Four types of half-sandwich ruthenium complexes with an N,O-coordinate mode based on hydroxyindanone-imine ligands have been prepared in good yields. These stable ruthenium complexes exhibited high activity in the catalytic synthesis of quinolines from the reactions of amino alcohols with different types of ketones or secondary alcohols under very mild conditions. Moreover, the methodology for the direct one-pot synthesis of tetrahydroquinoline derivatives from amino alcohols and ketones has been also developed on the basis of the continuous catalytic activity of this ruthenium catalyst in the selective hydrogenation of the obtained quinoline derivatives with a low catalyst loading. The corresponding products, quinolines and tetrahydroquinoline derivatives, were afforded in good to excellent yields. The efficient and diverse catalytic activity of these ruthenium complexes suggested their potential large-scale application. All of the ruthenium complexes were characterized by various spectroscopies to confirm their structures.

Several types of β-ketoamino based N,O-coordinate halfsandwich ruthenium complexes have been synthesized in moderate to good yields. The stable ruthenium complexes displayed good and diverse catalytic efficiency in reductive amination between aldehydes and amines in aqueous solution. The method gave a facile route for one-pot synthesis of diverse complicated amines with a low catalyst loading by using cheap and less-toxic HCOOH or clean H 2 as hydrogen source. Catalyst Ru1 showed the highest catalytic activity of 190 h −1 TOF value in the reductive amination reaction of benzaldehyde with aniline. The corresponding amine products were furnished in excellent yields under the standard catalysis system. The efficient and diverse catalytic activity, broad substance scope, mild conditions, and environmentally benign solvent made this system potentially applicable in industrial production. Ruthenium complexes were characterized using NMR, elemental analysis, and IR techniques to confirm their structure.