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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
A Ruthenium Hydrido Dinitrogen Core Conserved across Multielectron/Multiproton Changes to the Pincer Ligand Backbone
Quinton J Bruch1, Brian M Lindley1, Bjorn Askevold2
1Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States.
Abstract:
A series of ruthenium(II) hydrido dinitrogen complexes supported by pincer ligands in different formal oxidation states have been prepared and characterized. Treating a ruthenium dichloride complex supported by the pincer ligand bis(di-tert-butylphosphinoethyl)amine (H-PNP) with reductant or base generates new five-coordinate cis-hydridodinitrogen ruthenium complexes each containing different forms of the pincer ligand. Further ligand transformations provide access to the first isostructural set of complexes featuring all six different forms of the pincer ligand. The conserved cis-hydridodinitrogen structure facilitates characterization of the π-donor, π-acceptor, and/or σ-donor properties of the ligands and assessment of the impact of ligand-centered multielectron/multiproton changes on N2 activation. Crystallographic studies, infrared spectroscopy, and 15N NMR spectroscopy indicate that N2 remains weakly activated in all cases, providing insight into the donor properties of the different pincer ligand states. Ramifications on applications of (pincer)Ru species in catalysis are considered.
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