Ruthenium(II) NNO pincer type catalyst for the conversion of aldehydes to amides

The reaction of [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)(3)] and 2-(2-thiazolylazo) cresol ligand (TAC) in benzene under reflux afforded a new pincer type ruthenium(II) carbonyl complex containing thiazolylazo cresol of general formula [RuCl(CO)(PPh3)(TAC)] (TAC = mono anionic NNO donor). The complex has been characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, UV-Vis, and H-1 NMR spectral methods. The crystal structure of the complex [RuCl(CO)(PPh3)(TAC)] has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction which reveals the presence of a distorted octahedral geometry in the complex. The complex has been shown as an efficient catalyst for the conversion of aldehydes to amides in a one-pot process in the presence of NH2OH center dot HCl/NaHCO3. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.