Metal-mediated rearrangement of 1,2-diphenylhydrazine to -semidine upon reaction with dichlorotris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(II).

Reaction between RuCl(PPh) and 1,2-diphenylhydrazine resulted in rearrangement and coordination of -semidine. The product, RuCl(PPh)(κ-NH-1,2-CH-NHPh), was characterized spectroscopically and the molecular structure was conclusively determined using X-ray crystallography. Computational chemistry was employed to probe the energetics surrounding the rearrangement reaction and product.

Robust Olefin Metathesis Catalyst Bearing a Tridentate Hemilabile NHC Ligand.

An olefin metathesis catalyst bearing a tridentate hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand was synthesized and characterized. The solid-state crystal structure reveals coordination from all three donation sites of the NHC ligand, giving rise to a stable 18-electron complex. Catalytic activity in three standard metathesis reactions was demonstrated, revealing our catalyst to be particularly long lived and highly selective in the self-metathesis of 1-decene.