Bis(diazadiene)dichlororuthenium (R-DAD)2RuCl2 (1) (R-DAD = RN = CHCH = NR with R = 2,6-xylyl) reacts with 2 mol of potassium in tetrahydrofuran to give the unsaturated (R-DAD)2Ru (2) and its isomer (3), in which one of the o-methyl groups of R is metalated. The hydrogen is transferred to the neighbouring imine carbon of the DAD to form an iminaminato type ligand, N = CHCH2N. Reduction of 1 in the presence of hydrogen or addition of hydrogen to 2 affords a hydride (4) with one Ru-H bond and one iminaminato ligand. The addition is reversible and at higher temperatures 2 and 3 are formed again. Reduction of 1 with 3-4 mol of potassium gives a reduction product of composition K2[Ru(R-DAD)2] (5) and a deprotonation product (6). A single crystal X-ray diffraction study was performed for 6. The coordination of the Ru0 center is intermediate between square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal with four imine N donors and a carbon ligand, resulting from the o-methyl metalation of one R-DAD. [K(tmeda)2]+ is the counterion. The potassium ion being unsufficiently saturated by the tmeda ligands has further contacts with some of the carbon atoms of the o-methyl metalated aromatic ring.
Bis(diazadiene)dichlororuthenium (R-DAD)2RuCl2 (1) (R-DAD = RN = CHCH = NR with R = 2,6-xylyl) reacts with 2 mol of potassium in tetrahydrofuran to give the unsaturated (R-DAD)2Ru (2) and its isomer (3), in which one of the o-methyl groups of R is metalated. The hydrogen is transferred to the neighbouring imine carbon of the DAD to form an iminaminato type ligand, N = CHCH2N. Reduction of 1 in the presence of hydrogen or addition of hydrogen to 2 affords a hydride (4) with one Ru-H bond and one iminaminato ligand. The addition is reversible and at higher temperatures 2 and 3 are formed again. Reduction of 1 with 3-4 mol of potassium gives a reduction product of composition K2[Ru(R-DAD)2] (5) and a deprotonation product (6). A single crystal X-ray diffraction study was performed for 6. The coordination of the Ru0 center is intermediate between square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal with four imine N donors and a carbon ligand, resulting from the o-methyl metalation of one R-DAD. [K(tmeda)2]+ is the counterion. The potassium ion being unsufficiently saturated by the tmeda ligands has further contacts with some of the carbon atoms of the o-methyl metalated aromatic ring.