Synthesis,spectral characterization,C?C coupling,oxidation reactions and antibacterial activities of new ruthenium(III) Schiff base complexes

A new series of hexa‐coordinated stable Ru(III) Schiff base complexes of the type [RuX(EPh₃)(L)] (where X = Cl/Br; E = P/As; L = tetradentate N₂O₂ donor Schiff ligands) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurement, FT‐IR, UV–vis, ¹³C{¹H}‐NMR, ESR spectra, electrochemical and powder X‐ray diffraction pattern studies. The selective oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds occurred in the presence of N‐methylmorpholin‐N‐oxide (NMO), H₂O₂ and O₂ atmosphere at ambient temperature as co‐oxidants and C? C coupling reactions. Further, these new Schiff base ligands and their Ru(III) complexes were also screened for their antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae, Shigella sp., M. luteus, E. coli and S. typhi. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probing the Antioxidant Activity of Polyphenols by CIDNP: From Model Compounds to Green Tea and Red Wine

Polyphenols occur naturally in a vast variety of plants. One of their predominant properties is their antioxidant activity. To provide a deeper understanding of the antioxidant mechanism, ¹H CIDNP spectroscopy (CIDNP=chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization) is used to study model hydrogen abstraction reactions with four catechin‐based polyphenols: catechin (CA), gallocatechin (GC), epigallocatechin (EGC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The experiments involve photoinduced hydrogen‐atom transfer to a hydrogen abstractor (e.g., excited isopropylthioxanthone) followed under steady‐state conditions and in a time‐resolved fashion (resolution 500 ns–1 ms). It is found that hydrogen abstraction is an essentially stochastic process with a slight preference for the B rings in the catechin‐based polyphenols. Remarkably, analogous reactivity patterns could be followed in the “real systems”, green tea and red wine. We also show that CIDNP can be used as a semiquantitative tool to assess chemical reactivity.     

Efficient Aerobic Wacker Oxidation of Styrenes Using Palladium Bis(isonitrile) Catalysts

The palladium‐catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alkenes and especially styrenes (Wacker oxidation) by using chiral pseudo C₂‐symmetrical bis(isonitrile) ligands in the absence of further cocatalysts gives rise to methyl ketones in a highly chemoselective manner. The palladium bis(isonitrile) catalyst was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray structure analysis, revealing a dissymmetric coordination of palladium by the two isonitrile moieties.     

Palladium-catalyzed, asymmetric Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of prochiral cyclobutanones with PHOX ligands

Described in this report is a general method for the conversion of prochiral 3-substituted cyclobutanones to enantioenriched γ-lactones through a palladium-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger oxidation using phosphinooxazoline ligands in up to 99% yield and 81% ee. Lactones of enantiopurity ≥93% could be obtained through a single recrystallization step. Importantly, 3,3-disubtituted cyclobutanones produced enantioenriched lactones containing a β-quaternary center.     

PdNi/Ni Nanotubes Assembled by Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Efficient Alkaline Ethanol Oxidation Reaction

The optimization of structure and composition is essential to improve the performance of catalysts. Herein, mesoporous nanoparticles assembled PdNi/Ni nanotubes (mPdNi/Ni NTs) are successfully fabricated using nickel nanowires as sacrificial template. The combination of nanotubular structure with mesoporous nanoparticle morphology can provide facilitated transfer channels and sufficient active sites, allowing the full contact and reaction between catalysts and reactants. Therefore, the synthesized mPdNi/Ni NTs exhibite superior ethanol oxidation performance to mesoporous Pd nanotubes and commercial Pd black. This study proposes a rational strategy for the development of nanoparticle assembled nanotubes with surface mesoporous morphology, which can greatly improve catalytic performance in various electrocatalytic fields.     

Electrochemical bromination of cyclic and acyclic enes using biphasic electrolysis

A simple method of electrochemical bromination of a series of cyclic and acyclic enes (styrene and substituted styrenes, stilbene, indene, and cyclooctene) in a biphasic water–chloroform mixture mediated by bromide/bromine redox system is reported. Aqueous 25% NaBr/H₂SO₄ is used as the electrolyte. Regio- and stereoselective dibromination of enes is achieved. Moderate to excellent yields of the product (83–98%) is obtained depending on the substrate. Electrolyte reuse has also been demonstrated successfully using HBr in the dibromination of styrene.     

Mild Synthesis of Pt/SnO2/Graphene Nanocomposites with Remarkably Enhanced Ethanol Electro‐oxidation Activity and Durability

We have designed a new Pt/SnO₂/graphene nanomaterial by using L ‐arginine as a linker; this material shows the unique Pt‐around‐SnO₂ structure. The Sn²⁺ cations reduce graphene oxide (GO), leading to the in situ formation of SnO₂/graphene hybrids. L ‐Arginine is used as a linker and protector to induce the in situ growth of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) connected with SnO₂ NPs and impede the agglomeration of Pt NPs. The obtained Pt/SnO₂/graphene composites exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity and stability for the ethanol oxidation reaction as compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst owing to the close‐connected structure between the Pt NPs and SnO₂ NPs. This work should have a great impact on the rational design of future metal–metal oxide nanostructures with high catalytic activity and stability for fuel cell systems.