Synthesis of monohydridohexamethylbenzeneruthenium(II) complexes containing group V donor ligands. Isomerism arising from cyclometallation of a tertiary phosphine at aliphatic and aromatic carbon atoms

The η-hexamethylbenzenehydridoruthenium(II) complexes RuHCl(η-C₆Me₆)L (L = PPh₃ (11), AsPh₃ (12), P(C₆H₄-p-F)₃ (14), P(C₆H₄-p-Me)₃ (15), P(C₆H₄-p-OMe)₃ (16), P-t-BuPh₂ (17), P-i-PrPh₂ (18), P-i-Pr₃ (19), PCy₃ (20) and P-t-BuMe₂ (21)) have been made by heating RuCl₂(η-C₆Me₆)]₂, the ligand and sodium carbonate in propan-2-ol. The triarylphosphine complexes 11, 14 and 15 react with methyllithium to give aryl ortho-metallated hydridoruthenium(II) complexes such as $\text{RuH(}\text{o}\text{-C}{}_6\text{H}{}_4\text{P}$Ph₂)(η-C₆Me₆) (22) and 19 similarly gives the isopropyl cyclometallated complex $\text{RuH(CH}{}_2\text{CHMeP}$-i-Pr₂(η-C₆Me₆) (29) as a mixture of diastereomers. Reaction of 17 with methyllithium gives initially the t-butyl cyclometallated complex $\text{RuH(CH}{}_2\text{CMe}{}_2\text{P}$Ph₂)(η-C₆Me₆) (25) which isomerizes by a first order process (k$\text{0}\text{?}$.2 h^?1 in C₆D₆ or THF-d₈ at 50°C) to the aryl ortho-metallated complex $\text{RuH(}\text{o}\text{-C}{}_6\text{H}{}_4\text{P}$-t-BuPh)(η-C₆Me₆) (26). The similarly generated isopropyl cyclometallated complex $\text{RuH(CH}{}_2\text{CHMeP}$Ph₂)(η-C₆Me₆) (27) has not been isolated in a pure state owing to rapid isomerization to $\text{RuH(}\text{o}\text{-C}{}_6\text{H}{}_4\text{P}$-i-PrPh)(η-C₆Me₆) (28); both 27 and 28 exist as a pair of diastereomers. The formation of the cyclometallated complexes and the isomerizations are thought to involve intermediate 16-electron ruthenium(O) complexes Ru(η-C₆Me₆)L.