Chlorinated phthalocyanine iron (II) complex is an excellent catalyst for the oxidation of alkanes and alkenes with molecular oxygen in the presence of acetaldehyde under O2 (1 atm) at room temperature. The catalyst can be easily separated and reused for the next reaction.

Amidation of a variety of hydrocarbons with PhIdNTs catalyzed by ruthenium and manganese meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrins 1 and 2 afforded N-substituted amides in up to 92% yields with good to excellent substrate conversions. By employing catalyst 2, exceptionally high turnovers (up to 2600) were achieved, and the amidations can be effected by directly using PhI(OAc)2/NH2R as amidating reagents; in the case of R) COCF3 a direct amination was realized in up to 90% yield.

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.

Palladium (Ⅱ) binaphthyl Schiff base complexes [PdII(L)] (1:H2L=(racemic or R)-2,2’-bis (3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-1,1’-binaphthyl (H2L2); 2:H2L=(R)-2,2’-bis (3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxylbenzylideneamino)-5,5’,6,6’,7,7’,8,8’-octahydro-1,1’-binaphthyl (H2L3)) were prepared from sequential reactions of H2L with sodium methoxide and palladium(Ⅱ) acetate in methanol in about 70% yields. Both complexes 1 and 2 have been characterised by X-ray crystallography as well as 1H NMR, IR, UV/VIS and MS spectroscopy. The structures of 1 and 2 feature a pseudo planar N2O2 arrangement with the Schiff base ligands adopting a stepped conformation, in contrast to the non-planar N2O2 geometry usually observed for this type of Schiff base bound to various metal ions. The catalytic behaviour of complexes 1 and 2 toward asymmetric epoxidation of styrenes was investigated. With 2 as a catalyst, a 71% ee was obtained for the epoxidation of p-fluorostyrene by tBuOOH.

Molybdenum (Ⅵ)-cis-dioxo complexes bearing sugar derived chiral Schiff-base ligands of general formula MoO2(L)(Solv) have been synthesized (with L=N-salicylidene-glucosamine; N-salicylidene-1,3,4,6-tetraacetyl-α-glucosamine; N-5-chlorosalicylaldehyde-1,3,4,6-tetraacetyl-α-glucosamine; N-salicylaldehyde-1,3,4,6-tetraacetyl-β-glucosamine; N-5-chlorosalicylaldehyde-1,3,4,6-tetraacetyl-β-glucosamine; N-salicylidene-4,6-Oethylidene-β-glucopyranosylamine, and Solv=methanol or ethanol). Analytical data including IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR, MS and EA are in accord with their descriptions as monometallic compounds with one ligand L and a coordinated solvent molecule. One of the complexes and two of the chiral ligands have been examined by X-ray crystallography. In the case of the sugar-OH groups being protected as acetyl groups, one of them is selectively deacetylated and coordinates to the metal centre during the reaction process. Furthermore, an inversion takes place at the C1 carbon atom. This uncommon behaviour has been examined in some detail. The high catalytic activity of the title compounds for epoxidation is also described as well as the moderate enantiomeric induction of up to 30% ee for cis-β-methyl styrene.