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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Silica-Supported Silver Nitrate as a Highly Active Dearomatizing Spirocyclization Catalyst: Synergistic Alkyne
Aimee K Clarke1, Michael J James1, Peter O'Brien1
1University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
Abstract:
Silica-supported AgNO3 (AgNO3 -SiO2 ) catalyzes the dearomatizing spirocyclization of alkyne-tethered aromatics far more effectively than the analogous unsupported reagent; in many cases, reactions which fail using unsupported AgNO3 proceed effectively with AgNO3 -SiO2 . Mechanistic studies indicate that this is a consequence of silver nanoparticle formation on the silica surface combined with a synergistic effect caused by the silica support itself. The remarkable ease with which the reagent can be prepared and used is likely to be of much synthetic importance, in particular, by making nanoparticle catalysis more accessible to non-specialists.
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