Soluble nitrosoguanidine- and N-methylnitrosoguanidine-based
metallotriazole complexes of ruthenium(II) monocarbonyls have been
prepared and characterized. Both nitrosoguanidines prove to be strong
chelates with the formally π-accepting nitroso nitrogen binding cis to carbon monoxide and a π-donating amide trans to the CO. The resulting ensemble consists of ruthenium
examples of 1-metallo-2,3,5-triazoles. The ruthenium coordination
sphere is completed by anions, either H–, Cl–, or Ph–, trans to
the nitroso group as well as two mutually trans PPh3 groups. The π-donating amide group is formally sp2 hybridized with a planar nitrogen to give a strongly bound
five-membered chelating anion. Together, these results illustrate
the remarkable potential for the nitrosoguanidinates as a family of
new metal chelates.