A green method was developed for the synthesis of CuFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles using a Neem fruit extract. The prepared nanoparticles with an average size of 19.7nm were used as an effective catalyst for the oxidation of various aryl alkanes in moderate to excellent yields under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was characterized by powder- XRD, SEM and TEM study. The key advantages of this protocol are simple preparation, a recyclable heterogeneous catalytic system, and benign reaction condition with good to excellent yields with high selectivity toward acid (42-87%).

Treatment of 3,4-(ClC(O))₂-^cC₄H₂S (1) with [FcCH₂OLi] (2-Li) (Fc = Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵-C₅H₄)) in a 1:2 ratio gave 3,4-(FcCH₂OC(O))₂-^cC₄H₂S (3). Compound 3 decomposes in solution during crystallization to produce FcCH₂OH (2) along with 3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic anhydride (4). The cyclic voltammogram of 3 exhibits a reversible ferrocene-related redox couple (E_1/2 = 108 mV, vs. Cp₂Fe/Cp₂Fe⁺) using [NⁿBu₄] [B(C₆F₅)₄] as the supporting electrolyte. DFT calculations reveal that the energy values of the LUMO orbitals of 3 (3,4-thiophene core) show 1 eV higher energies than that one of 2,5-(FcCH₂OC(O))₂-^cC₄H₂S (5), both compounds’ HOMO orbitals are close to each other. Compound 4 was characterized by single X-ray structure analysis. It forms a band-type structure based on intermolecular O1···S1 interactions being parallel to (110) and (1–10) in the solid state, while electrostatic C···O interactions between the C=O functionalities of adjacent molecules connect both 3D-networks. Hirshfeld surface analysis was used to gain more insight into the intermolecular interactions in 4, the enrichment ratios (E) suggest that O···H, S···S, and O···C are the most favored intermolecular interactions, as shown by E values above 1.20. The relevance of the weak O···H, O···O, and O···C contacts in stabilizing the molecular structure of 4 was highlighted by the interaction energies between molecular pairs.

The ability of a phosphine-appended-2,2′-bipyridine ligand ((Ph₂P)₂bpy) to serve as a platform for late-stage ligand modifications was evaluated using tetrahedral (Ph₂P)₂bpyFeCl₂. We employed a post-metalation Staudinger reaction to install a series of functionalized arenes, including those containing Brønsted and Lewis acidic groups. This reaction sequence represents a versatile strategy to both tune the ligand donor properties as well as directly incorporate appended functionality.

Here, we report an efficient and highly selective oxidation of lignin model substrate using phyto-mediated ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticle using Boswellia carterii extract. The nanocatalyst with an average size of 8 nm showed excellent photocatalytic activity of the synthesized carbonyl containing products under visible light irradiation. The catalytic activity and selectivity towards oxidation of vanillyl alcohol to vanillin with selectivity up to 99% at conversion over 98% and turn-over frequency values up to 1600 h⁻¹ were obtained in the presence of H₂O₂ and base. The cubic spinel nano-ZnFe₂O₄ catalyst was characterized by powder-XRD, FESEM, HR-TEM and Mössbauer analysis. The demonstrated catalyst was robust and stable under the reaction conditions. Furthermore, it was easy to be separated from the reaction mixture and be reused for subsequent reactions up to 5 times without significant reactivity or selectivity loss.