Synthesis of new boron complexes: application to transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives

Bidentate Donor-Functionalized N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Valuable Ligands for Ruthenium-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation

Ruthenium complexes are by far the most studied compounds that catalyze hydrogen transfer reactions. In this review, we describe the use in this field of ruthenium complexes bearing bidentate donor-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. The review specifically covers the application in transfer hydrogenations of (κ²-C_NHC,Y)-ruthenacyclic compounds where the Y donor atom is a N, P, O, or S atom, and where the N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is a classical imidazol-2-ylidene, a benzimidazol-2-ylidene, a mesoionic 1,2,3-triazolylidene, or an imidazol-4-ylidene ligand. Tridentate donor-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene complexes thus fall outside the scope of the review. Applications in (asymmetric) transfer hydrogenation of ketones, aldehydes, imines, alkenes, and nitrobenzene are discussed.

The construction of novel and efficient hafnium catalysts using naturally existing tannic acid for Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction

The conversion of carbonyl compounds into alcohols or their derivatives via the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) process known as Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction is an important reaction in the reaction chain involved in biomass transformation. The rational design of efficient catalysts using natural and renewable materials is critical for decreasing the catalyst cost and for the sustainable supply of raw materials during catalyst preparation. In this study, a novel hafnium-based catalyst was constructed using naturally existing tannic acid as the ligand. The prepared hafnium-tannic acid (Hf-TA) catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetry (TG). Hf-TA was applied in the conversion of furfuraldehyde (FD) to furfuryl alcohol (FA) using isopropanol (2-PrOH) as both the reaction solvent and the hydrogen source. Both preparation conditions and the effects of the reaction parameters on the performance of the catalyst were studied. Under the relatively mild reaction conditions of 70 °C and 3 h, FD (1 mmol) could be converted into FA with a high yield of 99.0%. In addition, the Hf-TA catalyst could be reused at least ten times without a notable decrease in activity and selectivity, indicating its excellent stability. It was proved that Hf-TA could also catalyze the conversion of various carbonyl compounds with different structures. The high efficiency, natural occurrence of tannic acid, and facile preparation process make Hf-TA a potential catalyst for applications in the biomass conversion field.

Some boron compounds of semicarbazones: antimicrobial activity and precursor for the sol–gel transformation to nanosized boron oxide

Biologically active boron Schiff base compounds: precursors for the low temperature synthesis of B₂O₃ and B₇O.

Ruthenium(ii) complexes of hemilabile pincer ligands: synthesis and catalysing the transfer hydrogenation of ketones

A series of hemilabile NHC Ru(ii) complexes were synthesised and assessed for their catalytic activity for transfer hydrogenation reactions.

The synthesis of boronic-imine structured compounds and identification of their anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

Boronic acid compounds with different substituted groups were handled to synthesize various ligands encoded as B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7 and B8. B5 and B7 were tested for the cytotoxic activity against the prostate cancer cells and it was found that the cell viability of cancer cells was decreased while most of the healthy cells could still be viable. 5 µM solutions of B5 and B7 decreased the cell viability to 33% and 44% whereas healthy cells were 71% and 95%, respectively, after treatment. Antimicrobial properties were explored against the bacterial and fungal microorganisms with B1, B5 and B7. The inhibition zones were evaluated for all boronic structures, and the growth inhibition zones were determined in a range of 7–13 mm diameter for different microorganism species. Staphylococcus aureus was the common microorganism that three boronic compounds with imine ligands showed the activity. Antioxidant features of B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7 and B8 were investigated by different processes such as Beta-carotene bleaching (BCB), 2,2-diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and CUPric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) methods. Significant antioxidant activity was achieved by the phenyl boronic based ligands and these compounds demonstrated as much activity as standards (α-Toc and BHT). In addition, all structures were applied properly without any decomposition during the experiments. They were rather stable both in aqueous media and solid state.

Synthesis, spectroscopic and catalytic properties of some new boron hybrid molecule derivatives by BF2 and BPh2 chelation

A new series of Schiff base ligands (L1-L3) and their corresponding fluorine/phenyl boron hybrid complexes [LnBF2] and [LnBPh2] (n=1, 2 or 3) have been synthesized and well characterized by both analytical and spectroscopic methods. The Schiff base ligands and their corresponding fluorine/phenyl boron hybrid complexes have been characterized by NMR ((1)H, (13)C and (19)F), FT-IR, UV-Vis, LC-MS, and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as melting point and elemental analysis. The fluorescence efficiencies of phenyl chelate complexes are greatly red-shifted compared to those of the fluorine chelate analogs based on the same ligands, presumably due to the large steric hindrance and hard π→π(∗) transition of the diphenyl boron chelation, which can effectively prevent molecular aggregation. The boron hybrid complexes were applied to the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives to 1-phenylethanol derivatives in the presence of 2-propanol as the hydrogen source. The catalytic studies showed that boron hybrid complexes are good catalytic precursors for transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in 0.1M iso-PrOH solution. Also, we have found that both steric and electronic factors have a significant impact on the catalytic properties of this class of molecules.