Table of contents

New data on the synthesis and properties of cyclopentadienyltricarbonylmanganese (cymantrene) derivatives are considered.

The methods used to increase the catalytic activity of transition metal complexes in hydrocarbon (in particular, alkylarene) oxidation with molecular oxygen are briefly considered. The attention is focused on the method proposed by the authors for controlling the catalytic activity of the complexes MLn¹ (M=Ni(II), Fe(II,III); L=acac, enamac, n=2, 3) used in alkylarene oxidation to hydroperoxides by introducing additional electron-donating mono- or polydentate modifying ligands L². The role of H-bonds in the mechanisms of homogeneous catalysis is discussed. A strategy for controlling the catyalytic activity of Fe(II,III)(acac)n·L² complexes (L²=R₄NBr or 18-crown-6) by adding low concentrations of H₂O is proposed. The activities of Ni and Fe catalysts in the microstages of chain initiation and propagation in a radical chain process of ethylbenzene oxidation are estimated.

The review is devoted to heterogeneous catalysts for selective hydrogenation of highly unsaturated impurities (dienes and acetylenes) in hydrocarbonic streams. The most promising systems are nanocomposites on the basis of palladium or gold.

Nanomaterials for which one can follow the mutual influence of electric, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties, specifically, multiferroics, spintronics, piezoelectrics, magnetostrictors, thermo- and chemoelectrics and metamaterials are considered. Examples of nanodevices using multifunctional nanomaterials are given.