantioselective kinetic resolution (EKR) reaction of racemic epoxides in the presence of chiral cobalt salen catalysts, as compared to that of using the conventional mechanical stirring. In order to compare catalytic activities, the chiral cobalt salen complexes having $AlCl_3-$, $BF_3-$ and nitrobenzenesulfonic acid (NBSA) were synthesized and used as catalysts, and then three kinds of the racemic epoxides such as ephichlorohydrine (ECH), epoxy phenoxypropane (EPP) and propylene oxide (PO) were used as reactants. In addition, EKR reactions have been performed using the water and methanol as nucleophiles, respectively. The unique contribution of ultrasonic irradiation as a powerful mixing medium was evaluated in this study to improve the kinetics in comparison to the conventional mechanical agitation during EKR reactions. The reaction time to obtain the highest 99 ee% became shorten more than that of above 60%, when the ultrasonic irradiation was used. This result may be interpreted by the cavitation effect of ultrasound in the solution, generating a powerful shear force for the very violent mixing.