A New Green and Efficient Brønsted: Lewis Acidic DES for Pyrrole Synthesis

TLDR: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are fluids composed of different Lewis or Bronsted acids and bases, generally acknowledged as new analogues to ionic liquids (ILs), because of their similar characteristics, but with more advantages related to preparation cost, environmental impact etc as mentioned in this paper.

Abstract: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are fluids composed of different Lewis or Bronsted acids and bases, generally acknowledged as new analogues to ionic liquids (ILs), because of their similar characteristics, but with more advantages related to preparation cost, environmental impact etc. Their preparation involve the simple mixing of two components generally with moderate heating that are inexpensive, non-toxic, biodegradable and the resulting mixture is capable to overcome the drawbacks of conventional organic solvents and ILs. Chemical reactions with these materials are significantly less hazardous and they can act as catalysts as well as reaction media. Here, three new DESs based on ZrOCl2·8H2O in combination with urea, ethylene glycol and glycerol are introduced. Physicochemical properties like phase behaviour, Freezing point, density, viscosity, thermal stability and miscibility properties in common solvents are determined. In addition, a new method for the determination of acidity of DESs having both Bronsted and Lewis sites is also introduced in this work. A convenient synthesis of pyrrole through Paal–Knorr reaction is reported using a variety of amines which are used to establish the importance of this catalyst in organic reactions. The products are analysed by GC–MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. By comparing the three DESs, DES 1 (formed from ZrOCl2·8H2O with urea) has the lowest density, viscosity, highest acidity and thermal stability. It was shown to be an excellent green catalyst for Paal–Knorr reaction. Reusability of the catalyst was also achieved up to 4 runs, without significant loss in its catalytic activity.