Preparation of hydridotetrakis(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(II) hexafluorophosphate and related complexes

Abstract

The reaction of [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] with trityl hexafluorophosphate leads to [RuH(PPh₃)₄]⁺PF₆^– by abstraction of a hydride ligand as H^–. This salt reacts with other phosphines and with nitriles to give salts of six-co-ordinate cations, and dissociates on standing to give [RuH(PPh₃)₃]⁺PF₆^–, for which a structure containing a phosphine ligand co-ordinated to ruthenium via a π-bonded interaction is proposed.