Mesitylcopper reacts with flavonol (flaH) in the presence of 1,3-bis(2-pyridylimino)isoindoline (indH) to yield the diamagnetic complex CuI(fla)(indH), which on reaction with molecular oxygen undergoes oxidative splitting of the C2-C3 bond of the pyranone ring of the flavonolate ligand to give CuI(indH)(O-bs) (O-bs = O-benzoylsalicylate) (orthorhombic, P1, a = 8.048(7) A, b = 8.969(9) A, c = 19.240(2) A, alpha = 85.69 degrees, beta = 80.24(7) degrees, gamma = 77.87(7) degrees, V = 1337(2) A3, Z = 2) and carbon monoxide. The reaction of [CuI(CH3CN)4]ClO4, flaH, and indH with dioxygen at room temperature affords the paramagnetic complex [CuII(fla)(indH)]ClO4 (mu = 2.10 mu B), and after elimination of HClO4, CuII(fla)(ind) (orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 8.888(2) A, b = 19.169(7) A, c = 33.614(10) A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees, V = 5727(3) A3, Z = 8) with mu = 1.86 mu B is formed. The latter undergoes cleavage of the pyranone ring on oxygenation at 80 degrees C to give CuII(ind)(O-bs) (mu = 1.87 mu B, nu(CO) = 1742 cm-1, and nu(CO2) = 1581, 1387 cm-1) and carbon monoxide. CuII(fla)(ind) and [CuII(fla)(indH)]ClO4 serve as good catalysts for the oxygenation of flavonol to O-benzoylsalicyclic acid.

The complex [Fe(indH)(solvent)3](ClO4)2 (1) has been isolated from the reaction of equimolar amounts of 1,3-bis(2′-pyridylimino)isoindoline (indH) and Fe(ClO4)2 in acetonitrile and characterized by X-ray crystallography and several spectroscopic techniques. It is a suitable catalyst for the oxidation of thioanisoles and benzyl alcohols with H2O2 as the oxidant. Hammett correlations and kinetic isotope effect experiments support the involvement of an electrophilic metal-based oxidant. A metastable green species (2) is observed when 1 is reacted with H2O2 at −40 °C, which has been characterized to have a FeIII(μ-O)(μ-O2)FeIII core on the basis of UV-Vis, electron paramagnetic resonance, resonance Raman, and X-ray absorption spectroscopic data.

The preparation and characterisation of two dinuclear iron(III) complexes with tripodal ligands 1,3-bis(2Ј-pyridylimino)isoindoline (indH) are presented. The µ-oxo-bridged di- (2)