Synthesis, crystal, molecular, and electronic structures of hydride carbonyl ruthenium(II) complexes with pseudohalide ligands

Two pseudohalide hydride carbonyl ruthenium(II) complexes with formulae: [RuH(N₃)(CO)(PPh₃)₃] (1) and [RuH(NCO)(CO)(PPh₃)₃] (2) have been synthesized by the reactions of [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₃] with sodium azide or sodium cyanate, respectively, and are compared with the previously described thiocyanate analog [RuH(NCS)(CO)(PPh₃)₃]. The molecular structures of the new compounds were determined by X-ray crystallography and their spectroscopic properties have been studied. Based on the crystal structures, computational investigations have been carried out in order to determine the electronic structures of the complexes. The electronic spectra were calculated with the use of time-dependent DFT methods, and the electronic spectra of the transitions were correlated with the molecular orbitals of the complexes.