Vinylidene rutheniums with an electrostructurally-flexible NO ligand and their ruthenacyclobutene formation.

Vinylidene ruthenium complexes were prepared from trichloronitrosylbis(phosphine)rutheniums and terminal alkynes, subsequent cycloaddition of methyl propiolate to the vinylidene complexes giving rise to unusual ruthenacyclobutene species; in these transformations, an interesting electrostructurally-flexible behaviour of the NO ligand was observed.

Syntheses of four-membered metallacyclic complexes with nitrosylruthenium and their ring-opening upon HCl addition.

Symmetrically disubstituted bis(3-hydroxyalkynyl) complex [TpRu{C[triple chemical bond]CCPh(2)(OH)}(2)(NO)] (1) (Tp = BH(pyrazol-1-yl)(3)) and unsymmetrically mixed (arylalkynyl)(3-hydroxyalkynyl) congener [TpRu(C[triple chemical bond]CC(6)H(4)Me){C[triple chemical bond]CCPh(2)(OH)}(NO)] (2) were newly prepared. Treatment of 1 or 2 with p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate was carried out to give unusual four-membered metallacyclic complexes [TpRu{C(=C=CPh(2))C(O)C(=CPh(2))}(NO)] (3) and [TpRu{C(=C=CPh(2))C(O)CH(C(6)H(4)Me)}(NO)] (5), respectively, as major products. Formation mechanism of 3 and 5 would involve insertion of the generated allenylidene group (Ru=C=C=CPh(2)) into the other Ru--C(alkynyl) bond, followed by hydration of the resulting alpha-alkynyl--allenyl fragment.

Regioselective nucleophilic addition of triphenylphosphine to the nitrosylruthenium alkynyl complexes having a hydrotris(pyrazol-1-yl)borate: formation of phosphonio-alkenyl, alkynyl, and allenyl species.

A nitrosylruthenium alkynyl complex of TpRuCl(C[triple bond]CPh)(NO)(1a) was reacted with PPh3 in the presence of HBF4.Et2O at room temperature to give a beta-phosphonio-alkenyl complex (E)-[TpRuCl{CH=C(PPh3)Ph}(NO)]BF4(2.BF4).

Hydration of nitrosylruthenium bis(alkynyl) complexes with hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate: insertion/hydration and double hydration products.

Hydration of nitrosylruthenium bis(alkynyl) complex TpRu(CCPh)2(NO) (1) (Tp = BH(pyrazol-1-yl)3) was carried out in the presence of HBF4.Et2O in distilled MeOH and afforded the metallacycle TpRu{CH=C(Ph)C(O)CH(Ph)}(NO) (2) (39%) and the bis(ketonyl) TpRu(CH2C(O)Ph)2(NO) (3) (37%). While double hydration of 1 gave 3, 2 was produced through a combination of insertion and hydration processes.