Recent trends in Ru complex chemistry are surveyed with emphasis on the development of anticancer drugs and applications in catalysis, polymers, materials science and nanotechnology.

By focusing on recent developments on natural and non-natural azasugars (iminocyclitols), this review bolsters the case for the role of olefin metathesis reactions (RCM, CM) as key transformations in the multistep syntheses of pyrrolidine-, piperidine- and azepane-based iminocyclitols, as important therapeutic agents against a range of common diseases and as tools for studying metabolic disorders. Considerable improvements brought about by introduction of one or more metathesis steps are outlined, with emphasis on the exquisite steric control and atom-economical outcome of the overall process. The comparative performance of several established metathesis catalysts is also highlighted.

An array of heterobimetallic Pd/Ln MOFs (1–4) with Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy as preferred metal nodes and 1,1′-di(p-carboxybenzyl)-2,2′-diimidazole (H₂L) as a fairly suitable bifunctional organic linker have been synthesized, fully characterized and tested as catalysts in cross-coupling reactions. These robust MOFs, ensuring a uniform distribution of Pd, showed excellent stability in air and high catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura reactions conducted in neat water, neat ethanol as well as water–ethanol mixture. Depending on the solvent, complex 1 could be effectively recycled 4–8 times without significant loss of catalytic activity. Importantly, this complex was found to be pH responsive in a reversible way, enabling convenient recovery from acidic aqueous solutions, indicating good recyclability as well as environment-friendly separation of the metal residues after the reaction.

We report on the first Suzuki–Miyaura reaction promoted by a phosphine-free trimetallic Pd₂/Co catalyst proceeding in water, under aerobic conditions. Results reveal a synergistic Co–Pd cooperation.