Bis(benzotriazol-1-yl)borato complexes of ruthenium and rhodium

Abstract

The reactions of K[H2B(bta)2] (bta = benzotriazol-1-yl) with the coordinatively unsaturated complexes [RuRCl(CO)(PPh3)2] {R = C6H4Me-4, C(CCPh)CHPh} proceed with loss of a chloride ligand to give the compounds [RuR(CO)-(PPh3)2{H2B(bta)2}] in high yield. Similar treatment of the complexes [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3] or [RuH(CO)(NCMe)2(PPh3)2]+ leads to the related hydride derivative [RuH(CO)(PPh3)2{HB2(bta)2}]. The reaction of K[H2B(bta)2] with [RhCl(CA)(PPh3)2] (A = O, S) gives [Rh{H2B(bta)2}(CA)(PPh3)2], the carbonyl ligand of [Rh{H2B(bta)2}(CO)(PPh3)2] being labile and readily replaced by xylyl isonitrile to give the complex [Rh{H2B(bta)2}(CNC6H3Me2-2,6)(PPh3)2]. Intermediates involving monodentate coordination of the dihydrobis(benzotriazolyl) borate ligand are implicated in some of these reactions.