Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
Electronic and molecular behaviors of a novel ionic paramagnetic ruthenium(III) complex
Qilong Sun1, Ying Dai, Yandong Ma
1School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China. daiy60@sina.com.
Abstract:
The geometric structures, electronic and molecular properties of the novel ionic paramagnetic ruthenium(III) complex-bis[1-butyl-2-(diphenylphosphanyl)-3-methylimidazolium]tetrachloridoruthenium(III) hexafluorophosphate, which was synthesized experimentally very recently, are investigated by means of first-principles calculations. The molecular structures consistent with the experiment were obtained by optimized calculations. The detailed analysis of the chemical bonding in the ruthenium(III) complex indicates that the interactions of Ru-Cl and Ru-P are dominated by an ionic interaction, while the P-C bonding is of mainly covalent interaction. Our results also show that the ruthenium(III) complex is of magnetic character with a magnetic moment of 1 μb contributed by the central metal atom-Ru. In addition, identifying the orbital compositions in the frontier electronic structures, we proposed that the high catalytic performance of the Ruthenium(III) complex mainly arises from the strong interaction of the frontier orbitals between the reactants and the catalyst. These findings can contribute to a comprehensive understanding about such types of transition metal complexes and shed insight into the synthesis and application of catalyst precursors for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can be...
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...

