A highly unsaturated ‘A-frame’ heterobimetallic trihydride. Preparation, characterization, and X-ray crystal structure of RuRhH3(Ph2PCH2PPh2)2

Abstract

In the very unsaturated 28-electron complex RuRhH₃(dppm)₂(dppm = bisdiphenylphosphinomethane) obtained by the reaction of RuRhH₂Cl(cod)(dppm)₂(cod = cyclo-octa-1,5-diene) with NaBH₄ in tetrahydrofuran (thf), thf is not co-ordinated despite the unsaturation of the complex, and the three hydride ligands (one on Ru, one on Rh, one bridging) are rigid at the n.m.r. time-scale; the X-ray crystal structure shows the complex to adopt an ‘A-frame’ configuration with a short metal–metal distance [2.7894(4)Å].