The ligand (Ph 2 P) 2 CdCH 2 (dppen) reacts with [RuCl 2 (PPh 3 ) 3 ] in CH 2 Cl 2 to give trans-[RuCl 2 (dppen) 2 ], 1. Complex 1 has reversible Ru(II)/Ru(III) electrochemistry, and on treatment with NOBF 4 , 1 affords [RuCl 2 (dppen) 2 ]BF 4 , 1 + . Refluxing solutions of 1 in chlorobenzene affords cis-[RuCl 2 (dppen) 2 ], 2. With excess RNH 2 in chlorobenzene or toluene, 1 reacts to give functionalized diphosphine complexes of general formula trans-principally by a small upfield shift in their 31 P{ 1 H} NMR spectra compared to that of 1 and by their distinctive 1 H NMR spectra. Complex 3b‚4MeOH crystallizes in the space group P1 h with a ) 11.448(6) Å, b ) 13.10(1) Å, c ) 11.178(7) Å, R ) 93.16(6)°, β ) 99.51(5)°, γ ) 92.19(5)°, V ) 1648(2) Å 3 , and D calcd ) 1.250 g cm -3 for Z ) 1. Complex 3e reacts with the surface hydroxyl groups of indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, to give monolayers of anchored, redox-active Ru(II)-diphosphine complexes, characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The modified electrodes are stable to repetitive cycling over the Ru(II)/Ru(III) redox wave in acetonitriletetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate and in aqueous buffer (pH 8). With anodized Pt electrodes, however, 3e reacts to form multilayers. Reaction of 1 with secondary amines is more sluggish than reaction with primary amines, and only adducts with pyrrolidine (3f) and morpholine (3g; impure) were isolated. With LiCtC(CH 2 ) 3 -CH 3 , 1 reacts to give trans-[Ru(CtCR) 2 ({Ph 2 P} 2 CHCH 2 CtCR) 2 ] (R ) n-butyl, 5); acetylide nucleophiles displace the chloride ligands as well as adding to the dppen double bonds of 1. Other carbanions fail to react with 1. The cis complex 2 reacts with a limited range of primary amines, to afford cis-[RuCl 2 ({Ph 2 P} 2 CHCH 2 NHR) 2 ] (R: n-hexyl, 4a; [CH 2 ] 3 Si[OEt] 3 , 4b). However, 4b was too insoluble for electrode derivatization. The "half-sandwich" complex [CpRuCl(dppen)] (6; Cp ) η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) also reacts with RNH 2 to give [CpRuCl({PPh 2 } 2 CHCH 2 NHR)] (R: -[CH 2 ] 3 NH 2 , 7a; -CH 2 Ph, 7b).