One-pot three-step mechanically assisted synthesis and catalytic performance of tripodal metallic complexes

Mechanosynthesis is an emergent green technology that can be applied under solventless or vestigial solvent conditions. Major advantages lie in waste reduction and lower energy consumption, without compromising or enhancing reaction conversion. In this work, we reported for the first time a one-pot three-step, ligand to catalysis, mechanically assisted synthesis. Tripodal nitrogen-based ligands were complexed with different metals, and these new metallic complexes, produced in high yield, were further investigated in the mechanically assisted oxidation of (R)-limonene. Using m-chloroperbenzoic acid as the oxidant and the iron complex, under solventless conditions at room temperature, (R)-limonene was selectively oxidized (77.5%) to dihydrocarvone in quantitative yield for short reaction time.