Syntheses of Ru-S clusters with kinetically labile ligands via the photolysis of [(cymene)3RuS2](PF6)2

Diversity of Chemical Bonding and Oxidation States in MS4 Molecules of Group 8 Elements

The geometric and electronic ground-state structures of 30 isomers of six MS₄ molecules (M=Group 8 metals Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Sm, and Pu) have been studied by using quantum-chemical density functional theory and correlated wavefunction approaches. The MS₄ species were compared to analogous MO₄ species recently investigated (W. Huang, W.-H. Xu, W. H. E. Schwarz, J. Li, Inorg. Chem. 2016, 55, 4616). A metal oxidation state (MOS) with a high value of eight appeared in the low-spin singlet T_d geometric species (Os,Hs)S₄ and (Ru,Os,Hs)O₄ , whereas a low MOS of two appeared in the high-spin septet D_2d species Fe(S₂ )₂ and (slightly excited) metastable Fe(O₂ )₂ . The ground states of all other molecules had intermediate MOS values, with S^2- , S₂^2- , S₂^1- (and O^2- , O^1- , O₂^2- , O₂^1- ) ligands bonded by ionic, covalent, and correlative contributions. The known tendencies toward lower MOS on going from oxides to sulfides, from Hs to Os to Ru, and from Pu to Sm, and the specific behavior of Fe, were found to arise from the different atomic orbital energies and radii of the (n-1)p core and (n-1)d and (n-2)f valence shells of the metal atoms in row n of the periodic table. The comparative results of the electronic and geometric structures of the MO₄ and MS₄ species provides insight into the periodicity of oxidation states and bonding.

Hybrid Cluster-Cages Formed via Cyanometalate Condensation: Cs⊂Co4Ru6S2(CN)12, Co4Ru9S6(CN)9, and Rh4Ru9S6(CN)9 Frameworks

Condensation of cyanometalates and cluster building blocks leads to the formation of hybrid molecular cyanometalate cages. Specifically, the reaction of [Cs subset [CpCo(CN)(3)](4)[CpRu](3)] and [(cymene)(2)Ru(3)S(2)(NCMe)(3)]PF(6) produced [Cs subset [CpCo(CN)(3)](4)[(cymene)(2)Ru(3)S(2)][CpRu](3)](PF(6))(2), Cs subset Co(4)Ru(6)S(2)(2+). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, and ESI-MS measurements show that Cs subset Co(4)Ru(6)S(2)(2+ ) consists of a Ru(4)Co(4)(CN)(12) box fused with a Ru(3)S(2) cluster via a common Ru atom. The reaction of PPN[CpCo(CN)(3)] and 0.75 equiv of [(cymene)(2)(MeCN)(3)Ru(3)S(2)](PF(6))(2) in MeCN solution produced [[CpCo(CN)(3)](4)[(cymene)(2)Ru(3)S(2)](3)](PF(6))(2), Co(4)Ru(9)S(6)(2+). Crystallographic analysis, together with NMR and ESI-MS measurements, shows that Co(4)Ru(9)S(6)(2+ ) consists of a Ru(3)Co(4)(CN)(9) "defect box" core, wherein each Ru is fused to a Ru(3)S(2) clusters. The analogous condensation using [CpRh(CN)(3)](-) in place of [CpCo(CN)(3)](-) produced the related cluster-cage Rh(4)Ru(9)S(6)(2+). Electrochemical analyses of both Co(4)Ru(9)S(6)(2+) and Rh(4)Ru(9)S(6)(2+) can be rationalized in the context of reduction at the cluster and the Co(III) subunits, the latter being affected by the presence of alkali metal cations.

First example of mu(3)-sulfido bridged mixed-valent triruthenium complex triangle Ru(III)(2)Ru(II)(O,O-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu-O,O,gamma-C-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu(3)-S) (1) incorporating simultaneous O,O- and gamma-C-bonded bridging acetylacetonate units. Synthesis, crystal structure, and spectral and redox properties

The reaction of mononuclear ruthenium precursor [Ru(II)(acac)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)] (acac = acetylacetonate) with the thiouracil ligand (2-thiouracil, H(2)L(1) or 6-methyl -2-thiouracil, H(2)L(2)) in the presence of NEt(3) as base in ethanol solvent afforded a trinuclear triangular complex Ru(3)(O,O-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu-O,O,gamma-C-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu(3)-sulfido) (1). In 1, each ruthenium center is linked to one usual O,O-bonded terminal acetylacetonate molecule whereas the other three acetylacetonate units act as bridging functions: each bridges two adjacent ruthenium ions through the terminal O,O-donor centers at one end and via the gamma-carbon center at the other end. Moreover, there is a mu(3)-sulfido bridging in the center of the complex unit, which essentially resulted via the selective cleavage of the carbon-sulfur bond of the thiouracil ligand. In diamagnetic complex 1, the ruthenium ions are in mixed valent Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(II) state, where the paramagnetic ruthenium(III) ions are antiferromagnetically coupled. The single crystal X-ray structure of 1 showed two crystallographically independent C(3)-symmetric molecules, Ru(3)(O,O-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu-O,O,gamma-C-acetylacetonate)(3)(mu(3)-S) (1), in the asymmetric unit. Bond distances of both crystallographically independent molecules are almost identical, but there are some significant differences in bond angles (up to 6 degrees ) and interplanar angles (up to 8 degrees ). Each ruthenium atom exhibits a distorted octahedral environment formed by four oxygen atoms, two from each of the terminal and bridging acetylacetonate units, one gamma-carbon of an adjacent acetylacetonate ligand, and the sulfur atom in the center of the complex. In agreement with the expected 3-fold symmetry of the complex molecule, the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of 1 in CDCl(3) displayed signals corresponding to two types of ligand units. In dichloromethane solvent, 1 exhibited three metal center based successive quasireversible redox processes, Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(III)-Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(II) (couple I, 0.43 V vs SCE); Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(IV)-Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(III) (couple II, 1.12 V); and Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(II)-Ru(III)Ru(II)Ru(II) (couple III, -1.21 V). However, in acetonitrile solvent, in addition to the three described couples [(couple I), 0.34 V; (couple II), 1.0 V; (couple III), -1.0], one irreversible oxidative response (Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(IV) --> Ru(III)Ru(IV)Ru(IV) or oxidation of the coordinated sulfide center) appeared at E(pa), 1.50 V. The large differences in potentials between the successive couples are indicative of strong coupling between the ruthenium ions in the mixed-valent states. Compound 1 exhibited a moderately strong charge-transfer (CT) transition at 654 nm and multiple ligand based intense transitions in the UV region. In the Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(III) (1(+)) state, the CT band was slightly blue shifted to 644 nm; however, the CT band was further blue shifted to 520 nm on two-electron oxidation to the Ru(III)Ru(III)Ru(IV) (1(2+)) state with a reduction in intensity.