Behaviour of [Ru2(CO)4({µ-MeCO2-O,O′)2(PBun3)2] in the presence of hydrogen: synthesis and X-ray structure of polynuclear ruthenium carbonyl hydrides containing an encapsulated phosphide ligand

Abstract

The compound [Ru₂(CO)₄(µ₃-MeCO₂-O,O′)₂(PBuⁿ₃)₂] under hydrogen (170 atm), between 140 and 200 °C, undergoes rearrangements. Several phosphine-and phosphide-substituted ruthenium carbonyl hydrides are formed. Among them, [Ru₃(µ-H)₂(CO)₇(µ₃-PBuⁿ)(PBuⁿ₃)₂], [Ru₆(µ-H)₆(µCO)(CO)₁₂(µ-PBuⁿ₂)(PBuⁿ₃)₂(µ₆-P)], and [Ru₇(µ-H)₈(CO)₁₂(µ₃-PBuⁿ)(µ-PBuⁿ₂)-PBuⁿ₃)₃(µ₆-P)] were isolated and identified. The X-ray crystal structure analyses performed on the three new products have shown boat metal clusters for the last two, containing an encapsulated phosphide ligand.