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The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methane (CH4) holds tremendous potential in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and producing renewable fuels. Thus, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the utilization of copper-based metal–organic frameworks (Cu-MOFs) as catalysts for this transformative process. Diverse key aspects of Cu-MOFs that make them ideal candidates for CO2 reduction are discussed, including their high surface areas, tunable pore sizes, and customizable active sites. Furthermore, recent advances in the design and synthesis of Cu-MOFs tailored specifically for enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity towards CH4 production are highlighted. Additionally, mechanistic insights into the CO2 reduction process on Cu-MOF catalysts are examined. Moreover, the recent application of diverse Cu-MOFs and derived materials in electrochemical reduction systems is discussed, and future research directions and potential applications of Cu-MOFs in sustainable energy conversion technologies are outlined. Thus, this review provides valuable insights into the current state of the art and the prospects for utilizing Cu-MOFs as efficient catalysts for the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to CH4, offering a pathway towards a greener and more sustainable energy future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of noble-metal-free catalysis in organic chemistry is a trending topic in constant growth due to the price increase of noble metals and their scarce abundance. As a result, many earth-abundant transition-metal complexes containing nickel, iron, or cobalt have been successfully applied in the homogeneous catalysis of a wide number of cross-coupling reactions, and the use of pincer complexes based on these earth-abundant metals was recently explored, affording interesting results. Thus, this review provides a general overview of earth-abundant 3D pincer complexes and their application during the last decade as catalysts in cross-coupling reactions such as Kumada–Corriu, Suzuki–Miyaura, Sonogashira, C–S cross-coupling, and C–N bond-forming reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Azolium salts from 5,6-dinitrobenzimidazole were obtained. • NHC-Ir(I) complexes of these azolium salts were synthesized. • The NHC-Ir(I) are cytotoxic against different human cancer cell lines. The design, synthesis, characterization and in vitro anticancer activity of a series of Ir(I) NHC complexes derived from 5,6-dinitrobenzimidazole is reported. The evaluation was performed in five human cancer cell-lines, namely glioblastoma (U-251), prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC-3), colorectal adenocarcinoma (HCT-15), mammary adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and lung adenocarcinoma (SKLU-7), including healthy cells of African green monkey kidney (COS-7) for comparative purposes. The complexes exhibited better activity in comparison with the corresponding NHC ligand precursors. In particular, complex (4a) exhibited a good performance against PC-3 and SKLU-1 with IC 50 values of 10.6 ± 0.9 μM and 10.4 ± 1.5 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of three novel curcumin derivative compounds, featuring aza-crown ether macrocycles of various sizes (aza-12-crown-4, aza-15-crown-5, and aza-18-crown-6), is described. The incorporation of these aza-crown macrocycles significantly enhances their water solubility, positioning them as groundbreaking instances of curcumin derivatives that are fully soluble in aqueous environments. These curcumin ligands (L1, L2, and L3) were then reacted with zinc acetate to afford the coordination metal complexes (L1-Zn, L2-Zn, and L3-Zn). Comprehensive characterization of all compounds was achieved using various analytical techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (ESI+), elemental analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of both, ligands and complexes were evaluated on three human cancer cell lines (U-251, MCF-7, and SK-LU-1). Compared to conventional curcumin, these compounds demonstrated improved antiproliferative potential. Additionally, a wound healing assay was conducted to assess their antimigration properties. The obtained results suggest that these modifications to the curcumin structure represent a promising approach for developing therapeutic agents with enhanced cytotoxic properties., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)