Recent advances in the synthesis of zirconium complexes and their catalytic applications

Green procedures for synthesizing potential hNMDA receptor allosteric modulators through reduction and one-pot reductive acetylation of nitro(hetero)arenes using a superparamagnetic Fe3O4@APTMS@Cp2ZrCl x (x = 0, 1, 2) nanocatalyst

The conversion of nitro(hetero)arenes to corresponding (hetero)aryl amines and other practical organic compounds plays a crucial role in various sciences, especially environmental remediation and public health. In the current research work, diverse green and efficient strategies for the convenient reduction (hydrogenation) and one-pot two-step reductive acetylation of nitro(hetero)arenes using a core-shell-type mesoporous zirconocene-containing magnetically recoverable nanocomposite (viz. Fe3O4@APTMS@Cp2ZrCl x (x = 0, 1, 2)) as a powerful nanocatalytic system have been developed. In the presented organic transformations, the superparamagnetic Fe3O4@APTMS@Cp2ZrCl x (x = 0, 1, 2) nanocomposite exhibited satisfactory turnover numbers (TONs) and turnover frequencies (TOFs), along with acceptable reusability. On the other hand, we investigated the potential biological effect of the synthesized (hetero)aryl amines and N-(hetero)aryl acetamides against the transmembrane domain (TMD) of the human N-methyl-d-aspartate (hNMDA) receptor based on molecular docking studies. Furthermore, the drug-likeness properties of our hit compound (viz. N-(3-(1-hydroxyethyl)phenyl)acetamide) have been scrutinized by in silico ADMET analyses.

Advances in High-Temperature Non-Metallocene Catalysts for Polyolefin Elastomers

Despite the great successes achieved by metallocene catalysts in high-value-added polyolefin elastomer, the challenging preparation conditions and undesirable high-temperature molecular weight capabilities have compromised the efficiency and cost of polyolefin in industrial production. Recently, non-metallocene catalysts have received considerable attention due to their high thermostability, especially when coordinated with early transition metals. This review provides an overview of these early transition metal non-metallocene catalysts, which are mainly composed of N,N'-, N,O-, and N,S-bidentate complexes and tridentate complexes. The structural characteristics, catalytic performance, advantages, and disadvantages of the relevant non-metallocene catalysts, as well as their applications, are discussed. Candidates for commercialization of non-metallocene catalysts are proposed-focusing on imine-enamine, amino-quinoline, and pyridine-imine catalysts-by comparing the successful industrialization cases of metallocene catalysts. Finally, the trend in the research on non-metallocene catalysts and the strategies to address the challenges limiting their commercialization are considered.

Mono- and dinuclear zirconocene(iv) amide complexes for the catalytic dehydropolymerisation of phenylsilane

Mono- and dinuclear zirconocene amide complexes were tested as catalysts for the dehydropolymerisation of phenylsilane. The dinuclear complex is surprisingly stable, producing mixtures of polysilanes and cyclic oligomers.