The facile preparation and structural characterization of two new isostructural 2D coordination polymers, {[M 2 (bbit) 3 Cl 2 ][MCl 4 ]} n [where M = Zn and Cd; bbit = 1,1-bis (3-methyl-4-imidazoline-2-thione) butane]

Catalytically active coordination polymer with a tiny Zn2Se2 ring bridged by bis-selone

The unprecedented architecture of a one-dimensional coordination polymer with a tiny Zn₂Se₂ ring system incorporated in the hydrogen-bonded array has been prepared, where the di-selone ligand functions as a unique neutral bridging ligand. The coordination polymer shows excellent catalytic activity in substituted 8-hydroxy-2-quinolinyl synthesis through Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Synthesis, crystal structure and biological properties of Cd and Zn coordination polymers based on a flexible tripodal ligand

Two new coordination polymers, namely poly[[hexathiocyanatotetrakis{μ3-2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3,5-tris[(triazol-1-yl)methyl]benzene}tricadmium(II)] 3.5-hydrate], {[Cd3(SCN)6(C18H21N9)4]·3.5H2O} n (1), and poly[[hexathiocyanatotetrakis{μ3-2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3,5-tris[(triazol-1-yl)methyl]benzene}trizinc(II)] 3.5-hydrate], {[Zn3(SCN)6(C18H21N9)4]·3.5H2O} n (2), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. From the X-ray analysis, it is noteworthy that polymers 1 and 2 are isostructural, with their three-dimensional structures composed of three kinds of four-connection metal ions and two kinds of three-connection 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3,5-tris[(triazol-1-yl)methyl]benzene (TTTMB) ligand nodes. Each metal ion is six-coordinated in a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. The antioxidant activity against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and the antidiabetic activity against α-amylase of the synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro. The results of the DPPH free-radical scavenging assay showed that polymers 1 and 2 exhibited strong antioxidant effects, with IC50 values of 3.81 and 2.56 mg ml−1, respectively. The IC50 value in the antidiabetic studies of polymer 1 was 3.94 mg ml−1, while polymer 2 exhibited no antidiabetic activity. Polymers 1 and 2 revealed different inhibitory activities on DPPH and α-amylase, which indicated that the metal ions play important roles in the biological activity of coordination polymers. In addition, the solid-state photoluminescence properties and thermal stability of 1 and 2 have been investigated.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Adducts of Main Group Elements and Their Use as Ligands in Transition Metal Chemistry

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are nowadays ubiquitous and indispensable in many research fields, and it is not possible to imagine modern transition metal and main group element chemistry without the plethora of available NHCs with tailor-made electronic and steric properties. While their suitability to act as strong ligands toward transition metals has led to numerous applications of NHC complexes in homogeneous catalysis, their strong σ-donating and adaptable π-accepting abilities have also contributed to an impressive vitalization of main group chemistry with the isolation and characterization of NHC adducts of almost any element. Formally, NHC coordination to Lewis acids affords a transfer of nucleophilicity from the carbene carbon atom to the attached exocyclic moiety, and low-valent and low-coordinate adducts of the p-block elements with available lone pairs and/or polarized carbon-element π-bonds are able to act themselves as Lewis basic donor ligands toward transition metals. Accordingly, the availability of a large number of novel NHC adducts has not only produced new varieties of already existing ligand classes but has also allowed establishment of numerous complexes with unusual and often unprecedented element-metal bonds. This review aims at summarizing this development comprehensively and covers the usage of N-heterocyclic carbene adducts of the p-block elements as ligands in transition metal chemistry.