A series of acac-ruthenium complexes with chiral Schiff base ligands: Synthesis, characterization and catalytic property

• Published in: Journal of molecular structure 2023-09, Vol.1288, p.135704, Article 135704
• Main Authors: Jiao, Yan-Ping, Zhang, Li-Song, Chen, Chong, Tang, Li-Hua, Cheng, Yao, Jia, Ai-Quan, Zhang, Qian-Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acac ruthenium complex; Chiral Schiff base; Crystal structure; Cyclopropanation; Synthesis
• ISSN: 0022-2860; 1872-8014
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135704

•Four Ru(acac) precursors were characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.•Series of Ru(acac) complexes with chiral Schiff base ligands were prepared.•A trinuclear ruthenium complex with four Schiff base ligands was synthesized.•Ruthenium complexes with chiral Schiff base ligands are catalysts for cyclopropanation of styrene. Four acac ruthenium precursors Ru(acac)2(n-PrCN)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) (1), Ru(acac)2(PhCN)2 (2), [Ru(hfac)(CH3CN)4](CF3SO3) (hfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate, 3), and Ru(acac)(dmso)3Cl (dmso = dimethyl sulfoxide) (4) were synthesized. Reactions of ruthenium precursor Ru(acac)2(n-PrCN)2 and chiral Schiff bases HLn afforded a series of Ru(acac)2Ln adducts (n = 1‒9) and a trinuclear ruthenium Schiff base complex (S)-(HNEt3)[(η3-O,N,O-L3)2Ru{μ-(η1-O-L3)4RuCl}Ru(η3-O,N,O-L3)2] (5). All complexes were characterized by NMR, FT-IR, HR-MS, and UV–vis spectroscopies along with electrochemistry properties. The structures of chiral Schiff base ligands (R)-HL8 and (S)-HL9, and ruthenium complexes 1–5 were unambiguously established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The good catalytic property of nine Ru(acac)2Ln complexes and the trinuclear ruthenium complex 5 with chiral Schiff base ligands for cyclopropanation of styrene was also presented.