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Washington University in St. Louis

Synthesis, Structure, Spectroscopy, and Reactivity of Azapentadienyl-Ruthenium-Phosphine Complexes

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This dissertation focuses on the systematic synthesis of ¬bis-azapentadienyl-ruthenium-phosphine complexes. The synthetic approach involves the treatment of Cl2Ru(PPh3)3 with potassium tert-butylazapentadienide reagent. The reactivity of this parent compound with other 2e- donor ligands is investigated. These resultant complexes' reactivity with triflic acid is also studied.Treatment of Cl2Ru(PPh3)3 with potassium tert-butylazapentadienide produces [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(PPh3)2 (1). Compound 1 undergoes single substitution of one of the triphenylphosphines when treated with PMe3, dmpe, P(OMe)3, CNCMe3, CO, and PEt3 at room temperature, resulting in [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(PPh3)(L) (2, L = PMe3; 3, L= dmpe; 4, L = P(OMe)3; 5, L = CNCMe3; 6, L = CO; 7, L = PEt3). By increasing the reaction time of 1 with PEt3, double substitution of both triphenylphosphines occurs, resulting in [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(PEt3)2 (8). Compounds 1 - 8 possess a pseudo-octahedral geometry where both ancillary ligands sit trans to the C3's of the azapentadienyl ligands. Compounds 1 - 4, 7 and 8 exhibit a ligand orientation in which both ancillary ligands sit in the mouth of each azapentadienyl ligand, denoted as mC3/mC3. In contrast, 5 exhibits a ligand arrangement where the PPh3 sits in the mouth of one azapentadienyl ligand while CNCMe3 sits on the backbone of the other azapentadienyl ligand.Other double substitution reactions occur when 1 is treated with PMe3, P(OMe)3, and dmpe in THF at reflux, resulting in [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(L)x (9, L = PMe3, x = 2; 10, L = P(OMe3), x = 2; 11, L = dmpe, x = 1). Compounds 9 and 10 exist in solution as an equilibrium mixture of two structural isomers. The two isomers in solution have either a mC3/mC3 or mC3/bC1 ligand orientation.Treatment of 8, 9 and 10 with triflic acid results in dicationic products, {[(1,2,3-η3)-(CH2CHCHCH=N(H)(CMe3)]2Ru(L)2}2+(-O3SCF3)2 (12, L = PEt3; 13, L = PMe3; 14, L = P(OMe)3), in which both azapentadienyl nitrogen atoms have been protonated. The protonated product, 12, shows a ligand conversion from mC3/mC3 (seen in 8) to mC3/bC3. Upon protonation, 9 and 10 each convert to a single isomer, 12 and 13, respectively. Like 12, compound 13 possesses a mC3/bC3 orientation while 14 has a ligand orientation in which the azapentadienyl ligands appear to be mC3/mC3. Treatment of 2, 4 and 5 with triflic acid results in multiple isomers of the diprotonated {[(1,2,3-η3)-CH2CHCHCH=N(H)(CMe3)]2Ru(PPh3)(L)}2+(-O3SCF3)2 (15, L = PMe3; 16, L = P(OMe)3; 17, L = CNCMe3). All of the compounds have been characterized, in part, by NMR spectroscopy, and the structures of 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 12 have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Chemistry
Year dc:date.available
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Stouffer, Meghan Leigh
Contributors dc:contributor
  • John R Bleeke
  • Bill Buhro, Liviu Mirica, Sophia Hayes, Nigam Rath

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • I have not registered my thesis with the U.S. Copyright Office, and do not intend to.
Language dc:language
English (en)

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:openscholarship.wustl.edu:art_sci_etds-1469

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Washington University in St. Louis
Base URL
openscholarship.wustl.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Stouffer, Meghan Leigh. Synthesis, Structure, Spectroscopy, and Reactivity of Azapentadienyl-Ruthenium-Phosphine Complexes. Dissertation thesis, 2015. https://doi.org/10.7936/K79S1P7R