Two cadmium(II) complexes with oxazoline-based ligands as effective catalysts for C–N cross-coupling reactions

•Binuclear [{(DMOX)CdCl}2(μ-Cl)2] (1) and mononuclear [(Dm-Pybox)CdCl2] (2) have been synthesized and characterized.•The supramolecular structures of complexes 1 and 2 feature helical chains fabricated by C–H⋯Cl hydrogen bond interactions.•Bimetallic complex 1 is efficient in catalyzing C–N cross-coupling of amine with aryl halide.

Binuclear [{(DMOX)CdCl}2(μ-Cl)2] (DMOX = 4,5-dihydro-2-(4,5-dihydro-4,4-dimethyloxazol-2-yl)-4,4-dimethyl-oxazole) (1) and mononuclear [(Dm-Pybox)CdCl2] (Dm-Pybox = 2,6-bis[4′,4′-dimethyloxazolin-2′-yl]pyridine) (2) were obtained by reacting CdCl2 with DMOX and Dm-Pybox ligands, respectively. In the solid state, the supramolecular structures of 1 and 2 feature helical chains fabricated by C–H⋯Cl hydrogen bond interactions. The C–N cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by the two complexes were also investigated in homogeneous system. The results show that binuclear complex 1 exhibit significantly enhanced catalytic activity for C–N cross-coupling reactions.

Graphical abstractBimetallic complex [{(DMOX)CdCl}2(μ-Cl)2] (1) is efficient in catalyzing C–N cross-coupling of amine with aryl halide.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide