A new oxovanadium(IV) complex containing an O,N-bidentate Schiff base ligand: Synthesis at ambient temperature, characterization, crystal structure and catalytic performance in selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfones using H2O2 under solvent-free cond

•Synthesis of O,N-bidentate Schiff base ligand (HL) and its oxovanadium(IV) complex (VOL2).•Crystal structure of VOL2.•The use of VOL2 as catalyst.•Oxidation of sulfides to sulfones using H2O2 as oxidant under solvent-free conditions.

A new bidentate ON Schiff base ligand, HL, was synthesized by simple condensation reaction of isopropylamine and salicylaldehyde. Then by reaction of HL and VO(acac)2 in the ratio of 2:1 at ambient temperature, a new oxovanadium(IV) Schiff base complex, VOL2, was synthesized. The Schiff base ligand and its oxovanadium(IV) complex were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and UV–visible spectroscopies. The crystal structure of oxovanadium(IV) complex, VOL2, was also determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. The vanadium center in this structure is coordinated to two bidentate Schiff base ligands with the two nitrogen and two phenolate oxygen atoms in equatorial positions and one oxo oxygen in the axial position to complete the distorted trigonal bipyramidal N2O3 coordination sphere.Catalytic performance of the VOL2 complex was studied in the selective oxidation of thioanisole with the green oxidant 35% aqueous H2O2 under solvent-free conditions and under organic solvents (EtOH, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, DMF, CH3CN, EtOAc) as a model. Due to better catalytic performance of the VOL2 complex under solvent-free conditions, this complex used for the oxidation of the different sulfides to the corresponding sulfones under solvent-free conditions. The use of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and the absence of solvent makes these reactions interesting from environmental and economic points of view.

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