Enhanced bifunctional catalytic activities are shown by monobasic tridentate Cu(ii) Schiff-base complexes.

No abstract

Liquid phase catalytic oxidation of a number of alkenes, for example, cyclohexene, cis‐cyclooctene, styrene, 1‐methyl cyclohexene and 1‐hexene, was performed using polymer‐anchored copper (II) complexes PS‐[Cu (sal‐sch)Cl] (5), PS‐[Cu (sal‐tch)Cl] (6), PS‐[CH2{Cu (sal‐sch)Cl}2] (7) and PS‐[CH2{Cu (sal‐tch)Cl}2] (8). Neat complexes [Cu (sal‐sch)Cl] (1), [Cu (sal‐tch)Cl] (2), [CH2{Cu (sal‐sch)Cl}2] (3) and [CH2{Cu (sal‐tch)Cl}2] (4) were isolated by reacting CuCl2·2H2O with [Hsal‐sch] (I), [Hsal‐tch] (II), [H2bissal‐sch] (III) and [H2bissal‐tch] (IV), respectively, in refluxing methanol. Complexes 1–4 have been covalently anchored in Merrifield resin through the amine nitrogen of the semicarbazide or thiosemicarbazide moiety. A number of analytical, spectroscopic and thermal techniques, such as CHNS analysis, Fourier transform‐infrared, UV–Vis, PMR, 13C‐NMR, electron paramagnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization‐mass spectrometry, were used to analyze and establish the molecular structure of the ligands (I)–(IV) and complexes (1)–(8) in solid state as well as in solution state. Grafted complexes 5–8 were employed as active catalysts for the oxidation of a series of alkenes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Copper hydroperoxo species ([CuIII (sal‐sch)‐O‐O‐H]), which is believed to be the active intermediate, generated during the catalytic oxidation of alkenes, are identified. It was found that supported catalysts are very economical, green and efficient in contrast to their neat complexes as well as most of the recently reported heterogeneous catalysts.

Two vanadium (IV) complexes [VIVO(Haeae‐sal)(MeOH)]+ (1) and [VIVO(Haeae‐hyap)(MeOH)]+ (2) were prepared by reacting [VO(acac)2] with ligands [H2aeae‐sal] (I) and [H2aeae‐hyap] (II) respectively. Condensation of 2‐(2‐aminoethylamino)ethanol with salicylaldehyde and 2‐hydroxyacetophenone produces the ligands (I) and (II) respectively. Both vanadium complexes 1 and 2 are sensitive towards aerial oxygen in solution and rapidly convert into vanadium(V) dioxido species. Vanadium(V) dioxido species crystalizes as the dimeric form in the solid‐state. Single‐crystal XRD analysis suggests octahedral geometry around each vanadium center in the solid‐state. To access the benefits of heterogeneous catalysis, vanadium(V) dioxido complexes were anchored into the polymeric chain of chloromethylated polystyrene. All the synthesized neat and supported vanadium complexes have been studied by a number of techniques to confirm their structural and functional properties. Bromoperoxidase activity of the synthesized vanadium(V) dioxido complexes 3 and 4 was examined by carrying out oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde and oxidation of thioanisole. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, 3 shows 94.4% conversion (TOF value of 2.739 × 102 h−1) and 4 exhibits 79.0% conversion (TOF value of 2.403 × 102 h−1) for the oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde where 5‐bromosalicylaldehyde appears as the major product. Catalysts 3 and 4 also efficiently catalyze the oxidation of thioanisole in the presence of hydrogen peroxide where sulfoxide is observed as the major product. Covalent attachment of neat catalysts 3 and 4 into the polymer chain enhances substrate conversion (%) and their catalytic efficiency increases many folds, both in the oxidative bromination and oxidation of thioether. Polymer supported catalysts 5 displayed 98.8% conversion with a TOF value of 1.127 × 104 h−1 whereas catalyst 6 showed 95.7% conversion with a TOF value of 4.675 × 103 h−1 for the oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde. These TOF values are the highest among the supported vanadium catalysts available in the literature for the oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde.