A new indanone derivative (1) and two new diterpenoids (2 and 3), together with three known flavonoids, have been isolated from an ethanol extract of the leaves of Croton steenkampianus. The structure of 2 was solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, whereas those of 1 and 3 were established mainly by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. The isolated compounds were tested for their antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity. Antiplasmodial assays against chloroquine-susceptible strains (D10 and D6) and the chloroquine-resistant strains (Dd2 and W2) of Plasmodium falciparum showed that compound 2 gave moderate activities at 9.1-15.8 μM, while none of the compounds were cytotoxic against Vero cells.

The assignment of structure (1) to fusarin C, a mutagen isolated from cultures of Fusarium moniliforme is based on a detailed study of its high-field 1H and 13C n.m.r. spectra and X-ray crystallography of the 8Zisomer of (1) which defined the substitution pattern and relative configuration of the 2-pyrrolidone moiety; nuclear Overhauser enhancement experiments indicate that the 2€,4€,6€,8€,10€ polyene chromophore of (1) exists in solution as an equilibrium between two conformers with s-cis and s-trans topology of the C-5-C-6 single bond.

Reactions of Fischer alkoxycarbene complexes[W(CO) 5 {C(OEt)Ar}], Ar = thienyl (1) or furyl (2), with ethylene diamine lead to the formation of two different reaction products: an aminolysis product (5 or 6) where the ethoxy substituent of the carbene ligand is replaced by the ethylene diamine moiety, as well as a chelated product where aminolysis and substitution of one carbonyl ligand had taken place, yielding 7 or 8. Aminolysis of 1 and 2 with cyclohexyl amine (CHA) produced the aminocarbene complexes 3 (Ar = thienyl) and 4 (Ar = furyl). Complexes 1-8 are electrochemically investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. The relative shifts in the oxidation and reduction potentials are discussed and related to density functional theory (DFT) calculated energies. DFT calculations further show that the oxidation center is located on the metal and the carbonyl groups, while the reduction center is localized on the carbene moiety and is strongly influenced by the electronic properties of its substituents. Crystal structures of 1-4, 6 and 8 are reported.

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Dedicated to the memory of Professor Robert Vleggaar is investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. The complexes all exhibit a twoelectron oxidation process that is W-based and a one-electron reduction that is mainly localized on the carbene ligand. Complexes 1-4 and 9-12 are considerably more difficult to oxidize than 5-8 due to the better π-acceptor ability of the (CO) 4 (PR' 3 ) (R' = Ph or OPh) ligand combination than that of (CO) 3 (dppe). Density functional theory calculations on the neutral, reduced and oxidized complexes confirmed the role of the frontier orbitals in the oxidation and reduction processes and enabled formulation of mathematical relationships that can be used to predict experimental measured potentials. X-ray crystal structures of 2cis, 3 and 5 are discussed.

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A series of p-cymene and cyclopentadienyl Ru(II)-aNHC complexes have been synthesized from 2methylimidazolium salts with either an N-bound alkenyl (1, 3) or picolyl tether (6, 7). The C(5)-Me substituted alkenyl-tethered analogues (2, 4) have also been synthesized. Ag-mediated C(2)dealkylation was a prominent side reaction that led to the formation of normally bound NHC Ru(II) complexes, which in selected cases have been isolated (5, 8). A C(4)-over C(2)-selectivity for ruthenium binding has been established by protecting the C(2)-position with an iPr group on the imidazolium precursor, for which unique p-cymene (9) and cyclopentadienyl (10) Ru(II)-aNHC derivatives have been synthesized. All complexes were applied in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones and in secondary alcohol oxidation, with higher catalytic activity for the p-cymene over the cyclopentadienyl systems, as well as the alkenyl-over the picolyl-containing aNHC complexes.