Design of bis(acylamino)triazine containing ruthenium–acetylides as self-complementary supramolecular units

A series of systematically varied ’rigid-rod’ octahedral ruthenium–acetylide complexes, bearing conjugated bis(acylamino)triazine (DAT) substituents capable of ADAD–DADA pairing, of general formula trans-[(dppe)2Ru(Cl)(Ctriple bond; length of mdashC–C6H4–DAT(R)2)] (R = Et, i-Pr, t-Bu, n-C5H11) have been synthesized and thoroughly characterized in solution by 1H NMR and in the solid state. trans-[Ru(–Ctriple bond; length of mdashC–C6H4–DAT(R)2)2(dppe)2] (R = n-C5H11) has also been designed to form discrete oligomeric chains in solution.