Syntheses and structural studies on two cycloruthenapentadienyl complexes: [(CO)3RuC4(CH2OH)4]Ru(CO)3·H2O and [(CO)3RuC4(CH2CH2OH)2(C2H5)2]Ru(CO)3

Syntheses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies have been completed on two cycloruthenapentadienyl (CO)₆Ru₂L₂ derivatives, with L = CH₂OHC = CCH₂OH and C₂H₅C=CCH₂CH₂OH respectively. Crystal data are as follows: for [(CO)₃RuC₄(CH₂OH)₄]Ru(CO)₃·H₂O, P2₁/c, a 13.72(1), b 9.501(4), c 14.86(1) Å, β 101.10(6)°, R_w = 0.052 for 1911 reflections; for [(CO)₃RuC₄(CH₂CH₂OH)₂(C₂H₅)₂]Ru(CO)₃, P2₁/c, a 9.191(3), b 16.732(4), c 14.903(3) Å, β 113.61(4)°, R_w = 0.042 for 2865 reflections. Both compounds are built up from binuclear units, each unit being regarded as a Ru(CO)₃ fragment π-bonded to a cycloruthenapentadienyl ring. The molecular parameters are compared with those of known cyclometallapentadienyl complexes of transition metals. The presence of a semi-bridging CO group is discussed.