Fine tuning of Si–H interligand hypervalent interactions (IHI) in half-sandwich silyl hydrido complexes of ruthenium

Reaction of the complex [Cp*(PPh3)2RuCl] with excess HSiMe2Cl yielded the dihydride silyl derivative [Cp*(PPh3)RuH2(SiClMe2)] (2) which has been crystallographically characterised. Comparison of the structure of 2 with that of the previously reported complex [Cp*(PPri3)RuH2(SiClHMes)] (1) revealed that the latter complex has non-classical interligand hypervalent interactions between the silyl and one of the hydride ligands.