Amino acid complexes of ruthenium: synthesis, characterization and cyclic voltammetric studies

Reaction of α-amino acids (HL) with [Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂] in the presence of a base afforded a family of complexes of type [Ru(PPh₃)₂(L)₂]. These complexes are diamagnetic (low-spin d⁶, S=0) and show ligand-field transitions in the visible region. ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectra of the complexes indicate the presence of C₂ symmetry. Cyclic voltammetry on the [Ru(PPh₃)₂(L)₂] complexes show a reversible ruthenium(II)–ruthenium(III) oxidation in the range 0.30–0.42 V vs. SCE. An irreversible ruthenium(III)–ruthenium(IV) oxidation is also displayed by two complexes near 1.5 V vs. SCE.     

Spectral Properties of Ruthenium(II) Mixed-Ligands Complexes with 2,2'-Bipyridyl and Phosphines

Spectral-kinetic luminescence characteristics of the complexes cis-[Ru(bpy)(dppe)X2], cis- [Ru(bpy)2(PPh₃)X](BF₄) and cis-[Ru(bpy)₂X₂] [bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl, dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, PPh₃ is triphenylphosphine, X = NO₂ ^- and CN^-] in the ethanol-methanol 4:1 mixtures and adsorbed on the oxide SiO₂ or porous polyacrylonitrile polymer surface were studied. Luminescence and luminescence exitation spectra were registered at 77 and 293 K in 230-750 nm range and the luminescence decay time was measured. Introduction of phosphine ligands to the ruthenium(II) bipyridyl complexes inner sphere leads to rise in singlet and triplet state energy at the charge transfer from Ru(II) to 2,2'-bipyridyl in the series [Ru(bpy)₂X₂] < Ru(bpy)₂(PPh₃)X](BF₄) < [Ru(bpy)(dppe)X₂]. The complex adsorption on SiO₂ or polyacrylonitrile surface affects noticeably the luminescence spectro-kinetic characteristics.     

Ruthenium(II) complexes of aroylhydrazones: structural,electrochemical and electrostatic interactions with DNA

Four Ru(II) complexes with tridentate ligands viz. (4-hydroxy-N′-(pyridin-2-yl-ethylene) benzohydrazide [Ru(L¹)(PPh₃)₂(Cl)] (1), N′-(pyridin-2-yl-methylene) nicotinohydrazide [Ru(L²)(PPh₃)₂(Cl)] (2), N′-(1H-imidazol-2-yl-methylene)-4-hydroxybenzohydrazide [Ru(L³)(PPh₃)₂(Cl)] (3), and N′-(1H-imidazol-2-yl-methylene) nicotinohydrazide [Ru(L⁴)(PPh₃)₂(Cl)] (4) have been synthesized and characterized. The methoxy-derivative of L³H (abbreviated as L³H*) exists in E configuration with torsional angle of 179.4° around C₇-N₈-N₉-C₁₀ linkage. Single crystal structures of acetonitrile coordinated ruthenium complexes of 1 and 3 having compositins as [Ru(L¹)(PPh₃)₂(CH₃CN)]Cl (1a) and [Ru(L³)(PPh₃)₂(CH₃CN)]Cl (3a) revealed coordination of tridentate ligands with significantly distorted octahedral geometry constructed by imine nitrogen, heterocyclic nitrogen, and enolate amide oxygen, forming a cis-planar ring with trans-placement of two PPh₃ groups and a coordinated acetonitrile. Ligands (L¹H-L⁴H) and their ruthenium complexes (1–4) are characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P NMR, and IR spectral analysis. Ru(II) complexes have reversible to quasi-reversible redox behavior having Ru(II)/Ru(III) oxidation potentials in the range of 0.40–0.71 V. The DNA binding constants determined by absorption spectral titrations with Herring Sperm DNA (HS-DNA) reveal that L⁴H and 1 interact more strongly than other ligands and Ru(II) complexes. Complexes 1–3 exhibit DNA cleaving activity possibly due to strong electrostatic interactions while 4 displays intercalation.     

Spectroscopic characterization and electrochemical studies of ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes containing bidentate Schiff bases and triphenylphosphine or a nitrogen heterocycle

Reactions of ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes of the type [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂(B)] [B?=?PPh₃, pyridine (py), piperidine (pip) or morpholine (mor)] with bidentate Schiff base ligands derived from the condensation of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with aniline, o-, m- or p-toluidine in a 1?:?1 mol ratio in benzene resulted in the formation of complexes formulated as [RuCl(CO)(L)(PPh₃)(B)] [L?=?bidentate Schiff base anion, B?=?PPh₃, py, pip, mor]. The complexes were characterized by analyses, IR, electronic and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetric studies. In all cases, the Schiff bases replace one molecule of phosphine and a hydride ion from the starting complexes, indicating that Ru–N bonds in the complexes containing heterocyclic nitrogenous bases are stronger than the Ru–P bond to PPh₃. Octahedral geometry is proposed for the complexes.     

Solvent‐assisted formation of ruthenium(II)/copper(I) complexes containing thiourea derivatives: Synthesis,crystal structure,density functional theory,enzyme mimetics and in vitro biological perspectives

N ,N ‐[(diethylamino)(thiocarbonyl)]‐substituted benzamidine ligands have been synthesized from the reaction of N ,N ‐[(diethylamino)(thiocarbonyl)]benzimidoyl chloride with functionalized amines such as 2‐aminophenol and 2‐picolylamine. The reaction of N ,N ‐[(diethylamino)(thiocarbonyl)]‐2‐hydroxyphenylbenzamidine ( H ₂ L ₁ ) with ruthenium(II) precursor [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₃] afforded complex 1 of the type [Ru(L₁)(CO)(PPh₃)₂] in which the ligand coordinated in tridentate ONS mode. The reaction of H ₂ L ₁ with copper precursor [Cu(CH₃COO)(PPh₃)₂] induced C═N bond cleavage of the ligand and afforded complex 3 of the type [Cu(1,1‐DT)(Cl)(PPh₃)₂] (1,1‐DT = 1,1‐diethylthiourea) in which the ligand coordinated in a monodentate fashion. The ligand N ,N ‐[(diethylamino)(thiocarbonyl)]‐2‐picolylbenzamidine ( HL ₂ ) reacted with ruthenium(II) and copper(I) precursors to form complex 2 of the type [Ru(1,1‐DT)(Cl₂)(CO)(PPh₃)₂] and complex 3 , respectively, in which the ligand underwent C═N cleavage and coordinated in a monodentate fashion via C═S group. In complexes 1 and 2 , the two triphenylphosphine co‐ligands coordinated in trans position whereas, in complex 3 , the two triphenylphosphine co‐ligands coordinated in cis position. All the compounds were characterized using infrared, UV–visible, (¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P) NMR, ESI‐MS and elemental analyses. The molecular structures of ligand H ₂ L ₁ and complexes 1 – 3 were determined using X‐ray crystallography, which confirmed the coordination mode of the ligands with metals. The crystal structure of complexes 1 and 2 revealed a distorted octahedral geometry around the ruthenium ion and the structure of complex 3 indicated a tetrahedral geometry around the copper ion. With the X‐ray structures, density functional theory computations were carried out to determine the electronic structure of the compounds. The interactions of complexes 1 – 3 with calf thymus DNA and bovine serum albumin protein were investigated using UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopic and viscometric methods. Catecholase‐ and phosphatase‐like activities promoted by complexes 1 – 3 under physiological conditions have been studied. In vitro anticancer activities have been demonstrated by MTT assay, acridine orange/ethidium bromide and diamidino‐2‐phenylindole staining against various cancerous cell lines.     

Chelate structures of 5-(H/Br)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-4-allyl-thiosemicarbazones (H2L): Synthesis and structural characterizations of [Ni(L)(PPh3)] and [Ru(HL)2(PPh3)2]

The reactions of 5-R-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-4-allyl-thiosemicarbazone {R: H (L¹); Br (L²)} with [M^II(PPh₃)nCl₂] (M = Ni, n = 2 and M = Ru, n = 3) in a 1:1 molar ratio have given stable solid complexes corresponding to the general formula [Ni(L)(PPh₃)] and [Ru(HL)₂(PPh₃)₂]. While the 1:1 nickel complexes are formed from an ONS donor set of the thiosemicarbazone and the P atom of triphenylphosphine in a square planar structure, the 1:2 ruthenium complexes consist of a couple from each of N, S and P donor atoms in a distorted octahedral geometry. These mixed-ligand complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV–Vis, APCI-MS, ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopies. The structures of [Ni(L²)(PPh₃)] (II) and [Ru(L¹H)₂(PPh₃)₂] (III) were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Some benzimidazole amide complexes of ruthenium(II)

The synthesis and characterisation of ruthenium(II) complexes with 2-amidobenzimidazoles are reported. The complexes RuCl₂(DMSO)₄ and RuCl₂(PPh₃) react with 2-(acetamido)benzimidazole (AB) and 2-(benzamido)benzimidazole (BB) it acetone to give products of the type [Ru(L)₂(N−O)₂]Cl₂ [L=DMSO, PPh₃, N−O=AB, BB). The displacement reactions are faster in the case of methyl (AB) than phenyl (BB) substituted ligands. The ligands are bifunctional chelating agents coordinating through the tertiary nitrogen of benzimidazole ring and amide oxygen. The complexes are characterised based on their elemental analysis, conductivity data, infrared,¹H and³¹P nmr spectra. Acis-geometry is proposed for all the complexes reported.     

Chemistry of ruthenium in N2P2X2 (X = Cl, Br) coordination sphere: Synthesis, characterization and reactivities

Reaction of 2-(phenylazo)pyridine (pap) with [Ru(PPh₃)₃X₂] (X = Cl, Br) in dichloromethane solution affords [Ru(PPh₃)₂(pap)X₂]. These diamagnetic complexes exhibit a weakdd transition and two intense MLCT transitions in the visible region. In dichloromethane solution they display a one-electron reduction of pap near − 0.90 V vs SCE and a reversible ruthenium(II)-ruthenium(III) oxidation near 0.70 V vs SCE. The [Ru^III(PPh₃)₂(pap)Cl₂]⁺ complex cation, generated by coulometric oxidation of [Ru(PPh₃)₂(pap)Cl₂], shows two intense LMCT transitions in the visible region. It oxidizes N,N-dimethylaniline and [Ru^II(bpy)₂Cl₂] (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) to produce N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylbenzidine and [Ru^III(bpy)₂Cl₂]⁺ respectively. Reaction of [Ru(PPh₃)₂(pap)X₂] with Ag⁺ in ethanol produces [Ru(PPh₃)₂(pap)(EtOH)₂]²⁺ which upon further reaction with L (L = pap, bpy, acetylacetonate ion(acac⁻) and oxalate ion (ox²⁻)) gives complexes of type [Ru(PPh₃)₂(pap)(L)]ⁿ⁺ (n = 0, 1, 2). All these diamagnetic complexes show a weakdd transition and several intense MLCT transitions in the visible region. The ruthenium(II)-ruthenium(III) oxidation potential decreases in the order (of L): pap > bpy > acac⁻ > ox²⁻. Reductions of the coordinated pap and bpy are also observed.     

Synthesis and characterisation of chelated (1-cyanoethyl)ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes

The reaction between acrylonitrile and the RuH bond in HRu(CO)Cl(PPh₃)₃ results in the formation of a binuclear ruthenium(II) complex having chlorine bridges which are easily broken by sodio-derivatives of bidentate chelating ligands giving mononuclear hexacoordinated ruthenium(II) compounds. The RuC bond in these new complexes has been found to be stable towards nucleophilic reagents. The stereochemistry for these complexes has been suggested on the basis of IR, ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectra.     

Ruthenium(III) complexes with N-(acetyl)-N′-(5-R-salicylidene)hydrazines: Syntheses,structures and properties

The reactions of 1 mol equiv. each of [Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂] and N-(acetyl)-N′-(5-R-salicylidene)hydrazines (H₂ahsR, R = H, OCH₃, Cl, Br and NO₂) in alcoholic media afford simultaneously two types of complexes having the general formulae [Ru(HahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] and [Ru(ahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl]. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic, spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements. Molecular structures of [Ru(HahsH)(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] and [Ru(ahsH)(PPh₃)₂Cl] have been confirmed by X-ray crystallography. In both species, the PPh₃ ligands are trans to each other. The bidentate HahsH⁻ coordinates to the metal ion via the O atom of the deprotonated amide and the imine–N atom in [Ru(HahsH)(PPh₃)₂Cl₂]. In HahsH⁻, the phenolic OH is involved in a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond with the uncoordinated amide N atom forming a seven-membered ring. In [Ru(ahsH)(PPh₃)₂Cl], the tridentate ahsH²⁻ binds to the metal ion via the deprotonated amide O, the imine N and the phenolate O atoms. In the electronic spectra, the green [Ru(HahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] and brown [Ru(ahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl] complexes display several absorptions in the ranges 385–283 and 457–269 nm, respectively. Both complexes are low-spin and display rhombic EPR spectra in frozen solutions. Both types of complexes are redox active and display a quasi-reversible ruthenium(III) to ruthenium(II) reduction which is sensitive to the polar effect of the substituent on the chelating ligand. The reduction potentials are in the ranges −0.21 to −0.12 and −0.42 to −0.21 V (versus Ag/AgCl) for [Ru(HahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] and [Ru(ahsR)(PPh₃)₂Cl], respectively.     

Hydroboration of Alkynes with Zwitterionic Ruthenium–Borate Complexes: Novel Vinylborane Complexes

Building upon previous studies on the synthesis of bis(sigma)borate and agostic complexes of ruthenium, the chemistry of nido‐[(Cp*Ru)₂B₃H₉] ( 1 ) with other ligand systems was explored. In this regard, mild thermolysis of nido‐ 1 with 2‐mercaptobenzothiazole (2‐mbzt), 2‐mercaptobenzoxazole (2‐mbzo) and 2‐mercaptobenzimidazole (2‐mbzi) ligands were performed which led to the isolation of bis(sigma)borate complexes [Cp*RuBH₃L] ( 2 a – c ) and β‐agostic complexes [Cp*RuBH₂L₂] ( 3 a – c ; 2 a , 3 a : L=C₇H₄NS₂; 2 b , 3 b : L=C₇H₄NSO; 2 c , 3 c : L=C₇H₅N₂S). Further, the chemistry of these novel complexes towards various diphosphine ligands was investigated. Room temperature treatment of 3 a with [PPh₂(CH₂)_nPPh₂] (n=1–3) yielded [Cp*Ru(PPh₂(CH₂)_nPPh₂)‐BH₂(L₂)] ( 4 a – c ; 4 a : n=1; 4 b : n=2; 4 c : n=3; L=C₇H₄NS₂). Mild thermolysis of 2 a with [PPh₂(CH₂)_nPPh₂] (n=1–3) led to the isolation of [Cp*Ru(PPh₂(CH₂)_nPPh₂)(L)] (L=C₇H₄NS₂ 5 a – c ; 5 a : n=1; 5 b : n=2; 5 c : n=3). Treatment of 4 a with terminal alkynes causes a hydroboration reaction to generate vinylborane complexes [Cp*Ru(R?C?CH₂)BH(L₂)] ( 6 and 7 ; 6 : R=Ph; 7 : R=COOCH₃; L=C₇H₄NS₂). Complexes 6 and 7 can also be viewed as η‐alkene complexes of ruthenium that feature a dative bond to the ruthenium centre from the vinylinic double bond. In addition, DFT computations were performed to shed light on the bonding and electronic structures of the new compounds.     

Catalytic and antimicrobial activities of new ruthenium(II) unsymmetrical Schiff base complexes

Hexa-coordinated ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(CO)(PPh₃)(Z)(L)] [Z = PPh₃, pyridine (py) or piperidine (pip); L = anion of the Schiff base] have been prepared by reacting [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂(Z)] with tridentate Schiff bases derived by condensing anthranilic acid with acetylacetone, salicylaldehyde, o-vanillin and o-hydroxyacetophenone. The complexes were characterised by analytical and spectral (i.r., electronic, ¹H- and ³¹P-n.m.r.) data, and were found to be effective catalysts for oxidising primary alcohols to aldehydes in the presence of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMO) as co-oxidant. The Schiff bases and their ruthenium(II) complexes show growth inhibitory activity against pathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporium and Rhizoctonia solani.     

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes with tridentate Schiff bases and their antibacterial activity

The products obtained by reacting ruthenium (II) complexes [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂(B)] [B = PPh₃, pyridine (py) or piperidine (pip)] with tridentate Schiff base ligands derived by condensing salicylaldehyde or o-vanillin with o-aminophenol and o-aminothiophenol, have been characterised by analytical, i.r., electronic, ¹H-n.m.r. and ³¹P-n.m.r. spectral studies and formulated as [Ru(L)(CO)(PPh₃)(B)] (L = bifunctional tridentate Schiff base anion, B = PPh₃, py or pip). An octahedral structure has been tentatively proposed for the new complexes. Some have been tested for the in vitro growth inhibitory activity against bacteria Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp. and Pseudomonas sp.     

Synthesis and structures of two ruthenium dibenzoylmethane triphenylphosphine mixed ligand complexes

The reaction of dibenzoylmethane (HDBM) with [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] in benzene in the presence of a supporting base (Et₃N) under reflux gives two different complexes, the side product as a green-yellow Ru(III) compound of composition [Ru^IIICl₂(DBM)(PPh₃)₂] (2) and the main product as a red Ru(II) complex of composition [Ru^II(DBM)₂(PPh₃)₂] (3). The products were studied by spectroscopic methods, cyclic voltammetry and X-ray single crystal diffraction. The molecular structure of 2 shows a distorted octahedral environment around the Ru atom with two phosphine ligands in trans positions. The octahedral complex 3 shows a cis arrangement of two phosphine ligands.     

Highly Efficient Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysis with Tailored Pyridylidene Amide Pincer Ruthenium Complexes

The rational optimization of homogeneous catalysts requires ligand platforms that are easily tailored to improve catalytic performance. Here, it is demonstrated that pyridylidene amides (PYAs) provide such a platform to custom-shape transfer hydrogenation catalysts with exceptional activity. Specifically, a series of meta-PYA pincer ligands with differently substituted PYA units has been synthezised and coordinated to ruthenium(II) centres to form bench-stable tris-acetonitrile complexes [Ru(R-PYA-pincer)(MeCN)₃](PF₆)₂ (R=OMe, Me, H, Cl, CF₃). Analytic studies including ¹H NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography reveal a direct influence of the substituents on the electronic properties of the ruthenium center. The complexes are active in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of ketones, with activities directly encoded by the PYA substitution pattern. Their perfomance improves further upon exchange of an ancillary MeCN ligand with PPh₃. While complexes [Ru(R-PYA-pincer)(PPh₃)(MeCN)₂](PF₆)₂ were only isolated for R=H, Me, an in situ protocol was developed to generate these complexes in situ for R=OMe, Cl, CF₃ by using a 1:2 ratio of the complexes and PPh₃. This in situ protocol together with a short catalyst pre-activation provided highly active catalytic systems. The most active pre-catalyst featured the methoxy-substituted PYA ligand and reached turnover frenquencies of 210 000 h⁻¹ under an exceptionally low catalyst loading of 25 ppm for the benchmark substrate benzophenone, representing one of the most active transfer hydrogenation systems known to date.     

Coordination of di- and triimine ligands at ruthenium(II) and ruthenium(III) centers: structural,electrochemical and radical scavenging studies

Herein, we explore the coordination of di- and triimine chelators at ruthenium(II) and ruthenium(III) centers. The reactions of 2,6-bis-((4-tetrahydropyranimino)methyl)pyridine (thppy), N¹,N²-bis((3-chromone)methylene)benzene-1,2-diamine (chb), and tris-((1H-pyrrol-2-ylmethylene)ethane)amine (H₃pym) with trans-[Ru^IICl₂(PPh₃)₃] afforded the diamagnetic ruthenium(II) complex cis-[RuCl₂(thppy)(PPh₃)] (1) and the paramagnetic complexes [mer-Ru₂(μ-chb)Cl₆(PPh₃)₂] (2), and [Ru(pym)] (3), respectively. The complexes were characterized by IR, NMR, and UV–vis spectroscopy and molar conductivity measurements. The structures were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The redox properties of the metal complexes were probed via cyclic- and squarewave voltammetry. Finally, the radical scavenging capabilities of the metal complexes towards the NO and 2,2-di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were investigated     

Synthesis,crystal structure and catalytic activity of ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes containing ONO and ONS donor ligands

Diamagnetic ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(L)(CO)(B)(EPh₃)] [where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py (or) pip and L = dibasic tridentate ligands dehydroacetic acid semicarbazone (abbreviated as dhasc) or dehydroacetic acid phenyl thiosemicarbazone (abbreviated as dhaptsc)] were synthesized from the reaction of [RuHCl(CO)(B)(EPh₃)₂] (where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py (or) pip) with different tridentate chelating ligands derived from dehydroacetic acid with semicarbazide or phenylthiosemicarbazide. All the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV–Vis and ¹H NMR spectral methods. The coordination mode of the ligands and the geometry of the complexes were confirmed by single crystal X-ray crystallography of one of the complexes [Ru(dhaptsc)(CO)(PPh₃)₂] (5). All the complexes are redox active and are monitored by cyclic voltammetric technique. Further, the catalytic efficiency of one of the ruthenium complexes (5) was determined in the case of oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols into their corresponding aldehydes and ketones in the presence of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide.     

Molecular and spectroscopic properties of hydridecarbonyl ruthenium complexes with pyrazine carboxylic acid ligands

The hydride carbonyl ruthenium(II) [RuH(CO)(pyzCOO)(PPh₃)₂] (1), [RuH(CO)(pyz-2,3-COO[CH₃])(PPh₃)₂]·H₂O (2) and dinuclear Ru(II)/Ru(III) [RuH(CO)(PPh₃)(pyz-2,3-COO)Ru(CO)Cl₂(PPh₃)₂] (3) complexes were synthesized and characterized by IR, ¹H, ³¹P NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The experimental studies were complemented by quantum chemical calculations, which were used to identify the nature of the interactions between the ligands and the central ion, and the orbital composition in the frontier electronic structure. Based on a molecular orbital scheme, the calculated results allowed the interpretation of the UV-Vis spectra obtained at an experimental level. The luminescence property of the complex 2 was determined. The ac magnetic susceptibility measurements showed a residual magnetism evidenced by the small values of the molar susceptibility, not exceeding 0.5 emu/mol at 2 K, a lack of a Curie-Weiss region and weak magnetic interactions below 20 K.     

Synthesis, DNA binding, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ruthenium(II) complexes of a Schiff base ligand

Three ruthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(CO)Cl(PPh₃)L], [Ru(CO)Cl(AsPh₃)L] and [Ru(CO)Cl(Py)L], were synthesized from the reactions of 2-(benzothiazol-2-yliminomethyl)-phenol (HL) with [RuHCl(CO)B(EPh₃)₂], where B = PPh₃, AsPh₃ or pyridine, and E = P or As. All the complexes have been characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The structure of the free ligand HL was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The binding of the free ligand and its complexes with CT-DNA was studied using electronic absorption spectroscopy. In addition, the free ligand and its complexes were subjected to antioxidant activity tests, which showed that they all possess significant scavenging effects against DPPH and OH radicals. The in vitro cytotoxicities of the compounds were assessed using tumor (HeLa and MCF-7) cell lines.     

Ruthenium phosphine complexes as catalysts of alternating copolymerization of ethylene and carbon monoxide

The properties of the ruthenium (II) phosphine complexes [Ru(dppe)₂(OTs)₂] and [Ru{PhP(CH₂CH₂CH₂PPh₂)₂}(OTs)₂] as catalysts of alternating copolymerization of ethylene and carbon monoxide were studied. The catalytic activity of these complexes in the absence of cocatalysis is low, but it is substantially increased in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid or 1,4-benzoquinone. These compounds are the first ruthenium complexes which catalyze copolymerization of ethylene and CO. Translated fromAkademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1119–1121, June, 2000.