Efficient and recyclable novel Ni‐based metal–organic framework nanostructure as catalyst for the cascade reaction of alcohol oxidation–Knoevenagel condensation

A novel Ni‐based metal–organic framework (Ni‐MOF) with a Schiff base ligand as an organic linker, Ni₃(bdda)₂(OAc)₂?6H₂O (H₂bdda = 4,4′‐[benzene‐1,4‐diylbis(methylylidenenitrilo)]dibenzoic acid), was synthesized and characterized using powder X‐ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized Ni‐MOF exhibited a high catalytic activity in benzyl alcohol oxidation using tert‐butyl hydroperoxide under solvent‐free conditions. Also, the efficiency of the catalyst was investigated in the cascade reaction of oxidation–Knoevanagel condensation under mild conditions. The Ni‐MOF catalyst could be recovered and reused four times without significant reduction in its catalytic activity.     

Cobalt(II) acetylacetonate complex immobilized on aminosilane‐modified SBA‐15 as an efficient catalyst for epoxidation of trans‐stilbene with molecular oxygen

From environmental and economic points of view, it is highly desirable to develop a clean and efficient catalytic process to produce epoxides. An attractive approach is to use a solid, recyclable catalyst and molecular oxygen as the oxidant without any sacrificial reductant or other additives. Nonetheless, the catalysts reported up to now still cannot balance catalytic activity with epoxide selectivity. It is of great importance to explore novel catalysts with both high activity and selectivity for the epoxidation of olefins. In this work, cobalt(II) acetylacetonate (Co(acac)₂) was covalently bonded to the silica surface of SBA‐15 molecular sieve by multi‐step grafting using 3‐aminopropytrimethoxysilane (APTS) as coupling agent. Characterizations with nitrogen physisorption, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis suggested that the metal complex was successfully immobilized on the aminosilane‐modified SBA‐15 surface and the channel structure remained intact. The synthesized Co(acac)₂APTS@SBA‐15 catalyst was used in the epoxidation of trans‐stilbene (TS) with molecular oxygen. Compared to the sample prepared by the impregnation method as well as Co(acac)₂ solutions under the same reaction conditions, the Co(acac)₂ immobilized catalyst exhibited remarkably higher TS conversion and trans‐stilbene oxide (TSO) selectivity. An increase in TS conversion with Co content was observed when the Co loading was lower than 0.70% and the 0.70Co(acac)₂APTS@SBA‐15 sample exhibited the best catalytic performance. Up to 50.1% of TS conversion could be achieved within 6 h, affording TSO selectivity as high as 96.7%. The superior catalytic performance of this particular catalyst is attributed to the high activity of the immobilized Co(acac)₂ species on SBA‐15. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High polymerization of methyl methacrylate with organonickel/MMAO systems

A series of nickel complexes, including Ni(acac)₂, (C₅H₅)Ni(η³‐allyl), and [NiMe₄Li₂(THF)₂]₂, that were activated with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) exhibited high catalytic activity for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) but showed no catalytic activity for the polymerization of ethylene and 1‐olefins. The resulting polymers exhibited rather broad molecular weight distributions and low syndiotacticities. In contrast to these initiators, the metallocene complexes (C₅H₅)₂Ni, (C₅Me₅)₂Ni, (Ind)₂Ni, and (Me₃SiC₅H₄)₂Ni provided narrower molecular weight distributions at 60 °C when these initiator were activated with MMAO. Half‐metallocene complexes such as (C₅H₅)NiCl(PPh₃), (C₅Me₅)NiCl(PPh₃), and (Ind)NiCl(PPh₃) produced poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with much narrower molecular weight distributions when the polymerization was carried out at 0 °C. Ni[1,3‐(CF₃)₂‐acac]₂ generated PMMA with high syndiotacticity. The NiR(acac)(PPh₃) complexes (R = Me or Et) revealed high selectivity in the polymerization of isoprene that produced 1,2‐/3,4‐polymer at 0 °C exclusively, whereas the polymerization at 60 °C resulted in the formation of cis‐1,4‐rich polymers. The polymerization of ethylene with Ni(1,3‐tBu₂‐acac)₂ and Ni[1,3‐(CF₃)₂‐acac]₂ generated oligo‐ethylene with moderate catalytic activity, whereas the reaction of ethylene with Ni(acac)₂/MMAO produced high molecular weight polyethylene. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4764–4775, 2000     

Gas‐phase ligand exchange of select transition‐metal acetylacetonate and hexafluoroacetylacetonate complexes

Gas‐phase ligand exchange reactions between M(acac)₂ and M(hfac)₂ species, where M is Cu(II) and/or Ni(II), were observed to occur in a double‐focusing reverse‐geometry magnetic sector mass spectrometer. The gas‐phase mixed ligand product, [M(acac)(hfac)]⁺, was formed following the co‐sublimation of either homo‐metal or hetero‐metal precursors. The gas‐phase formation of [Cu(acac)(hfac)]⁺ from hetero‐metal precursors is reported herein for the first time. The [Ni(acac)(hfac)]⁺ complex is also observed for the first time to form following the co‐sublimation of not only Ni precursors, but also from separate Ni and Cu precursors. The corresponding fragmentation patterns of these species are also presented, and the mixed metal mixed ligand product [NiCu(acac)₂(hfac)]⁺ is observed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of Supported Ultrafine Non‐noble Subnanometer‐Scale Metal Particles Derived from Metal–Organic Frameworks as Highly Efficient Heterogeneous Catalysts

The properties of supported non‐noble metal particles with a size of less than 1 nm are unknown because their synthesis is a challenge. A strategy has now been created to immobilize ultrafine non‐noble metal particles on supports using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as metal precursors. Ni/SiO₂ and Co/SiO₂ catalysts were synthesized with an average metal particle size of 0.9 nm. The metal nanoparticles were immobilized uniformly on the support with a metal loading of about 20 wt %. Interestingly, the ultrafine non‐noble metal particles exhibited very high activity for liquid‐phase hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexane even at 80 °C, while Ni/SiO₂ with larger Ni particles fabricated by a conventional method was not active under the same conditions.     

A comparison between two Pd‐Ni catalysts supported on two different supports toward Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reaction

When a single metal fails to promote an efficient Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reaction at ambient temperature, the synergistic cooperation of two distinct metals might improve the reaction. To examine the synergistic effect of palladium and nickel for catalyzing Suzuki coupling reaction, g‐C₃N₄ supported metal nanoparticles of PdO, NiO and Pd‐PdO‐NiO were prepared, characterized and their catalytic activities evaluated over different aryl halides at room temperature and 78 °C. The morphological characterization of Pd‐PdO‐NiO/g‐C₃N₄ demonstrated that the bimetallic particles were uniformly dispersed over the g‐C₃N₄ layers with diameters ranging from 3.5‐7.7 nm. XPS analysis showed that nanoparticles of Pd‐PdO‐NiO consisted of Pd(II), Pd(0) and Ni(II) sites. The experiments performed on the catalytic activity of Pd‐PdO‐NiO/g‐C₃N₄ showed that the prepared catalyst demonstrated an efficient activity without using toxic solvents.     

Metal‐Induced Thiophene Ring Opening and CC Bond Formation To Produce Unique Hexa‐1,3,5‐trienediyl‐Coupled Non‐Innocent Ligand Chelates

Ring opening of thiophenes containing an azo function in 2‐position and subsequent dimerization through C?C coupling were observed on reaction with [Ru(acac)₂(CH₃CN)₂] (acac=acetylacetonate) to produce two 1,3,5‐hexatriene‐linked redox‐active azothiocarbonyl chelate systems. Interaction of the non‐innocent chelate ligands and of the metals at a nanoscale distance of 1.45 nm via the conjugated hexatriene bridge was studied by magnetic and electron spectroscopic measurements in conjunction with DFT calculations, revealing four‐center magnetic interactions of this unique setting and weak intervalence coupling after reduction.     

Alkene Transfer Hydrogenation with Alkaline‐Earth Metal Catalysts

The alkene transfer hydrogenation (TH) of a variety of alkenes has been achieved with simple AeN′′₂ catalysts [Ae=Ca, Sr, Ba; N′′=N(SiMe₃)₂] using 1,4‐cyclohexadiene (1,4‐CHD) as a H source. Reaction of 1,4‐CHD with AeN′′₂ gave benzene, N′′H, and the metal hydride species N′′AeH (or aggregates thereof), which is a catalyst for alkene hydrogenation. BaN′′₂ is by far the most active catalyst. Hydrogenation of activated C=C bonds (e.g. styrene) proceeded at room temperature without polymer formation. Unactivated (isolated) C=C bonds (e.g. 1‐hexene) needed a higher temperature (120 °C) but proceeded without double‐bond isomerization. The ligands fully control the course of the catalytic reaction, which can be: 1) alkene TH, 2) 1,4‐CHD dehydrogenation, or 3) alkene polymerization. DFT calculations support formation of a metal hydride species by deprotonation of 1,4‐CHD followed by H transfer. Convenient access to larger quantities of BaN′′₂, its high activity and selectivity, and the many advantages of TH make this a simple but attractive procedure for alkene hydrogenation.     

Ein neuer Aluminium/Nickel/Oxo‐Cluster: [Ni(acac)OAl(OtBu)2]4

A New Aluminum/Nickel/Oxo‐Cluster: [Ni(acac)OAl(OtBu)₂]₄ When bis(tert‐butoxy)alane (tBu‐O)₂AlH is allowed to react with nickeldiacetylacetonate at elevated temperature a new nickel/aluminum/oxo cluster [Ni(acac)OAl(OtBu)₂]₄ is formed together with aluminum acetylacetonate Al(acac)₃ and some other products. The metal/oxo cluster is isolated by crystallization and structurally fully characterized by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The molecule [Ni(acac)OAl(OtBu)₂]₄ contains an eight membered Al₄O₄ cycle, to which eight mutually edge sharing NiO₂Al cycles are fused. The overall point symmetry of the metal/oxo cluster is almost S₄. While the aluminum atoms are tetrahedrally surrounded by oxygen ligands (mean distances Al‐O in‐between 1, 730(6) and 1, 789(6) Å)), the nickel atoms are in a square pyramidal coordination sphere of oxygen atoms (Ni‐O_axial = 1.938(6) Å, Ni‐O_basal = 2.056(9) Å; all polyhedra are distorted). The nickel atoms have a d⁸ high spin electron configuration (μ_eff = 3.32 B.M.).     

Polymerization of styrene by Novel Ni(a)‐ and Pd(II)‐based complexes

The catalytic activities of nine neutral nickel and palladium α‐acetylide complexes [M= (C=CR)₂(PR'₃)₂, M=Ni, Pd; R = Ph, CH₂OH, CH₂OOCH, CH₂OOCPh, CH₂OOCPhOH‐o; R' = Ph, Bu] are compared. Among them, Ni(C‐CPh)₂(PBu₃)] shows the highest catalytic activity and gives the polystyrene with high molecular weight (M_w= 188800) and a syndio‐rich microstructure. The catalytic behavior of transition metal acetylides is related to metal, phosphine, and alkynyl ligands bonded to the metal atoms.     

Bifunctional Heterogeneous Catalysis of Silica–Alumina‐Supported Tertiary Amines with Controlled Acid–Base Interactions for Efficient 1,4‐Addition Reactions

We report the first tunable bifunctional surface of silica–alumina‐supported tertiary amines (SA–NEt₂) active for catalytic 1,4‐addition reactions of nitroalkanes and thiols to electron‐deficient alkenes. The 1,4‐addition reaction of nitroalkanes to electron‐deficient alkenes is one of the most useful carbon–carbon bond‐forming reactions and applicable toward a wide range of organic syntheses. The reaction between nitroethane and methyl vinyl ketone scarcely proceeded with either SA or homogeneous amines, and a mixture of SA and amines showed very low catalytic activity. In addition, undesirable side reactions occurred in the case of a strong base like sodium ethoxide employed as a catalytic reagent. Only the present SA‐supported amine (SA–NEt₂) catalyst enabled selective formation of a double‐alkylated product without promotions of side reactions such as an intramolecular cyclization reaction. The heterogeneous SA–NEt₂ catalyst was easily recovered from the reaction mixture by simple filtration and reusable with retention of its catalytic activity and selectivity. Furthermore, the SA–NEt₂ catalyst system was applicable to the addition reaction of other nitroalkanes and thiols to various electron‐deficient alkenes. The solid‐state magic‐angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopic analyses, including variable‐contact‐time ¹³C cross‐polarization (CP)/MAS NMR spectroscopy, revealed that acid–base interactions between surface acid sites and immobilized amines can be controlled by pretreatment of SA at different temperatures. The catalytic activities for these addition reactions were strongly affected by the surface acid–base interactions.     

C–C bridged Ni(II) complexes bearing β‐keto‐9‐fluorenyliminato ligands prepared by different in situ bonding mechanisms and their use in catalytic (co)polymerization of norbornene and styrene

Two C–C bridged Ni(II) complexes bearing β‐keto‐9‐fluorenyliminato ligands with electron‐withdrawing groups (─CF₃), Ni{PhC(O)CHC[N(9‐fluorenyl)]CF₂}₂ (Ni 1 ) and Ni{CF₃C(O)CHC[N(9‐fluorenyl)]Ph}₂ (Ni 2 ), were synthesized by metal coordination reaction and different in situ bonding mechanisms. The C–C bridged bonds of Ni 1 were formed by in situ intramolecular trifluoromethyl and 9‐fluorenyl carbon–carbon cross‐coupling reaction and those of Ni 2 were formed by in situ intramolecular 9‐fluorenyl carbon–carbon radical coupling reaction mechanism. The obtained complexes were characterized using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The crystal and molecular structures of Ni 1 and Ni 2 with C–C bridged configuration were determined using X‐ray diffraction. Ni 1 and Ni 2 were used as catalysts for norbornene (NB) polymerization after activation with B(C₆F₅)₃ and the catalytic activities reached 10⁶ g_polymer mol_Ni^?1 h^?1. The copolymerization of NB and styrene catalyzed by the Ni 1 /B(C₆F₅)₃ system showed high activity (10⁵ g_polymer mol_Ni^?1 h^?1) and the catalytic activities decreased with increasing feed content of styrene. All vinyl‐type copolymers exhibited high molecular weight (10⁴ g mol^?1), narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 1.71–2.80), high styrene insertion ratios (11.13–50.81%) and high thermal stability (T_d > 380°C) and could be made into thin films with high transparency in the visible region (400–800 nm).     

Copolymerization of styrene and butadiene with Ni(acac)2-methylaluminoxane catalyst

Copolymerization of styrene (St) and butadiene (Bd) with nickel(II) acetylacetonate [Ni(acac)₂]-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst was investigated. Among the metal acetylacetonates [Mt(acac)_x] examined, Ni(acac)₂ showed a high activity for the copolymerization of St and Bd giving copolymers having high cis-1,4-microstructure in Bd units in the copolymer. The effect of alkylaluminum as a cocatalyst on the copolymerization of St and Bd with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst was observed, and MAO was found to be the most effective cocatalyst for the copolymerization. The monomer reactivity ratios for the copolymerization of St and Bd with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst were determined to be r_St = 0.07 and r_Bd = 3.6. Based on the obtained results, it was presumed that the random copolymers with high cis-1,4-microstructure in Bd units could be synthesized with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst without formation of each homopolymer. The polymerization mechanism with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst was also discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3838–3844, 1999     

D‐Glucosamine in iron‐catalysed cross‐coupling reactions of Grignards with allylic and vinylic bromides: application to the synthesis of a key sitagliptin precursor

A sustainable D ‐glucosamine ligand is successfully introduced into iron‐catalysed C ? C cross‐coupling reactions for the first time. The Fe(acac)₂/D ‐glucosamine·HCl/Et₃N catalytic system was effective at 5 mol% loading in coupling reactions of Grignard reagents with organic bromides. Moderate to high efficiency was achieved with preserved stereochemistry when allyl (Csp³) or alkenyl (Csp²) bromides were coupled with phenylmagnesium (Csp²) or benzylmagnesium (Csp³) bromides. The catalytic system developed was also successfully applied for the novel and economic preparation of a Michael‐acceptor‐like starting material used in an alternative synthesis of the drug sitagliptin, a known blockbuster for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The gas‐phase ligand exchange of copper and nickel acetylacetonate,hexafluoroacetylacetonate and trifluorotrimethylacetylacetonate complexes

The gas‐phase ligand‐exchange reactions between Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes containing the acetylacetonate (acac), hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac), and trifluorotrimethylacetylacetonate (tftm) ligands were investigated using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The gas‐phase mixed‐ligand products of [Cu(acac)(tftm)]⁺, [Ni(acac)(tftm)]⁺, [Cu(hfac)(tftm)]⁺, and [Ni(hfac)(tftm)]⁺ were formed following the co‐sublimation of either homo‐metal or hetero‐metal precursors. The gas‐phase formation of [Cu(acac)(tftm)]⁺, [Cu(hfac)(tftm)]⁺, [Ni(acac)(tftm)]⁺, and [Ni(hfac)(tftm)]⁺ complexes is reported herein for the first time. The corresponding fragmentation patterns of these species along with those of Cu(tftm)₂ and Ni(tftm)₂ are also presented. Mass‐selected ion‐neutral reactions were investigated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of Metallic Modification on Ethylbenzene Dealkylation over ZSM‐5 Zeolites

A series of metal‐modified HZSM‐5 catalysts were prepared by impregnation and were used for ethylbenzene dealkylation of the mixed C8 aromatics (ethylbenzene, m‐xylene and o‐xylene). The effects of different supported metals (Pt, Pd, Ni, Mo) on catalytic performance, including reaction conditions, were investigated. The physicochemical properties of catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, BET, TEM and NH₃‐TPD. Experimental results showed that metallic modification obviously increased the ethylbenzene conversion and reduced the coke deposition, greatly improving the catalyst stability. The distinction of ethylbenzene conversion depended on the interaction between hydrogenation reactivity and acidic cracking of bifunctional metal‐modified zeolites. Compared with Pt and Ni, Pd and Mo were easier to disperse into HZSM‐5 micropores during loading metals. The acidic density of different metal‐modified HZSM‐5 declined in the following order: HZSM‐5>Pt/HZSM‐5>Pd/HZSM‐5>Ni/HZSM‐5>Mo/HZSM‐5. The activity of ethylene hydrogenation decreased with Pt/HZSM‐5>Pd/HZSM‐5>Ni/HZSM‐5>Mo/HZSM‐5. In comparison, Pd/HZSM‐5 showed the best catalytic performance with both high activity and high selectivity, with less cracking loss of m‐xylene and o‐xylene. Moreover, the following reaction conditions were found to be preferable for ethylbenzene dealkylation over Pd/HZSM‐5: 340°C, 1.5 MPa H₂, WHSV 4 h^?1, H₂/C8 4 mol/mol.     

Sustainable Catalysis: Rational Pd Loading on MIL‐101Cr‐NH2 for More Efficient and Recyclable Suzuki–Miyaura Reactions

Palladium nanoparticles have been immobilized into an amino‐functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂, to form Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂. Four materials with different loadings of palladium have been prepared (denoted as 4‐, 8‐, 12‐, and 16 wt %Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂). The effects of catalyst loading and the size and distribution of the Pd nanoparticles on the catalytic performance have been studied. The catalysts were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), N₂‐sorption isotherms, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To better characterize the palladium nanoparticles and their distribution in MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂, electron tomography was employed to reconstruct the 3D volume of 8 wt %Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂ particles. The pair distribution functions (PDFs) of the samples were extracted from total scattering experiments using high‐energy X‐rays (60 keV). The catalytic activity of the four MOF materials with different loadings of palladium nanoparticles was studied in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction. The best catalytic performance was obtained with the MOF that contained 8 wt % palladium nanoparticles. The metallic palladium nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed, with an average size of 2.6 nm. Excellent yields were obtained for a wide scope of substrates under remarkably mild conditions (water, aerobic conditions, room temperature, catalyst loading as low as 0.15 mol %). The material can be recycled at least 10 times without alteration of its catalytic properties.     

Effects of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane on the activation of a metal alkyl‐free Ni‐based catalyst in the polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene

The activation of a metal alkyl‐free Ni‐based catalyst with B(C₆F₅)₃ was investigated in the polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene. A catalyst of bis(1,5‐cyclooctadiene)nickel (Ni(COD)₂)/B(C₆F₅)₃ was found to have high catalytic activity and 1,4‐cis stereoregularity. The catalyst was also found to provide polybutadiene having a molecular weight (M_w) of up to 117,000, even in the absence of AlR₃ and MAO. Variations in the mol ratio of B(C₆F₅)₃ to Ni affected catalytic activity, 1,4‐cis stereoregularity, and the M_w of polybutadiene, while the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polybutadiene showed little correlation with the mol ratio of B(C₆F₅)₃ to Ni. The use of other borane compounds such as B(C₆H₅)₃, BEt₃, and BF₃ etherate in place of B(C₆F₅)₃ clearly showed the two main functions of B(C₆F₅)₃ in the present catalyst. The high Lewis acidity of B(C₆F₅)₃ enabled it to activate catalytic complexes, thus inducing the polymerization. The steric bulkiness of B(C₆F₅)₃ suppressed chain transfer reactions, contributing to the production of polybutadiene with a high M_w. Kinetic studies showed that the catalyst had an induction period, possibly due to the time needed for the formation of catalytic complexes starting from Ni(COD)₂. A plot of ?ln (1?X), where X is the fractional conversion, as a function of time resulted in a linear relationship, showing that the present catalyst system followed first‐order kinetics with respect to monomer concentration. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1164–1173, 2004     

Catalytic Cyclization and Dimerization of 1.5‐Hexadiene by Transition Metals: The Reactivity of NiII and PdII Complexes containing Bi‐ or Tridendate Ligands and of Bis(alkyne)nickel(0) Compounds

The novel nickel(II)‐ and palladium(II) complexes (box)Ni(acac)₂ ( 1 ), (box)Ni(mes)(Br) ( 2 ), (box)Pd(mes)₂ ( 3 ), [(PEMA)NiBr]Br ( 4 a ) and [(PEMA)PdCl]Cl ( 4 b ) were synthesized and investigated by IR‐, MS‐ and (except the paramagnetic compound 1 ) by NMR spectroscopy (box: 4,4,4′,4′‐tetramethyl‐2,2′‐bisoxazoline, PEMA: N‐diphenylphosphinoethyl‐N‐(N′,N′‐dimethylaminoethyl)‐methylamine). According to the X‐ray analyses the metal atoms in 1 are in a distorted‐octahedral surrounding, in the organometallic compounds 2 and 3 they have square‐planar coordination, in the ionic complex 4 a is one halogen anion uncoordinated. According to the X‐ray analyses the analogous complexes [(DEPA)NiCl]Cl ( 5 a ) and [(DEPA)PdCl]Cl ( 5 b ) (DEPA: N,N‐bis(diphenylphosphinoethyl)‐amin)) display the same structure in the solid state as found in 4 a . The ni compounds catalyze at ambient temperature in the presence of Et₃Al the selective cyclization of 1.5‐hexadiene to form methylene‐cyclopentane (MeCP) in high yields. The combination of the Ni compounds with methylalumoxanes (MAO) leads to the catalytic formation of isomeric dimers containing one cyclopentyl ring as main products. The binuclear Ni(0) complex [(alkyne)Ni]₂ ( 6 ) (alkyne: bis(t‐butylalkynyl)‐bis‐phenylsilan) is more reactive in both catalytic reactions.     

Ligandless C‐C bond formation via Suzuki–Miyaura reaction in micelles or water–ethanol solution using PdPtZn and PdZn nanoparticle thin films

PdPtZn and PdZn nanoparticle (NP) thin films were synthesized by the reduction of [PdCl₂(cod)], [PtCl₂(cod)] (cod = cis,cis‐1,5‐cyclooctadiene) and [Zn(acac)₂] (acac = acetylacetonate) complexes at an oil–water interface. The structure and morphology of the as‐prepared NPs were characterized with X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis of X‐rays. Catalytic activity of the prepared NPs was investigated in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction in H₂O–EtOH and various micellar media systems such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cationic surfactant), sodium dodecylsulfate (anionic surfactant) and Pluronic P123 (non‐ionic surfactant). PdPtZn and PdZn thin films exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to Pd thin film in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction due to the appropriate interaction between palladium, platinum and zinc metals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.