Heterolytic cleavage of H2 at a sulfur-bridged dinuclear ruthenium center

Abstract

Incoming molecular hydrogen breaks the Ru-S bridges in the diruthenium complex [Ru(pybuS4)]2 (pybuS 42- = 2,6-bis(2-sulfanyl-3,5-di-tert-butylphenylthio) dimethylpyridine(2-)) shown, and the H-H bond is cleaved to give H+ and H- in the resulting thiol-protonated hydride [Ru(H)(py buS4-H)]. The proposed mechanism of the heterolytic cleavage of H2 at the Ru-S centers is intriguing and possibly relevant to the activation of H2 by hydrogenases.