Reactivity of dinuclear arene ruthenium complexes: reactions of the hydrido complex [(p-Me-C6H4-Pr-i)(2)Ru2Cl2(mu-Cl)(mu-H)] with NaX and HX (X = F, Cl, Br, I)

The dinuclear hydride complex [(p-Me-C6H4-Pr')(2)Ru2Cl2(mu-Cl)(mu-H)] (1) reacts with the sodium halides NaX in methanol to give the halogen analogues [(p-Me-C6H4-Pr')(2)Ru2X2(mu-X)(mu-H)] (2: X = F, 3: X = Br, 4: X = I). With HX, complex 1 reacts to give the tetrahalo complexes [(p-Me-C6H4-Pr')(2)Ru2X2(mu-X)(2)] (5: X = Cl, 6: X = Br, 7: X = I); in the case of X = I, a large excess of HI leads to the formation of the cationic complex [(p-Me-C6H4-Pr')(2)Ru-2(mu-I)(3)](+) (8). The X-ray structure analysis of 1 shows a dinuclear Ru-2 backbone with two terminal chloro ligands being irans with respect to each other as the two p-cymene ligands, the two bridging ligands lie in a plane perpendicular to the plane defined by the terminal chloro ligands and the ruthenium atoms. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.