Hydrogénation of phosphido bridged ruthenium clusters. A view of P—C bond activation and cleavage in the coordinatively unsaturated molecule Ru3(CO)9(μ2-PPh2)(μ2-H): conversion of μ2-PPh2 to μ3-PPh
Treatment of Ru3(CO)8(μ3-η2-C≡CR)(μ2-PPh2)(R = But, Pri) with dihydrogen liberates olefin (CH2=CHR) and generates the coordinatively unsaturated cluster Ru3(CO)9(μ2-PPh2)(μ2-H) which has been shown by X-ray diffraction to have an unprecedented μ2-phosphido bridge in which a P—phenyl group interacts with an electron deficient ruthenium atom. This molecule provides an insight into P—C bond activation leading to cleavage. Further reaction of Ru3(CO)9(μ2-PPh2)(μ2-H) with H2 leads to the phosphinidene cluster Ru3(CO)9(μ3-PPh)(μ2-H)2 via elimination of benzene. Conversion of Ru3(CO)9(μ2-PPh2)(μ2-H) to another phosphinidene cluster Ru4(CO)13(μ3-PPh) occurs on pyrolysis. Hydrogénation of multi-site bound acetylides with H2 is a potentially useful synthetic route to unsaturated clusters. Hydrogenative conversion of μ2-PPh2 to μ3-PPh groups has significance for the synthesis of phosphinidene capped molecules as well as the chemistry of phosphido bridged clusters.