SOME COMPLEXES OF RUTHENIUM(II) AND (III) WITH MONOTERTIARY PHOSPHINES AND ARSINES

Abstract

The complexes RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ and RuCl₃(AsPh₃)₂(MeOH) were employed as convenient starting materials. Methods were developed to prepare cis- or trans-isomers of the type RuCl₂L₄ (L=AsMePh₂, AsMe₂Ph) starting from RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃. Meridonial complexes of the type RuCl₃L₃ (L=PPh₃, PMePh₂, PMe₂Ph, PEtPh₂) were obtained by the reaction of Wilkinson ' s green complex, RuCl₃(AsPh₃)₂(MeOH) with an excess of L in benzene. In the presence of a large excess of methyl-diphenylphosphine in benzene, a five coordinate complex RuCl₂(PMePh₂)₃ was obtained. The temperature of the reaction and solvent decide the nature of the reaction product. Thus a polymeric complex of the composition [RuCl₂(AsPh₃)₂]_n was obtained from RuCl₃(AsPh₃)₂(MeOH) with triphenylarsine in boiling propanol. The reaction of RuCl₃.3H₂O with PPh₃ and then AsPh₃ in propanol gave mixed ligand polymers of the type [RuCl₂(PPh₃)(AsPh₃)]_n.