Mono- and Bimetallic Aluminum Alkyl, Alkoxide, Halide and Hydride Complexes of a Bulky Conjugated Bis-Guanidinate(CBG) Ligand and Aluminum Alkyls as Precatalysts for Carbonyl Hydroboration

Tetra-aryl-substituted symmetrical conjugated bis-guanidine (CBG) ligands such as L^1-3 (3H) [L(3H) = {(ArHN)(ArHN)C═N-C═NAr(NHAr)}; Ar = 2,6-Me₂-C₆H₃ (L¹(3H)), 2,6-Et₂-C₆H₃ (L²(3H)), and 2,6-ⁱPr₂-C₆H₃ (L³(3H))] have been employed to synthesize a series of four- and six-membered aluminum heterocycles (1-8) for the first time. Generally, aluminum complexes bearing N,N'- chelated guanidinate and β-diketiminate/dipyrromethene ligand systems form four- and six-membered heterocycles, respectively. However, the conjugated bis-guanidine ligand has the capability of forming both four- and six-membered heterocycles possessing multimetal centers within the same molecule; this is due to the presence of three acidic protons, which can be easily deprotonated (at least two protons) upon treatment with metal reagents. Both mono- and dinuclear aluminum alkyls and mononuclear aluminum alkoxide, halide, and hydride complexes have been structurally characterized. Further, we have demonstrated the potential of mononuclear, six-membered CBG aluminum dialkyls in catalytic hydroboration of a broad range of aldehydes and ketones with pinacolborane (HBpin).

A Comparative Study of the Catalytic Behaviour of Alkoxy-1,3,5-Triazapentadiene Copper(II) Complexes in Cyclohexane Oxidation

The mononuclear copper complexes [Cu{NH=C(OR)NC(OR)=NH}2] with alkoxy-1,3,5-triazapentadiene ligands that have different substituents (R = Me (1), Et (2), nPr (3), iPr (4), CH2CH2OCH3 (5)) were prepared, characterized (including the single crystal X-ray analysis of 3) and studied as catalysts in the mild oxidation of alkanes with H2O2 as an oxidant, pyridine as a promoting agent and cyclohexane as a main model substrate. The complex 4 showed the highest activity with a yield of products up to 18.5% and turnover frequency (TOF) up to 41 h−1. Cyclohexyl hydroperoxide was the main reaction product in all cases. Selectivity parameters in the oxidation of substituted cyclohexanes and adamantane disclosed a dominant free radical reaction mechanism with hydroxyl radicals as C–H-attacking species. The main overoxidation product was 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, suggesting the presence of a secondary reaction mechanism of a different type. All complexes undergo gradual alteration of their structures in acetonitrile solutions to produce catalytically-active intermediates, as evidenced by UV/Vis spectroscopy and kinetic studies. Complex 4, having tertiary C–H bonds in its iPr substituents, showed the fastest alteration rate, which can be significantly suppressed by using the CD3CN solvent instead of CH3CN one. The observed process was associated to an autocatalytic oxidation of the alkoxy-1,3,5-triazapentadiene ligand. The deuterated complex 4-d32 was prepared and showed higher stability under the same conditions. The complexes 1 and 4 showed different reactivity in the formation of H218O from 18O2 in acetonitrile solutions.

Synergistic catalytic action of vanadia–titania composites towards the microwave-assisted benzoin oxidation

Application of synergistic effects is among the main ways to boost chemical efficiency.

Peroxidative Oxidation of Alkanes and Alcohols under Mild Conditions by Di- and Tetranuclear Copper (II) Complexes of Bis (2-Hydroxybenzylidene) Isophthalohydrazide

Bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)isophthalohydrazide (H₄L) has been used to synthesize the dinuclear [Cu₂(1κNO²:2κN′O′²-H₂L)(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₂] (1) and the tetranuclear [Cu₄(μ-1κNO²:2κN′O²-H₂L)₂(μ-NO₃)₂(H₂O)₄]·2C₂H₅OH (2) complexes. The solvent plays an important role in determining the ligand behaviour in the syntheses of the complexes. An ethanol-acetonitrile mixture of solvents favours partials enolization in the case of 2. Both complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, infrared radiation (IR), single crystal X-ray crystallography and electrochemical methods. The variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of 2 show strong antiferromagnetic coupling between the central nitrato-bridged Cu (II) ions. The catalytic activity of both 1 and 2 has been screened toward the solvent-free microwave-assisted oxidation of alcohols and the peroxidative oxidation of alkanes under mild conditions. Complex 1 exhibits the highest activity for both oxidation reactions, leading selectively to a maximum product yield of 99% (for the 1-phenylethanol oxidation after 1 h without any additive) and 13% (for the cyclohexane oxidation to cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone after 3 h).

Metal-mediated generation of triazapentadienate-terminated di- and trinuclear μ2-pyrazolate NiIIspecies and control of their nuclearity

Nuclearity control of nickel(ii)–azole systems for the generation of well-defined (azolate)₂Ni^IIspecies.

Mono-, tri- and polynuclear copper(ii) complexes of Schiff-base ligands: synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity towards alcohol oxidation

A mononuclear copper(ii) complex acts as a superior catalyst compared to a tri- or polynuclear complex towards oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes.

Coordination reactions of 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde-phenylhydrazonatolithium with selected transition metal (Zn, Sn, Fe, Co, Ni and Zr) chlorides and its coupling reaction with dichloromethane

The reactions of 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde-phenylhydrazonatolithium C5H4Npy-CH[double bond, length as m-dash]Ni-NaLi(Ph) (abbreviated as Li) with a 1/2 equivalent of anhydrous metal (Zn, Sn, Fe and Co) chlorides or NiCl2(DME) (DME = 1, 2-dimethoxyethane) produced the corresponding mononuclear metal(ii) complexes ( and ), in which each ligand acts as a bidentate ligand and the coordination geometries around the metals are shown to be tetrahedral within the complexes , , and , respectively, and a tetragonal pyramid in the complex . The reaction of Li successively with sodium tert-butoxide and anhydrous ZrCl4 afforded the unanticipated bizirconium complex , in which each monoanionic ligand behaves as a tridentate bridge. Whereas treatment of Li with NiCl2 and then CH2Cl2 led to an interesting methylene-bridged bis(2-pyridyl-phenylhydrazone) compound in moderate yield; a comparative experiment showed that when the Li reacted with CH2Cl2, the coupling compound was also obtained but in very low yield. A plausible mechanism of compound formation was also proposed and supported by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Nickel(ii)-2-amino-4-alkoxy-1,3,5-triazapentadienate complexes as catalysts for Heck and Henry reactions

Nickel(ii)-triazapentadienate complexes are synthesized and found to act as catalysts in the Heck and Henry reactions.

Iron(iii) and cobalt(iii) complexes with both tautomeric (keto and enol) forms of aroylhydrazone ligands: catalysts for the microwave assisted oxidation of alcohols

Aroylhydrazone Fe(iii) and Co(iii) complexes of both keto and enol tautomeric forms of the ligand are reported and shown to catalyze the microwave-assisted solvent-free peroxidative oxidation (by TBHP) of primary and secondary alcohols.

Synthesis, characterization and structure of nickel and copper compounds containing ligands derived from keto-enehydrazines and their catalytic application for aerobic oxidation of alcohols

Ligand precursors HL(R,Ph) (R = Me, Ph) were synthesised by condensation of acetylacetone and the corresponding N,N-substituted hydrazines and were characterised spectroscopically and structurally. Both in the solid state and in solution they behave as (Z)-keto-enehydrazines and this was confirmed by DFT calculations which showed that this form was the most stable of their possible tautomers. The reaction of HL(R,Ph) compounds with copper acetate and nickel acetate in EtOH afforded the corresponding complexes [M(L(R,Ph))2] (M = Cu, Ni; R = Me, Ph). The methyl-substituted derivatives were structurally characterised by X-ray methods. A four-coordinate environment around the metal centre, where the two L(Me,Ph) ligands act as bidentate N,O-chelators and lie in a pseudo-trans conformation, was found for both compounds. The dihedral angle between the two six-membered metallacycles M(L(Me,Ph)) was 0° for nickel, a typical square planar coordination, meanwhile it was 23° for copper, a square planar slightly distorted to pseudotetrahedral coordination. Copper complexes [Cu(L(R,Ph))2] were tested as catalysts, in combination with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl radical), for the aerobic oxidation of 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol as the model reaction. An almost complete conversion to the corresponding aldehyde was observed after 1 h at 60 °C and 1 bar of dioxygen, in toluene as the solvent. Importantly, air at atmospheric pressure was also observed to be appropriate for the oxidation, although longer reaction times were required. After the optimization of the reaction conditions, the study was extended to other alcohol substrates and good catalytic activity was found for benzylic-type alcohols, while low yield was found for 1-octanol.

Bifunctional reactivity of amidoximes observed upon nucleophilic addition to metal-activated nitriles

Treatment of the aromatic nitrile complexes trans-[PtCl2(RC6H4CN)2] (R = p-CF3 NC1, H NC2, o-Cl NC3) with the aryl amidoximes p-R'C6H4C(NH2)=NOH (R' = Me AO1, H AO2, Br AO3, CF3 AO4, NO2 AO5) in all combinations, followed by addition of 1 equiv of AgOTf and then 5 equiv of Et3N, leads to the chelates [PtCl{HN=C(RC6H4)ON=C(C6H4R'-p)NC(RC6H4)═NH}] (1-15; 15 examples; yields 71-88% after column chromatography) derived from the platinum(II)-mediated coupling between metal-activated nitriles and amidoximes. The mechanism of this reaction was studied experimentally by trapping and identification of the reaction intermediates, and it was also investigated theoretically at the DFT level of theory. The combined experimental and theoretical results indicate that the coupling with the nitrile ligands involves both the HON and monodeprotonated NH2 groups of the amidoximes, whereas in the absence of the base, the NH2 functionality is inactive toward the coupling. The observed reaction represents the first example of bifunctional nucleophilic behavior of amidoximes. The complexes 1-16 were characterized by elemental analyses (C, H, N), high-resolution ESI(+)-MS, FTIR, and (1)H NMR techniques, whereas unstable 17 was characterized by HRESI(+)-MS and FTIR. In addition, 8·C4H8O2, 12, and 16·CHCl3 were studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Sulfonated Schiff base copper(ii) complexes as efficient and selective catalysts in alcohol oxidation: syntheses and crystal structures

Alcohol oxidation properties of four copper complexes (2–5) derived from the sulfonated Schiff base H₂L·3H₂O (1) are described. A quantitative conversion of 1-phenylethanol was obtained with 4 within 20 min of low power MW irradiation.

Cyclic six-membered palladium complexes derived from palladium mediated C–N coupling of organonitrile and formamidine

Synthesis and structural characterizations of neutral, cationic and anionic six-membered palladium complexes obtained through palladium mediated C–N bond coupling between organonitrile and formamidinium salt are reported.

Copper Catalysts for Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

Inspired by reactions catalyzed by galactose oxidase, a copper-containing enzyme, extensive studies were carried out on copper-based catalysts for alcohol oxidation using O2 as the terminal oxidant. Significant advances have been made towards the development of homogeneous and heterogeneous copper catalysts. These advances over the past decades are reviewed.

Practical aerobic oxidations of alcohols and amines with homogeneous copper/TEMPO and related catalyst systems

Oxidations of alcohols and amines are common reactions in the synthesis of organic molecules in the laboratory and industry. Aerobic oxidation methods have long been sought for these transformations, but few practical methods exist that offer advantages over traditional oxidation methods. Recently developed homogeneous Cu/TEMPO (TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-N-oxyl) and related catalyst systems appear to fill this void. The reactions exhibit high levels of chemoselectivity and broad functional-group tolerance, and they often operate efficiently at room temperature with ambient air as the oxidant. These advances, together with their historical context and recent applications, are highlighted in this Minireview.

Copper-organic frameworks assembled from in situ generated 5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazole building blocks: synthesis, structural features, topological analysis and catalytic oxidation of alcohols

Two new metal-organic compounds {[Cu3(μ3-4-ptz)4(μ2-N3)2(DMF)2](DMF)2}n (1) and {[Cu(4-ptz)2(H2O)2]}n (2) {4-ptz = 5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazolate} with 3D and 2D coordination networks, respectively, have been synthesized while studying the effect of reaction conditions on the coordination modes of 4-pytz by employing the [2 + 3] cycloaddition as a tool for generating in situ the 5-substituted tetrazole ligands from 4-pyridinecarbonitrile and NaN3 in the presence of a copper(ii) salt. The obtained compounds have been structurally characterized and the topological analysis of 1 discloses a topologically unique trinodal 3,5,6-connected 3D network which, upon further simplification, results in a uninodal 8-connected underlying net with the bcu (body centred cubic) topology driven by the [Cu3(μ2-N3)2] cluster nodes and μ3-4-ptz linkers. In contrast, the 2D metal-organic network in 2 has been classified as a uninodal 4-connected underlying net with the sql [Shubnikov tetragonal plane net] topology assembled from the Cu nodes and μ2-4-ptz linkers. The catalytic investigations disclosed that 1 and 2 act as active catalyst precursors towards the microwave-assisted homogeneous oxidation of secondary alcohols (1-phenylethanol, cyclohexanol, 2-hexanol, 3-hexanol, 2-octanol and 3-octanol) with tert-butylhydroperoxide, leading to the yields of the corresponding ketones up to 86% (TOF = 430 h(-1)) and 58% (TOF = 290 h(-1)) in the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol and cyclohexanol, respectively, after 1 h under low power (10 W) microwave irradiation, and in the absence of any added solvent or additive.