Synthesis and structural characterization of a new ruthenium hydride ethylene complex

A ruthenium(II) ethylene complex, trans-(Ru(H)(C2H4)-(dppm)2)(BF4), bearing two 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino) methane (dppm) ligands has been synthesized and structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography. In the molecular structure, the RuII center shows a distorted octahedral coordination geometry formed by four P atoms of the two chelating dppm ligands, a hydride, and an ethylene ligands. The four dppm P atoms are almost co-planar with the hydride and the ethylene ligands perpendicular to this plane. The C-C bond distance of the bound ethylene is 1.375(6) A, which is elongated by 0.042 A as compared to free ethylene (1.333(2) A). The packing diagram of the complex shows two voids or channels, which are occupied by BF4- counterion and water molecules. (author)