Isatin Schiff base ligands in combination with redox active metal ions have the potential to behave as non-innocent ligands facilitating industrially important chemical reactions. The ligand structure is easily modified by introducing substituents in three different positions, affecting the electron density distribution that was evaluated by Mulliken charge analysis and cyclic voltammetry for a range of isatin derivatives. It was noticed that coordination of these ligands to copper(II) bromide in alcohol resulted in copper reduction to Cu(I) species and alcohol oxidation. Compared to organic chemistry, the inorganic chemistry of these ligands remains poorly examined. Here, we present the structural study of sixteen novel copper complexes with mononuclear [Cu(L)₂]Hal_2/1 and halo-bridged binuclear [Cu₂(μ-Hal)₂(L)₂] structures (L = isatin Schiff base ligand; Hal = Cl, Br and I). Finally, application of the above complexes for alcohol oxidation was evaluated: the complexes selectively catalyse benzyl alcohol oxidation to the corresponding aldehyde with almost quantitative yields and high selectivity.

A simple method for the mechanochemical synthesis of an effective metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction was demonstrated. A nitrogen-doped carbon material was obtained by grinding a mixture of graphene oxide and melamine in a planetary ball mill. The resulting material was characterized by XPS, EPR, and Raman and IR spectroscopy. The nitrogen concentration on the N-bmGO surface was 5.5 at.%. The nitrogen-enriched graphene material (NbmGO has half-wave potential of −0.175/−0.09 V and was shown to possess high activity as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. The electrocatalytic activity of NbmGO can be associated with a high concentration of active sites for the adsorption of oxygen molecules on its surface. The high current retention (93% for 12 h) after continuous polarization demonstrates the excellent long-term stability of NbmGO.

Physical and chemical characteristics of few-layer graphene structures (FLGS) obtained in various modes of electrochemical exfoliation of graphite have been studied. The FLGS synthesis was performed by the application of voltage pulses from a high current generator to the graphite electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution. FLGS were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, infrared, X-ray photoelectron, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The suggested one-step synthesis allows a controlled variation of typical size of FLGS and the content of oxygen functional groups on the FLGS surface in the range from 7 to 26 at. %, with the highest degree of functionalization by oxygen functional groups such as OH/C-O-C and C = O achieved in the case of the anode plasma-assisted electrochemical exfoliation of graphite.