We report here an accurate surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) approach to propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) using a μ2-oxo-bridged, bimetallic [V2O4(acac)2] (1) (acac = acetylacetonate anion) complex as a precursor. The identity and the nuclearity of the product of grafting and of the subsequent oxidative treatment have been systematically studied by means of FT-IR, Raman, solid-state (SS) NMR, UV–vis DRS, EPR and EXAFS spectroscopies. We show that the grafting of 1 on the silica surface under a rigorous SOMC protocol and the subsequent oxidative thermal treatment lead exclusively to well-defined and isolated monovanadate species. The resulting material has been tested for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane in a moderate temperature range (400–525 °C) and compared with that of silica-supported vanadium catalysts prepared by the standard impregnation technique. The experimental results show that the catalytic activity in propane ODH is strongly upgraded by the degree of isolation of the VO x species that can be achieved by employing the SOMC protocol.

A carbon-monoxide-free aminocarbonylation of various N-substituted formamides with aryl iodides and aryl bromides using palladium acetate and Xantphos is described. The developed methodology is applicable for a wide range of formamides and aryl halides containing different functional groups furnishing good to excellent yield of the corresponding products. N-substituted formamides are used as an amide source wherein a Vilsmeier-type intermediate plays a major role, thus eliminating the need of toxic carbon monoxide gas.

A novel method for cyanation of aryl halides using formamide as a non-toxic cyanide source is reported. It is a single-step, solvent-free method wherein formamide itself acts as solvent as well as source of cyanide in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride and palladium acetate/xantphos catalyst. Aryl iodides as well as aryl bromides provided moderate to excellent yields of up to 93%.

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