Diruthenium(I) carbonyl complexes with either hetero- orhomobridges,[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz)
2(CO)
4(HPz)
2] (
1),[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-O
2CMe)(CO)
4(HPz')
2](
2), and[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')
2(CO)
4(HPz')
2](
3), can beprepared specifically. These complexes reacted with eithernucleophiles or electrophiles toproduce selectively only one product. The terminal azole groups,pyrazole (HPz) or 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (HPz'), of
1-
3 are easilyreplaced by the phosphine ligands to give[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz)
2(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2](
4),[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-O
2CMe)(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2](
5),[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')
2(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2](
6),and[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz)
2(CO)
4(
1-dppm)
2](
7). The
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-acetato bridge is more fragile than the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-azolatobridge, and only the former bridge of
5 can be replaced byPz
- and SR
- to afford[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz)(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2](
8) and[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SR)(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2](R = Ph (
9),
tBu (
10)).Heatingthe mixture of
3 with dppm in THF gave a product retainingall the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-azolato bridges butlosing two carbonyls,[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz')
2(CO)
2(
1,
2-dppm)
2](
11), whereas a similar reaction between
1-
3 and nitrogen-bidentate ligands gaveproducts retaining all four carbonyls but only one
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-azolato bridge,[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-L)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-CO)
2(CO)
2(
1,
2-(N-N))
2]
+(L = Pz, N-N = bpy ([
12]
+),phen([
13]
+); L = Pz', N-N = bpy([
14]
+), phen([
15]
+)). The electrophilicaddition of
4 with I
2produced[Ru
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Pz)
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-I)(CO)
4(PPh
3)
2][I
3](
16). The X-ray structure of this productconfirmsthe cleavage of the Ru-Ru bond rather than the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-azolato bridges.However, the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-azolatoand -acetato bridges, as well as the terminal azole groups, of
1-
6 can be easily removed byan electrophilc reagent such asEt
3O
+BF
4- inthe presence of MeCN to give[Ru
2(CO)
4(MeCN)
6][BF
4]
2 and[Ru
2(CO)
4(MeCN)
4(PPh
3)
2][BF
4]
2.