The hydridoruthenium(1i) complex [RuCI(CO)H( PPh,),](1) reacted smoothly with dimethyl maleate and diethyl maleate at room temperature to give insertion products,(2; R = Me) and (3; R = Et), respectively. Complex (2) was also formed by reaction of (1 ) with dimethyl fumarate. Complexes (2) and (3) were converted into binuclear complexes [{hu[CH(CO,R)CH,C(b)OR](p-CI)(CO)(PPh,)},] (4; R = Me) and (5; R = Et), respectively, by heating above 100 "C. Complex (4) reacted with Na[BH(pz),] (pz = 1 -pyrazolyl) at ambient temperature to afford [Ru{CH(CO,Me)CH,CO,Me}(CO){BH(pz),)( PPh,)]. Complexes (I), (2), and ( 4) were found to catalyze cis-trans isomerization of dialkyl maleates above 100 "C. A kinetic study of the isomerization of dimethyl maleate revealed that the reaction rates were proportional to the concentrations of both the substrate and the catalyst, and that the ratio of the catalytic constants per ruthenium atom is about 1.6 : 1 .O: 0.36 for (1 ), (2), and (4), respectively, at 120 "C. Addition of PPh, to the catalyst accelerated the reaction rates. It is deduced that the