A facile synthesis of a wide variety of cationic ruthenium hydrido-arene complexes of binap (=1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diylbis(diphenylphosphane)) and meo-biphep (=6,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl-2,2′-diylbis(diphenylphosphane))

Abstract

A straightforward high-yield synthetic route to the cationic hydrido-arene complexes [RuH(η6-arene)(binap or MeO-biphep)](CF3SO3), with a variety of arenes containing both donor and acceptor substituents, is described. 13C-NMR Data for these complexes are reported. Several of these Ru-complexes have been used as transfer-hydrogenation catalysts in the reduction of acetophenone.