Investigations on the catalytic behaviour of titanium complexes formed in situ from Ti(OPri)4 and a variety of Schiff bases, mainly the binaphthyl derivatives 2,2’-bis(3-R1-5-R2-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-1,1’-binaphthyl, toward the asymmetric trimethylsilylcyanation of some aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes demonstrated that the titanium complex of the binaphthyl Schiff base with R1=R2=But is one of the best catalysts for such a process, with an enantiomeric excess (e.e.) as high as 96% obtained for m-tolualdehyde. Crystal structure determination of a nitrosylruthenium complex, [RuII(L)(NO)Cl] (L is the dianion of the binaphthyl Schiff base with R1=R2=Cl), revealed that the complex assumes a cis-β configuration with the binaphthyl moiety having a dihedral angle of 70.2. After treatment with AgPF6, the ruthenium complex also exhibited a good catalytic property for the trimethylsilylcyanation of benzaldehyde albeit with a lower e.e. (24%).

Metallophthalocyanines bearing substituents are found to be efficient catalysts for nitrene transfer reactions. Under optimized reaction conditions, aziridination of alkenes and amidation of C H bonds with PhI=NTs by using 3-trifluromethylphenyoxy-substituted phthalocyanine-iron complex led to the highest yields of 90% and 85% for 4-methylstyrene and 4-ethyltoluene, respectively.

Metallophthalocyanines bearing substituents especially electron-withdrawing substituents are found to be efficient catalysts for cyclopropanation of alkenes with EDA. The influences of reaction conditions have been studied, leading to the highest yield of 91% for styrene by using fluorosubstituted ruthenium–phthalocyanine complex.

Reaction of copper (II) acetate with the (S)-enantiomer of a tridentate binaphthyl Schiff base ligand, 2-(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-binaphthyl (H2L), in methanol afforded mononuclear copper (II) complex [CuII(HL)2] ((S,S)-1) in 52% isolated yield. The same reaction gave dinuclear copper (II) complex [CuII2 (L)2] ((R,S)-2) in 73% isolated yield whenracemic-H2L was used instead of (S)-H2L. Both complexes (S,S)-1 and (R,S)-2 were characterized by elemental analysis, massspectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. The present work highlights the functioning of ligand chirality as a 'switch' for selectiveformation of mono-and dinuclear metal complexes.

A chromium (Ⅲ) binaphthyl Schiff base complex immobilized on modified MCM-41 is an effective catalyst for asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalised alkenes and gave significantly higher ee than the free complex.