Interpretation of the Electronic Spectra of Ruthenium Nitrosyl Complexes with Nitrogen-containing Heterocyclic Ligands

The electronic absorption spectra of ruthenium nitrosyl complexes with nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ligands were analyzed on the basis of ab initio and CINDO/CI semiempirical calculations of free ligands L and complexes trans-Ru(NO)(NH₃)₄(L)]^{3 +} (L = pyridine, pyrazine, nicotinamide, isonicotinamide, l-histidine, imidazole). Spectral manifestations of a strong covalent Ru-NO bond were observed to conclude that the oxidation states of Ru and NO in the RuNO^{3 +} group are expedient to represent as Ru(III) and NO⁰. Introduction of a nitrosyl group into the inner coordination sphere of Ru(II) complexes with nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ligands much affects the entire spectral patterns and denudes these ligands of the capacity to exhibit chromophoric properties.