The first open-paddlewheel structures in diruthenium chemistry: examples of intermediate magnetic behaviour between low and high spin in Ru2(5+) species.

The reaction of [Ru(2)Cl(O(2)CMe)(DPhF)(3)] (DPhF=N,N'-diphenylformamidinate) with aqueous HCl leads to the substitution of the acetate ligand to give the complex [Ru(2)Cl(2)(DPhF)(3)] (1). Similar reaction of [Ru(2)(O(2)CMe)(DPhF)(3)(H(2)O)]BF(4) with aqueous HBr or HI produces [Ru(2)Br(2)(DPhF)(3)] (2), and [Ru(2)I(2)(DPhF)(3)] (3), respectively. The reaction of 1 with AgBF(4) to form the highly unsaturated unit [Ru(2)(DPhF)(3)](2+), which is isolated as [Ru(2)(BF(4))(DPhF)(3)(H(2)O)]BF(4) (4), and [Ru(2)(MeCN)(2)(DPhF)(3)](BF(4))(2) (5), is also reported. The use of AgNO(3) instead of AgBF(4) leads to [Ru(2)(NO(3))(2)(DPhF)(3)] (6). The magnetic behaviour of complexes 1-4 and 6 is intermediate between high- and low-spin configurations. A relationship between the magnetic behaviour and the visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectra is apparent. In addition, the crystal structure determinations of 2, 4.THF, and 6, have been carried out. Complexes 1-3, 5 and 6 are the first examples of open-paddlewheel structures in diruthenium chemistry. The BF(4) (-) bridging the metal centres in 4THF is activated and forms very short Ru-F bonds.