Synthesis and reactions of 4-vinyl pyridine derivatives of ruthenium(II)

4-Vinyl pyridine (4-Vp) reacts with RuHClCO(PPh₃)₃ (I) in THF to give RuHClCO(PPh₃)₂(4-Vp) (II, which reacts with sodium derivatives of bidentate chelating ligands to afford substitution products, RuH(CO)(PPh₃)₂(L)]. The bindentate ligands used are 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, trifluorothenoylacetone and 8-hydroxyquinoline. Insertion reactions of the Ru---H bond of II with activated olefins such as acrylonitrile giving RuCl(CO)(CH₃CHCN)(PPh₃)₂(4-Vp)], 2-vinyl pyridine, dimethyl fumarate and monobromodiethyl fumarate have been carried out to obtain chelated Ru---C bonded complexes. RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ reacts with an excess of 4-Vp to give an octahedral ruthenium addition complex containing two vinyl pyridine ligands. The dimer RuClCO(CH₃CHCN)(PPh₃)(4-Vp)]₂ is obtained by the reaction of RuClCO(CH₃CHCN)(PPh₃)₂]₂ with an excess of 4-Vp. Stereochemical assignments have been made for these new complexes on the basis of IR and ¹H NMR data.