Pyridine-2-olato chelated ruthenium(II) organometallics incorporating imine-phenol function: spectroscopic, structural, electrochemical, and theoretical studies

Abstract

The heterogeneous phase reaction of excess sodium salt of 2-hydroxypyridine (OHpy) with [Ru(κ²C,O-RL)(PPh₃)₂(CO)Cl] (1) afforded complexes of the type [Ru(κ¹C-RL)(PPh₃)₂(CO)(Opy)] (2) in excellent yield [κ²C,O-RL is 4-methyl-6-((N-R-arylimino)methyl)phenolato-C²,O), κ¹C-RL is 4-methyl-6-((N-R-arylimino)methyl)phenol-C²) and R is H, Me, OMe, Cl]. The chelation of Opy is attended with the cleavage of Ru-O and Ru-Cl bonds and iminium-phenolato → imine-phenol prototropic shift. The 1→2 conversion is irreversible and the type 2 species are thermodynamically more stable than the acetate, nitrite, and nitrate complexes of 1. The spectral (UV-vis, IR, NMR) and electrochemical data of the complexes are reported. In dichloromethane solution the complexes display one quasi-reversible Ru^III/Ru^II cyclic voltammetric response with E_1/2 in the range 0.65–0.69 V versus Ag/AgCl. The crystal and molecular structures of [Ru(κ¹C-HL)(PPh₃)₂(CO)(Opy)]·2C₆H₆·0.5H₂O, 2(H)·2C₆H₆·0.5H₂O and [Ru(κ¹C-ClL)(PPh₃)₂(CO)(Opy)]·2C₆H₆·0.25H₂O, 2(Cl)·2C₆H₆·0.25H₂O are reported, which revealed a distorted octahedral RuC₂P₂NO coordination sphere. The pairs (P,P), (C,O), and (C,N) define the three trans directions. The electronic structures of the complexes are also scrutinized by density functional theory.

Keywords:

• Ruthenium
• crystal structure
• DFT calculation
• prototropic shift
• electrochemistry
• pyridine-2-olato complexes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

M. K. Ghosh and S. Mondal thank University Grants Commission (UGC), India, for the predoctoral fellowships. The crystallographic studies were supported by CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UID/CTM/50011/2013), financed by National Funds through the FCT/MEC and co-financed by QREN-FEDER through COMPETE under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. Financial supports from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (no. SR/S1/IC-65/2010) and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, India (no. 01(2898)/17/EMR-II) are gratefully acknowledged, University of Kalyani for infrastructural facilities. The support of DST under FIST program to the Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani is also acknowledged.