Synthesis and crystal structure of tetracarbonyl(triphenylstibine)ruthenium

Abstract

Irradiation of [Ru₃(CO)₁₂] in hexane in the presence of SbPh₃gives the title complex as the major product. X-Ray diffraction has shown that the environment around the ruthenium atom is distorted trigonal bipyramidal in which the SbPh₃occupies an equatorial site. The angle (C–Ru–C) between the equatorial carbonyl groups is 137° and that (C–Ru–C) between the axial carbonyl groups is 173°. This geometry represents an intermediate configuration in the dynamic rearrangement path between trigonal-bipyramidal and square-pyramidal co-ordination. The crystals are triclinic. The unit cell chosen has space group B1 with a= 14.02, b= 10.42, c= 17.49 Å, α= 121.0, β= 89.2, γ= 81.7°, and Z= 4. The structure has been refined by least squares to R 0.036 for 4 157 counter amplitudes.