Edge-sharing bi-octahedral diruthenium(IV,IV) compounds containing Ru-Ru bonds chelated and bridged by two carbonate and two oxo groups.

From paddle-wheel starting material NaRu(CO)·6HO, a family of edge-sharing bi-octahedral (ESBO) diruthenium(IV,IV) compounds formulated as RuO(CO)(HO)L·HO [L = piperazine (1) or 2-methylpiperazine (2), = 4, and L = 2,2-dimethylpiperazine (3), = 12] and RuO(CO)(OH){M(HO)}·HO [M = Mg (4), = 4, and Ni (5), = 2] were prepared and structurally characterized. The Ru dimer is chelated and bridged by two CO and two μ-O in a manner, and the Ru-Ru distances fall in the range 2.3808(6)-2.