A fresh look into VO(salen) chemistry: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry and crystal structure of [VO(salen)(H2O)]Br·0.5 CH3CN

Vanadium(IV) Complexes with Methyl-Substituted 8-Hydroxyquinolines: Catalytic Potential in the Oxidation of Hydrocarbons and Alcohols with Peroxides and Biological Activity

Methyl-substituted 8-hydroxyquinolines (Hquin) were successfully used to synthetize five-coordinated oxovanadium(IV) complexes: [VO(2,6-(Me)₂-quin)₂] (1), [VO(2,5-(Me)₂-quin)₂] (2) and [VO(2-Me-quin)₂] (3). Complexes 1-3 demonstrated high catalytic activity in the oxidation of hydrocarbons with H₂O₂ in acetonitrile at 50 °C, in the presence of 2-pyrazinecarboxylic acid (PCA) as a cocatalyst. The maximum yield of cyclohexane oxidation products attained was 48%, which is high in the case of the oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons. The reaction leads to the formation of a mixture of cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. When triphenylphosphine is added, cyclohexyl hydroperoxide is completely converted to cyclohexanol. Consideration of the regio- and bond-selectivity in the oxidation of n-heptane and methylcyclohexane, respectively, indicates that the oxidation proceeds with the participation of free hydroxyl radicals. The complexes show moderate activity in the oxidation of alcohols. Complexes 1 and 2 reduce the viability of colorectal (HCT116) and ovarian (A2780) carcinoma cell lines and of normal dermal fibroblasts without showing a specific selectivity for cancer cell lines. Complex 3 on the other hand, shows a higher cytotoxicity in a colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT116), a lower cytotoxicity towards normal dermal fibroblasts and no effect in an ovarian carcinoma cell line (order of magnitude HCT116 > fibroblasts > A2780).

A Novel ZnII Complex Bearing Two Monodentate (4-Methoxyphenyl)[(1E, 2E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-ilidene] Schiff Bases: Crystal Structure and DFT Study

A novel ZnII complex bearing two monodentate (4-methoxyphenyl)[(1E, 2E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-ilidene] Schiff bases was synthesized and investigated both in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and FTIR and in solution by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The complex crystallizes in the P21/c monoclinic space group. The asymmetric unit contains one ZnII ion coordinated to two Schiff base ligands and two chloride ions, in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The title complex was also investigated by DFT, using the hybrid functional B3LYP with basis set 6-31G++, which reproduced the geometry and structural features of the complex in the crystal, and was used to assign the main bands in the FTIR spectrum. In solution, the complex maintains its integrity against decomposition to the parent reagents.

Donor atom electrochemical contribution to redox potentials of square pyramidal vanadyl complexes

A simple donor atom additivity relationship has been used to calculate the donor atom electrochemical contribution (DEC) of the Oac (acetylacetonate-enolic oxygen), OPh (phenolic oxygen), SPh (mercaptophenol sulfur), Nam (deprotonate amide nitrogen), Nim (imine nitrogen) and Npy (pyridine nitrogen) to the redox processes of the square pyramidal vanadyl complexes. The study focuses on the amidate vanadyl complexes because of (a) their biological interest and (b) the existence of data from plethora complexes studied in great details. The electrochemical contributions for the vanadyl oxidation and reduction processes increase following the same order, OPh~Oac(enolic)<SPh~Nam<Nim<Npy. These values predict the electrochemical potentials of square pyramidal vanadyl complexes with high accuracy. Octahedral complexes with the same equatorial environment show significant shift of the oxidation potentials to lower values. The DEC influence to the square pyramidal vanadyls' electrochemical potentials has been evaluated.

Conversion of CO2into Cyclic Carbonates in the Presence of Metal Complexes as Catalysts

The sterically hindered salicylaldimine ligands N,N‘-(1,5-diaminonaphthalene)-3,5-but2-salicylaldimine (L1), N,N‘-(2,7-diaminofluaren)-3,5-but2-salicylaldimine (L2) and N,N‘-(1,8-diaminonaphthaline)-3,5-but2-salicylaldimine (L3) have been synthesised by the condensation of 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, 2,7-diaminofluarene, and 1,8-diaminonaphthaline with 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde, respectively. Dinuclear M(II) complexes of L1and L2and mononuclear M(II) complexes of L3have been prepared using Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II) salts and characterised. The synthesised sterically-hindered, salen-type complexes were tested as catalysts for the formation of cyclic carbonates from CO2and liquid epoxides (propylene oxide, epichlorohydrine, 1,2-epoxybutane and styrene oxide), which served as both reactant and solvent. Ligand structure and the type of metal centre have a marked influence on the catalytic activity. Mn(II) complexes showed the highest catalytic activity.

Electronic Properties, Redox Behavior, and Interactions with H2O2 of pH-Sensitive Hydroxyphenyl-1,2,4-triazole-Based Oxovanadium(V) Complexes

The syntheses and spectroscopic characterization of two 1,2,4-triazole-based oxovanadium(V) complexes are reported: 1- [VO2L1]- and 2 [(VOL2)2(OMe)2] (where H2L1 = 3-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(pyridin-2' '-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole, H3L2 = bis-3,5-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole). The ligand environment (N,N,O vs O,N,O) is found to have a profound influence on the properties and reactivity of the complexes formed. The presence of the triazolato ligand allows for pH tuning of the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties, as well as the interaction and stability of the complexes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The vanadium(IV) oxidation states were generated electrochemically and characterized by UV-vis and EPR spectroscopies. For 2, under acidic conditions, rapid exchange of the methoxide ligands with solvent [in particular, in the vanadium(IV) redox state] was observed.