The first heterometallic clusters containing the SnR', (R' = 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) moiety have been prepared. Triruthenium dodecacarbonyl reacted at low temperatures with SnR', or, at higher temperatures, with its trimer (SnR',), to give both [Ru,(CO),,(p-SnR',),] 1 and [Ru,(CO),(p-SnR',),] 2. Reaction of the pentametallic species [RU,(CO),~(~-S~L,),] [L = R = CH(SiMe,), 3 or R'] with SnR', or SnR, respectively afforded the hexametallic clusters [Ru,(CO),(p-SnR,)(p-SnR',),] 4 and [ R u , ( C O ) ~( ~S ~R , ) , ( ~-S ~R ' , ) I 5. In the reaction of [Ru,(CO),,] with SnR, the hexametallic cluster [Ru,(CO),(p-SnR,),] 6 has now been isolated in addition to the previously reported Ru3Sn, cluster. The trimer (SnR',), also reacted with [RU,(CO)~ o(dppm)] (dppm = Ph,PCH,PPh,) to give [Ru,(CO),(p-SnR',),(dppm)] 7, whereas with SnR, the product was [Ru,(CO),(p-SnR,)(p-dppm)] 8. Compound 7 can also be obtained by the reaction of 2 with dppm, using sodium-benzophenone to activate the cluster. Reaction of the dodecacarbonyl with Sn[CH(PPh,),], or its lead analogue surprisingly did not yield a mixed cluster, but afforded a rapid and quantitative route to [Ru,(CO),o(dppm)]. Compound 2 behaves similarly, yielding 7 again in high yield. The crystal and molecular structures of 2 , 4 , 5 and 8 have been determined. In compounds 2 , 4 and 5, the ruthenium triangle and the three tin atoms form a planar array. A detailed comparison of ligand steric effects is made. In 8 the metal atoms and the two P atoms are coplanar, with a long Ru-Ru vector bridged by the R,Sn group and the diphosphine [2.954(2) A]. The structure of 4 is unusual, the characteristic aryltin twist on only