This work reports the synthesis, structure and catalytic activity of a novel ruthenium(II) complex, [RuCl(dppb)(44bipy)(4-pic)]PF6 (where dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphine)butane; 44bipy = 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-dipyridyl; 4-pic = 4-picoline). The molecular structure and catalytic activity were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Vis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography, while the electronic structure was investigated by density-functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TD-DFT) methods. Electrochemical studies showed the substitution of the chlorido ligand from the precursor by the 4-pic ligand, exhibiting the RuII/RuIII process at 1.21 V. The structure of the compound was optimized using DFT simulations and showed data similar to the X-ray structure. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum showed a good agreement with TD-DFT simulations. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies were determined at the Becke, 3-parameter, Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) level. The study of the catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones by the 1H NMR showed efficient transfer hydrogenation reaction at 60 ºC, employing acetophenone as substrate and resulting in a high conversion. The formation of two ruthenium-hydride species was observed.

A thiourea derivative, N-[(phenylcarbonyl)carbamothioyl]benzamide, was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, thermal analysis, spectroscopic methods (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Vis, Raman, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)) and quantum-chemical calculations. The synthetic route was simple and efficient, conducted just by one-step and no purification step was needed. The compound crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric orthorhombic crystal system with a P21 21 21 space group, with a= 5.06220(10) Å, b= 11.8623(3) Å, c= 21.9682(8) Å. The molecular conformation of the solid is stabilized by the N-H···O intramolecular hydrogen bond, which was present in the X-ray structure and was also found in the optimized geometry. The theoretical analysis showed that this strong interaction remains even when molecules are solvated, i.e., the rotation barrier and the hydrogen bond strength are greater than the solvent stabilization energy. In addition to this hydrogen bond effect, the relative position of phenyl groups has a certain influence on the chemical behavior of this thiourea and probably for other phenylthioureas.