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Stimuli responsive porous materials are being investigated for a plethora of potential applications. These materials have the ability to respond to their physical and chemical environment and thus provide an...

Two major challenges facing chemical synthesis are product isolation and catalyst recovery. One method to overcome these challenges is to perform the synthesis in a flow system with a catalytic stationary phase. However, the polymeric catalytic materials used in flow systems are often laborious to produce. In this study, we investigate a novel supramolecular gel as a catalytic stationary phase material. The gel is based on a modular, easy to synthesize, oxotriphenylhexanoate (OTHO) gelator comprised of a catalytic unit designed to catalyze the Knoevenagel reaction. The catalytic organogel enhances the rate of product formation and can be reused five times. Use of the OTHO to construct catalytic gels is a flexible technique that can be utilized to improve product isolation and reduce wastage of the catalyst.

Serendipity still plays a role in gel discovery as the prediction of gel formation is difficult. This work explores the role of ligand, metal salt, solvent, and temperature in the formation of a low molecular mass carboxylate iron(iii) system. The influence of each component is discussed. The gels obtained were characterised using thermal analysis, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, elemental analysis, microwave plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The response to external stimuli, including dye and gas sorption was examined.

A catalyst-free, stereoselective visible-light-driven annulation reaction between alkenes and N , N -substituted dialkyl anilines for the synthesis of substituted tetrahydroquinolines is presented. The reaction is driven by the photoexcitation of an electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex, and the resulting products are obtained in good to high yields with complete diastereoselectivity. Mechanistic rationale and photochemical characterization of the EDA-complex are provided.