Zinc(II)-1,3,5-triazapentadienate complex as effective catalyst in Henry reaction

•Chlorinated 1,3,5-triazapentadienato ligand.•One-pot template synthesis of 1,3,5-triazapentadienato-zinc(II) complex.•The complex acts as an effective catalyst in the nitroaldol (Henry) reaction.

Template condensation of CCl3CN and ammonia on zinc(II) (used as acetate) afforded, in one step, bis(2,4-bis(trichloromethyl)-1,3,5-triazapentadienato)-zinc(II) 1, which was characterized by elemental analysis, ESI-MS, IR and X-ray single-crystal analysis. The complex 1 was shown to be an effective catalyst in the nitroaldol (Henry) reaction, providing high yields (up to 99%) and good diastereoselectivities (threo/erythro up to 3:1) at ambient conditions.

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