The co-crystallization of Ru((R)-binap)(η3-Me-allyl)2 and binap dioxide, and synthesis of Ru(Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2)(η3-Me-allyl)2

Rhodium(I)–(N-heterocyclic carbene)–diphosphine complexes

Reactions of [RhCl(COE)(IPr)]2 (1) and [RhCl(COE)(IMes)]2 (2) (COE = cyclooctene; IPr = N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene; IMes = N,N′-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) with the diphosphines Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2 and 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene (dppbz) give the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) – diphosphine – rhodium(I) complexes: RhCl(NHC)[Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2] [NHC = IPr, n = 1 (3); NHC = IMes, n = 1 (4); NHC = IPr, n = 2 (5); NHC = IMes, n = 2 (6); NHC = IPr, n = 4 (7); NHC = IMes, n = 4 (8)] and RhCl(NHC)(dppbz) [NHC = IPr (9); NHC = IMes (10)]. All the complexes are characterized by 1H, 31P{1H}, and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry. Complexes 3, 7, and 9 are also characterized crystallographically. In benzene solution, the complexes decompose in the presence of O2 with formation of the diphosphine dioxide, whereas reaction with CO leads to replacement of the NHC ligand to give known carbonyl–diphosphine complexes.

Organometallic chemistry of Ga(+): formation of an unusual gallium dimer in the coordination sphere of ruthenium

New insights into the distinct organometallic chemistry of the Ga(+) ion are presented. Ga(+) reacts as a strong electrophile with the electron rich ligand trismethylene-methane (C(CH(2))(3) (2-)) attached at Ru by insertion into a Ru--C bond. The resulting "gallamethylallyl" ligand behaves like strong nucleophile similar to known monovalent GaR species. This donor property leads to the dimeric structure of the product [{Ru(GaCp*)(3)[eta(3)-(CH(2))(2)C{CH(2)(mu-Ga)}]}(2)][(BAr(F))(2)] (4) (Cp*=C(5)Me(5), [BAr(F)]=[B{C(6)H(3)(CF(3))(2)}(4)]). Very unexpectedly, the two gallium ligands in this dimer are found in close vicinity to each other with a distance in the range of Ga--Ga bonds. Indeed, AIM calculations confirm a weak attractive closed shell Ga--Ga interaction. Finally, a novel example of a complex with substituent-free Ga(+) as a ligand was found in the compound [Ru(PCy(3))(2)(GaCp*)(2)(Ga)][BAr(F)] (6) (Cy=C(6)H(11), cyclohexyl), the very short Ru--Ga bond length confirming the assumption that Ga(+) represents a pure sigma/pi-accepting ligand in this case.