In recent years, metallodrugs have emerged as captivating and promising compounds in the fields of cancer therapy and antimicrobial agents. While noble metals have shown remarkable biological activity, increasing interest lies in utilizing more abundant and cost-effective metals in medicinal chemistry. This is primarily due to their pivotal role in biological processes and their lower cost compared to precious metals. Among these, copper(II) complexes have emerged with promising applications in medicine. Notably, copper compounds bearing Schiff bases stand out as innovative metallodrugs. They exhibit intriguing cytotoxic properties against a wide range of cancer cell lines, while also demonstrating inhibitory effects on prevalent bacterial and fungal strains. Nevertheless, research into Cu(II) complexes with Schiff bases remains of paramount interest. One strategic avenue to bolster their biological activity involves the introduction of fluorine groups into the ligands. This approach has demonstrated a significant augmentation in efficacy and selectivity, particularly in targeting cancer cells and microbial pathogens, because fluorine incorporation can improve metabolic stability and cellular uptake. This further reinforces the therapeutic potential of these metallodrugs. Thanks to these promising outcomes, research into the development of Cu(II) complexes with fluorinated Schiff bases is advancing significantly. This holds immense potential for progressing the field of medicinal chemistry, with the aim of addressing unmet clinical needs in both cancer therapy and antimicrobial treatment. This review comprehensively explores the latest advancements in Cu(II) complexes bearing fluorinated Schiff bases, encompassing diverse coordination modes. It delves into their scope and applications in cytotoxic evaluations, as well as their efficacy as antimicrobial and antifungal agents.

C–H bond activation is a crucial synthetic strategy widely utilized in both academic and industrial settings. Due to the strong and kinetically inert nature of the C–H bond, its functionalization typically requires metal-based catalysts. This review highlights the most significant advancements in homogeneously catalyzed reactions using pincer complexes with metals from groups 8–10, capable of promoting challenging C–H activation, published since 2010. In particular, it focuses on C–H bond activation for borylation, isomerization, and dehydrogenation, among other processes, discussing their scope and mechanistic insights.

A series of Pd( ii ) and Cu( ii ) complexes bearing N -aryl fluorinated O -glycoconjugate Schiff base ligands were synthesized and fully characterized, and their potential anticancer activities were explored.

Development of a highly selective process for the production of γ-valerolactone from levulinic acid using formic acid, facilitated by a recyclable bifunctional ruthenium catalyst with acid-base properties.

A series of three Ni(II)‐POCOP complexes para‐functionalized with an acetoxyl fragment were synthesized. All complexes (2 a–c) were fully characterized through standard analytical techniques. The molecular structure of complex 2 b was unambiguously determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, revealing that the metal center is situated in a slightly distorted square‐planar environment. Additionally, the acetoxy fragment at the para‐position of the phenyl ring was found to be present. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of all complexes was assessed on six human cancer cell lines. Notably, complex 2 b exhibited selective activity against K‐562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia) and MCF‐7 (mammary adenocarcinoma) with IC₅₀ values of 7.32±0.60 μM and 14.36±0.02 μM, respectively. Furthermore, this compound showed negligible activity on the healthy cell line COS‐7, highlighting the potential therapeutic application of 2 b. The cytotoxic evaluations were further complemented with molecular docking calculations to explore the potential biological targets of complex 2 b, revealing interactions with cluster differentiation protein 1a (CD1 A, PDB: 1xz0) for K‐562 and with the progesterone receptor for MCF‐7.

Para -functionalized Ni( ii )-POCOP pincer complexes with poly-aromatic fragments were obtained and used as efficient catalysts in C–S cross-couplings of thiols.