Carbonylation of four-membered ruthenium and osmium metallacycles incorporating an orthometallated phenolic function: new acylruthenium and arylosmium complexes

Abstract

The solution reaction of Ru(QL¹)(PPh₃)₂(CO)Cl (3) and Os(QL¹)(PPh₃)₂(CO)Br (4) with carbon monoxide at one atmosphere pressure has respectively afforded the orange acylruthenium system Ru(QL²)(PPh₃)₂(CO)Cl (5) and the yellow arylosmium dicarbonyl system Os(QL³)(PPh₃)₂(CO)₂Br (6) in excellent yields. (QL¹ is C₆H₂O-2-CHNHC₆H₄Q(p)-3-Me-5, QL² is C₆H₂(CO-1)O-2-CHNHC₆H₄Q(p)-3-Me-5 and QL³ is C₆H₂OH-2-CHNC₆H₄Q(p)-3-Me-5 and Q is Me, OMe and Cl.) It is proposed that in the case of 3 a dicarbonyl complex similar to 6 is formed as an intermediate which rapidly undergoes aryl migration with concomitant phenolato coordination furnishing 5. The stability of 6 is consistent with the greatly diminished ability of osmium in promotion of migratory reactions. In the reaction 4 → 6 the Os-O(phenolato) bond is cleaved and the Schiff base moiety undergoes iminium-phenolato → imine-phenol tautomerization. The observed cis geometry of 6 may arise by a concerted route involving edge displacement of the halide ligand. The crystal and molecular structure of 5(Q = Cl) has revealed the presence of a distorted octahedral RuC₂P₂OCl coordination sphere and a highly planar acyl chelate ring characterized by a Ru-C distance of 2.013(4) A. In the hydrogen bonded zwitterionic iminium-phenolato ring the N O distance is 2.561(6) Å. The acyl complexes of type 5 display an MLCT band near 500 nm which is absent in 6. The Schiff base C=N stretch in 5 (~1630 cm^-1) is significantly higher than that in 6 (~1600 cm^-1) which displays two strong CO stretches near 2020 and 1940 cm^-1 (cis-Os(CO)₂ configuration). A single ³¹P NMR signal occurs in both 5 and 6 near 37 and -6 ppm, respectively (trans-M(PPh₃)₂ configuration). The voltammetric reduction potentials of the M^III/M^II couple is observed near 1.0 and 0.8 V vs. SCE in 5 and 6, respectively. Both are significantly higher than those in parent complexes (3 and 4) due to stabilization of the bivalent state upon carbonylation.