The reduction of (µ2-NO) in [Ru3(CO)10(µ2-NO)2] by carbon monoxide; evidence for the formation of a triruthenium nitrido intermediate, and the structural characterisation of [Ru4N(CO)12(µ2-NO)] and [Ru4N(CO)12(µ2-NCO)]

Abstract

The custer [ru₃(CO)₁₀(µ₂-NO)₂] reacts with cO: to form the species [ru₃(CO)₁₂], [ru₃(CO)₁₀(µ₂NO)(µ₂-NCO)], [Ru₄N(CO)₁₂(µ₂NO)], and [ru₄N(CO)₁₂(µ₂-NCO)], evidence suggesting the formation of a reactive nitrido-or nitrene–niteosyl intermediate; X-ray analysis shows that both of the tetranuclear nitrido species adopt a 64-electron‘butterfly’ structure in which the ‘hinge’ metal-meatl vector is long and supports a(µ₂-NO) or a (µ₂NCO) bridging group.