Conversion of biomass derivatives to high value materials and green solvents for high valuable chemicals

Abstract

Green chemistry is a vast research topic for chemists around the world. The organic chemists are the most privileged for being able to perform reactions that can contemplate different aspects of green chemistry, especially the usage of green solvents. In this case, the deep eutetic solvents are an excellent candidate to be used as green solvents, mainly, when they come from biomass, since this material is a renewable and promising energy, fuel, and high value intermediate source. Thus, the current goal of this project aims two strategical research axis, which main goal is the preparation/reusage of deep eutetic solvents from renewable feedstock to increase value to vegetable and marine biomass and the usage of vegetal and marine biomass derivatives to prepare benzocalcogenazois, benzimidazois and anilines.The first axis aim to prepare the deep eutetic solvent from esterified amino acids and grease acids, aiming to recover them via acid-base extraction. The production of alkylated amines from terpenes that contain an aldehyde is also important to check how polarity of deep eutetic solvents can interfere. Lastly, we will use a lignin model to make deep eutetic solvents. All of these solvents will be used in organic reactions, especially in reactions with organometallic reagents and in cross coupling reactions. In the second axis we aim to perform modifications on the 5-HMF to build benzocalcogenazois that can be used as fluorescent materials and benzimidazois that have potential biological activity. The 3-acetamidafuran, derived from quitine, marine biomass, will be used as a diene in a Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. After some synthetical steps the DA adducts will be used as building blocks for the synthesis of anilines. The model for the synthesis of anilines will then be scaled to a flow reactor, due to the high industrial demand of anilines. We also have the intention to apply our methodology on the synthesis of the pharmaceutical diclofenac through a shorten and safer synthetical route than the commercially available one. This pharmaceutical is of high demand in Brazil and its local production could subtle the excessive dependency of global markets and supply chains, especially at the pharmaceutical and high value chemical sectors, a challenge that was exacerbated after the pandemic of Covid-19. This Project also aims to use the relationship between Prof. Julio Pastre and Prof. Duncan Browne from UCL-UK. It is worth to mention that both groups have collaborated before in a CAPES-PRINT project and that Professor Browne is an associated researcher in the JP-2 fellowship. We highlight that the candidate has great interest in developing part of this research at UCL (requesting a BEPE scholarship at the right moment), and this will contribute to his development as a human resource.