Reactions of the ruthenium(II) complex [RuCl2(PPh2(CH2)(3)-eta(6)-C6H5)], containing a chelating eta(1):eta(6)-phosphinoarene ligand, with NH4PF6, in the presence of a variety of neutral two-electron donor ligands, have yielded a series of new cationic complexes of the general formula [RuCl(L)(PPh2(CH2)(3)-eta(6)-C6H5)][PF6] [L = P(OPh)(3) (1), P(OMe)(3) (2), PPh3 (3), PMe3 (4), NCMe (5), NC5H5 (6)]. The structures of complexes 3 and 5 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. In all cases H-1- and C-13{H-1}-NMR spectra showed characteristic upfield chemical shifts indicative of the presence of a pi-bound arene ligand. The eta(6)-C6H5 group displayed five inequivalent resonances in the H-1-NMR spectra, in most cases showing three triplets and two doublets (vicinal coupling, (3)J(HH) = 6.4-5.4 Hz) of relative intensities 1:1:1:1:1 and six peaks were observed for the eta(6)-C6H5 ligand in the respective C-13{H-1}-NMR spectra, consistent with C-1 molecular symmetry at the ruthenium centre in solution. Detailed assignment of the eta(6)-arene resonances has been achieved using a collection of H-1-H-1 COSY and H-1-C-13 correlation experiments, combined with a consideration of the relative magnetic anisotropic shielding and the trans influence effects attributed to the ligands L. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.