19-Electron arenecyclopentadienyl complexes of ruthenium

A series of are necyc lope ntadienyl complexes,i. e., Ru(⁵-c₅R₅)(⁶- are ne)]⁺ (1, R= H, arene = C₆H₆; 2, R = Me, arme = C₆H₆; 3, R = H, arctic = C₆H₃Me₃; 4, R = Me, arene = C₆H₃Me₃; 5, R = H, arene = C₆Me₆; 6, R = Me, arene = C₆Me₆) was studied by cyclic voltammetry. These compounds are capable of both oxidation and reduction. The reduction potential values depend on the number of methyl groups in the complex. Reduction of benzene complexes I and 2 by sodium amalgam in THF leads to the formation of decomplexation products, the addition of hydrogen to benzene, and dimerization of the benzene ligands. Both chemical and electrochemical reductions of mesitylene complexes3 and4 result in dimeric products (⁵-C₅R₅)Ru(-⁵;⁵-Me₃H₃C₆H₃Me₃)Ru(⁵-C₅R₅)] (14, R = H; 15, R = Me). The action of sodium amalgam on compound5 gives products of hydrogen addition to both hexamethylbenzene (17) and cyclopentadienyl (18) ligands along with the major product, the dimer ⁵-C₅H₅)Ru(-⁵; ⁵-Me₆C₆C₆Me₆)Ru(⁵-C₅H₅)] (16). In contrast to5, its permcthylated analog 6 is only capable of adding hydrogen to the hexamethylbenzene ligand.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1691–1697, July, 1996.