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A novel class of heterogeneous gold catalysts supported on zeolite beta-NH4+ was prepared by the deposition-precipitation method. This new class of catalyst showed interesting catalytic activities for the intramolecular cycloisomerization of gamma-acetylenic carboxylic acids leading to functionalized gamma-alkylidene gamma-butyrolactones. Analysis of the supported gold species with in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (in situ XPS) suggests that cationic Au (possibly AuIII) can play an important role in such reactions. The high discrepancy in catalyst stability in favor of the Au supported on the zeolite system over bulk Au2O3 is explained by 1) the size of the particles and 2) the reversibility of the redox deactivating process (AuIII-->AuI) in the presence of oxygen for the supported system. The efficiency of this system allowed reaction under mild heterogeneous conditions. The potential for catalyst recycling was also highlighted.

The design of a new class of fluorophores is presented. Some push-pull chromophores (D-pi-A) containing polyphenylethynyl units and a phosphane oxide moiety were efficiently prepared from common intermediates. Straightforward syntheses gave novel one-armed, rod-shaped and three-armed, star-shaped fluorophores. The optical properties of the resulting star-shaped derivatives were evaluated, showed high fluorescence quantum yields, and their excitation induces very efficient charge redistribution. Moreover, thanks to their push-pull character, the molecules exhibited significant second-order NLO properties with good transparency, up to 67x10(-30) esu at 1907 nm, with an absorption lambdamax at 369 nm. The effect of the donor group and of the number of phenylethynyl arms have been studied in this work.

MeO-NAPhePHOS represents the first example of a new series of atropisomeric diphosphines bearing heterotopic biaryl moieties. The key step of its synthesis is the diastereoselective, intramolecular, Cu(I)-promoted coupling of 1-iodonaphthol and 2-iodo-3-methoxyphenol connected by a chiral tether. (R,R)-2,4-Pentanediol is used as the chiral auxiliary in this highly selective reaction that leads to a single enantiomer of the title diphosphine. In the Ru-promoted hydrogenations of carbonyl derivatives, NAPhePHOS affords enantioselectivity levels fully comparable to those of the C(2)-symmetrical analogues, BINAP and MeO-BIPHEP respectively, thus showing that the lack of C(2) symmetry is not detrimental to the catalytic properties of atropisomeric ligands in these hydrogenation reactions.