Ruthenium complexes of substituted hydrazine: new solution- and solid-state binding modes.

The methylhydrazine complex [Ru(NH(2)NHMe)(PyP)(2)]Cl(BPh(4)) (PyP=1-[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]pyrazole) was synthesised by addition of methylhydrazine to the bimetallic complex [Ru(mu-Cl)(PyP)(2)](2)(BPh(4))(2). The methylhydrazine ligand of the ruthenium complex has two different binding modes: side-on (eta(2)-) when the complex is in the solid state and end-on (eta(1)-) when the complex is in solution. The solid-state structure of [Ru(PyP)(2)(NH(2)NHMe)]Cl(BPh(4)) was determined by X-ray crystallography. 2D NMR spectroscopic experiments with (15)N at natural abundance confirmed that in solution the methylhydrazine is bound to the metal centre by only the -NH(2) group and the ruthenium complex retains an octahedral conformation. Hydrazine complexes [RuCl(PyP)(2)(eta(1)-NH(2)NRR')]OSO(2)CF(3) (in which R=H, R'=Ph, R=R'=Me and NRR'=NC(5)H(10)) were formed in situ by the addition of phenylhydrazine, 1,1-dimethylhydrazine and N-aminopiperidine, respectively, to a solution of the bimetallic complex [Ru(mu-Cl)(PyP)(2)](2)(OSO(2)CF(3))(2) in dichloromethane. These substituted hydrazine complexes of ruthenium were shown to exist in an equilibrium mixture with the bimetallic starting material.

mer and fac isomerism in tris chelate diimine metal complexes.

In this perspective, we highlight the issue of meridional (mer) and facial (fac) orientation of asymmetrical diimines in tris-chelate transition metal complexes. Diimine ligands have long been the workhorse of coordination chemistry, and whilst there are now good strategies to isolate materials where the inherent metal centered chirality is under almost complete control, and systematic methodologies to isolate heteroleptic complexes, the conceptually simple geometrical isomerism has not been widely investigated. In systems where the two donor atoms are significantly different in terms of the σ-donor and π-accepting ability, the fac isomer is likely to be the thermodynamic product. For the diimine complexes with two trigonal planar nitrogen atoms there is much more subtlety to the system, and external factors such as the solvent, lattice packing and the various steric considerations play a delicate role in determining the observed and isolable product. In this article we discuss the possibilities to control the isomeric ratio in labile systems, consider the opportunities to separate inert complexes and discuss the observed differences in their spectroscopic properties. Finally we report on the ligand orientation in supramolecular systems where facial coordination leads to simple regular structures such as helicates and tetrahedra, but the ability of the ligand system to adopt a mer orientation enables self-assembled structures of considerable beauty and complexity.

Weakly coordinating counter-ions for highly efficient catalysis of intramolecular hydroamination.

A series of cationic rhodium(I) and iridium(I) complexes of the type [M(L[symbol: see text]L)(C2)]BAr(F)24 (where M = Rh or Ir, L[symbol: see text]L = bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methane (bpm), bis(N-methylimidazol-2-yl)methane (bim) or 1-(2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl)-3,5-diphenylpyrazole (Ph2PyP), C2 = 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD) or (CO)2 and BAr(F)24 = tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate) were synthesised in good yields. The solid-state structure of a number of complexes, including [Ir(Ph2PyP)(COD)]BAr(F)24, [Ir(bpm)(COD)]BAr(F)24 and [Ir(bim)(COD)]BAr(F)24 was determined using X-ray crystallography. The efficiency of the complexes as catalysts for the intramolecular hydroamination of 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine, 4-pentyn-1-amine and 2-(2-phenylethynyl)aniline was established. The incorporation of the BAr(F)24- counter-ion in the Rh(I) and Ir(I) complexes was found to significantly improve the catalytic activity of the complexes, compared to the analogous Rh(I) and Ir(I) complexes containing BPh4- as the counter-ion. Excellent conversions were achieved for the cyclisation of 2-(2-phenylethynyl)aniline to 2-phenylindole using [Rh(bpm)(CO)2]BAr(F)24 as a catalyst. The use of a microwave reactor for enhancing the catalysed reactions was also investigated.

Rh(I) and Ir(I) catalysed intermolecular hydroamination with substituted hydrazines.

The catalysed intermolecular hydroamination of a series of terminal alkynes with substituted hydrazines was achieved using Rh(I) and Ir(I) complexes.

Ru and Os complexes containing a P,N-donor heterotopic ligand: the effect of solvent on stereochemistry.

Ruthenium and osmium complexes of the general formula MCl 2(PyP) 2 (where PyP is the P,N- donor ligand 1-(2-diphenylphosphinoethyl)pyrazole) were synthesized from MCl 2(PPh 3) 3 (where M = Ru or Os). Three of the five possible stereoisomers of RuCl 2(PyP) 2 were synthesized and characterized in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, and the structure of these in the solid state was determined by X-ray crystallography. Two of the analogous Os isomers were also synthesized. It was found that different solvents induced isomerization between these stereoisomers, indicating either lability of the chloride anion or hemilability of the PyP ligand. Bimetallic complexes of the general formula [Ru(mu-Cl)(PyP) 2] 2[X] 2 were synthesized from chloride abstraction from RuCl 2(PyP) 2 using either silver (X = OSO 2CF 3, BF 4) or sodium (X = BPh 4) salts. The osmium analogue of the Ru bimetallic complexes, [Os(mu-Cl)(PyP) 2] 2[BPh 4] 2, was also synthesized. Solid-state structures were obtained using X-ray crystallography for the osmium bimetallic complex and the ruthenium bimetallic complex where X = OSO 2CF 3. The hemilability of PyP was demonstrated through the synthesis of RuCl 2(CO)(kappa (1)- P-PyP)(kappa (2)- P, N-PyP), which contains one pendant PyP ligand, bound through the P-donor atom.