Synthesis, crystal, molecular and electronic structures of ruthenium complexes with a benzoxazole derivative ligand

RuCl₂(HBO)(PPh₃)₂] and RuCl(CO)(HBO)(PPh₃)₂] complexes with the 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (C₁₃H₉NO₂) ligand were synthesized and characterized by infra red, proton and phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonances, electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies and X-ray crystallography. The experimental studies were completed by theoretical calculations. The calculations show that the donor properties of the carbonyl group predominates the π-acceptor ability in the ruthenium(II) complex. The small transfer of electron density to the acceptor π^∗ carbonyl orbitals is compensated by the presence of the chloride acceptor ligand. The electronic structures of these complexes, presented in particular by density of states diagrams, have been correlated with their ability to fluorescence and have been used to analyze the UV-Vis spectra.