Double Intramolecular 1,2 C–H Addition of o-Methyl Groups To Form Ruthenium Pincer Double Tuck-In Complexes

Abstract

Ruthenium pincer complexes have a rich history of coordination and reaction chemistries. In this work, we report our discoveries of previously unreported Ru pincer coordination geometries. We found that mono tuck-in κ 4 -ArPN H PRuLCl complexes react with NaN(SiMe 3 ) 2 producing double tuck-in mer-κ 5 -ArPN H PRuL complexes. Interestingly, when κ 4 -MesPN H PRuCl is dehydrohalogenated, the resulting double tuck-in complex binds N 2 , forming the nitrogen complex κ 5 -MesPN H PRuN 2 . The mer-κ 5 -ArPN H PRuL complexes thermally isomerize to the fac-κ 5 -ArPN H PRuL isomers, which is an uncommon reaction for pincer complexes. The mer-κ 5 -ArPN H PRuL complexes react with CO and CO 2 to form amide κ 4 -ArPN H PRu(CO)L or carbamate κ 5 -ArPN(CO 2 )PRuL complexes, respectively, supporting the hypothesis that the κ 4 -ArPNPRuL amide intermediates are accessible and reactive.