Oxygen Activation on Nickel(<scp>II</scp>)tetrahydrosalen Complexes with the Formation of Nickel(<scp>II</scp>)dihydrosalen Complexes

Abstract

The oxidative dehydrogenation of only one CN bond in the [Ni(tetrahydrosalen)] complex 1 surprisingly affords the corresponding [Ni(dihydrosalen)] complex. This reaction is thus a rare example of the activation of oxygen by nickel complexes. The Ni atom in 1 has an almost square-planar coordination geometry, and the two benzene rings are bent slightly upwards and downwards relative to the NiO2N2 plane.