Diruthenium aryl compounds - tuning of electrochemical responses and solubility.

Reported herein are the two new series of diruthenium aryl compounds: Ru 2 (DiMeOap) 4 (Ar) (1a-6a) (DiMeOap = 2-(3,5-dimethoxyanilino)pyridinate) and Ru 2 ( m - i PrOap) 4 (Ar) (1b-5b) ( m - i PrOap = 2-(3-iso-propoxyanilino)pyridinate), prepared through the lithium-halogen exchange reaction with a variety of aryl halides (Ar = C 6 H 4 -4-NMe 2 (1), C 6 H 4 -4- t Bu (2), C 6 H 4 -4-OMe (3), C 6 H 3 -3,5-(OMe) 2 (4), C 6 H 4 -4-CF 3 (5), C 6 H 5 (6)). The molecular structures of these compounds were established with X-ray diffraction studies. Additionally, these compounds were characterized using electronic absorption and voltammetric techniques. Compounds 1a-6a and 1b-5b are all in the Ru 2 5+ oxidation state, with a ground state configuration of σ 2 π 4 δ 2 (π*δ*) 3 ( S = 3/2). Use of the modified ap ligands (ap') resulted in moderate increases of product yield when compared to the unsubstituted Ru 2 (ap) 4 (Ar) (ap = 2-anilinopyridinate) series. Comparisons of the electrochemical properties of 1a-6a and 1b-5b against the Ru 2 (ap')Cl starting material reveals the addition of the aryl ligand cathodically shifted the Ru 2 6+/5+ oxidation and Ru 2 5+/4+ reduction potentials. These oxidation and reductions potentials are also strongly dependent on the p -substituent of the axial aryl ligands.