Transition Metal Catalysis in Micellar Media: Much More Than a Simple Green Chemistry Promise

Abstract

Over the past few years, micellar catalysis with transition metal complexes has become a major tool in the hands of synthetic organic chemists and an important ‘green’ technology as it allows the use of water as the reaction medium. The range of reactions in which micellar media can be successfully used is already very wide. The use of micelles can improve the yield, selectivity at all levels (chemo-, regio-, enantio-), reaction conditions, product separation, and catalyst recycling. The surfactant choice is a key issue that, for specific cases, can be optimized with especially designed surfactants and metallo-surfactants. Practical examples provide some metrics demonstrating that micellar catalysis can indeed reduce the E-factor and, in the industrial practice, also improve yields, decrease energy consumption, shorten cycle times, and ultimately production costs. In short, catalysis in micellar media is much ahead of a mere green chemistry promise and can already be considered a profitable industrial opportunity.