Further molecular engineering of diruthenium-(2-anilinopyridinate) alkynyl compounds through ligand design

A modified ap ligand, 2-(3,5-dimethoxyanilino)pyridine (HDiMeOap) and its diruthenium compounds Ru2(DiMeOap)4Cl (1), Ru2(DiMeOap)4(Ctriple bond; length of mdashCCtriple bond; length of mdashCSiMe3) (2) and Ru2(DiMeOap)4(Ctriple bond; length of mdashCCtriple bond; length of mdashCSiMe3)2 (3) were prepared and characterized. New compounds Ru2(MeOap)4(Ctriple bond; length of mdashCCtriple bond; length of mdashCSiMe3)x (x = 1, 4; 2, 5; MeOap is 2-(3-methoxyanilino)pyridinate) were prepared from the previously reported Ru2(MeOap)4Cl. In addition, two related diruthenium compounds containing ferrocenyl acetylide ligand, Ru2(MeOap)4(Ctriple bond; length of mdashCFc) (6) and Ru2(ap)4(Ctriple bond; length of mdashCCtriple bond; length of mdashCFc) (7), were synthesized. Molecular structures of compounds 1, 2, 6 and 7 were established using single crystal X-ray diffraction study.