Formation and X-ray structure of a novel water-soluble tertiary–secondary phosphine complex of ruthenium(II): [Ru{P(CH2OH)3}2{P(CH2OH)2H}2Cl2]

Abstract

The novel secondary–tertiary hydroxymethylphosphine complex, all-trans [Ru{P(CH₂OH)₃}₂{P(CH₂OH)₂H}₂Cl₂], is formed by the room temperature reaction of excess tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine, P(CH₂OH)₃, with either RuCl₃·H₂O or [Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂]; the X-ray crystal structure of the complex shows extensive intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonding consistent with the high water solubility of the complex.