The ruthenium-
p-cymene complexes [(
p-cymene)Ru(1,2,3,4-Me
4-NUPHOS)Cl][Sb
F6] (
2a)and [(
p-cymene)Ru(1,4-Et
2-2,3-
cyclo-C
6H
8-NUPHOS)Cl][SbF
6] (
2b) have been prepared byreaction o
f [(
p-cymene)RuCl
2]
2 with the corresponding NUPHOS diphosphine in the presenceo
f NaSbF
6. The chloro ligand can be abstracted
from these monocations to a
fford [(
p-cymene)Ru(
P,
P,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/eta.gi
f" BORDER=0 >
2(
C)-1,2,3,4-Me
4-NUPHOS)][SbF
6]
2 (
3a) and [(
p-cymene)Ru(
P,
P,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/eta.gi
f" BORDER=0 >
2(
C)-1,4-Et
2-2,3-
cyclo-C
6H
8-NUPHOS)][SbF
6]
2 (
3b), respectively, in which the diphosphine coordinates as asix-electron donor, bonded through both diphenylphosphino groups and one o
f the doublebonds o
f the butadiene tether. In stark contrast, it proved markedly more di
fficult to abstractthe chloro ligand
from either the BIPHEP or the MeO-BIPHEP monocations [(
p-cymene)Ru(BIPHEP)Cl][SbF
6] (
4a) and [(
p-cymene)Ru(MeO-BIPHEP)Cl][SbF
6] (
4b), and even a
fterprolonged reaction times at elevated temperature [(
p-cymene)Ru(BIPHEP)][SbF
6]
2 (
5a) and[(
p-cymene)Ru(MeO-BIPHEP)][SbF
6]
2 (
5b)
formed as a 30% mixture with unreacted
4a and
4b, respectively. The structures o
f 2a, as its perchlorate salt, and
2b have been determinedby single-crystal X-ray crystallography and are compared with that o
f their BIPHEPcounterpart
4a. Un
fortunately, it has not been possible to prepare the corresponding dppbcomplex [(
p-cymene)Ru(dppb)Cl][SbF
6] to undertake a comparative study, since [(
p-cymene)RuCl
2]
2 reacts with dppb under the same conditions as those used to prepare
2a,
b to a
ffordthe bridged dimer [{(
p-cymene)RuCl
2}
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gi<font color=)
f">-dppb)] (
6), the identity o
f which has been con
firmedby a single-crystal X-ray study. Interestingly,
3a undergoes rapid hydrolysis in the presenceo
f pyridine to give [(
p-cymene)Ru{Ph
2(O)PC(H)MeCMeCMeCMePPh
2}][SbF
6] (
7), whichcontains an unusual unsymmetrical bisphosphine monoxide pincer ligand
formed by oxidationo
f one o
f the diphenylphosphino groups o
f 1,2,3,4-Me
4-NUPHOS and a highly regioselectivesyn addition o
f Ru and H across the butadiene double bond proximate to the phosphineoxide. Dications
3a,
b catalyze the regioselective anti-Markovnikov addition o
f benzoic acidto 1-pentyne and 1-octyne to give the corresponding alk-1-en-1-yl esters with cis-to-transratios as high as 95:5, while the corresponding BIPHEP and MeO-BIPHEP complexes weresigni
ficantly less selective, catalyst mixtures
formed
from
4b giving a 70:30 mixture o
f cisand trans alk-1-en-1-yl ester. In contrast, selectivity was reversed with catalyst mixturesgenerated
from
6, which were 90% selective
for Markovnikov addition to 1-octyne, as mighthave been predicted
for a ruthenium catalyst coordinated by a single phosphine, albeit one-hal
f o
f a bidentate diphosphine. Catalysts based on NUPHOS diphosphines are also highlyactive and selective
for anti-Markovnikov addition o
f benzoic acid to phenylacetylene andgive (
Z)-styryl benzoate in yields o
f up to 85% and selectivities as high as 99:1 with noevidence
for the
formation o
f terminal ole
fin. In our hands, solutions
formed by activationo
f 4a,
b with AgSbF
6 catalyze the regio- and stereoselective anti-Markovnikov hydrocarboxylation o
f phenylacetylene, which was somewhat surprising considering that an earlierreport has claimed that
5b reacts with phenylacetylene to
form a stable catalytically inactivecyclometalation/insertion product.