Coordination-driven self-assembly of arene ruthenium metalla-rectangles

Abstract

Series of tetranuclear arene ruthenium complexes of the general formula [Ru4(p-cymene)4(μ2-N∩N)2(μ4-OO∩OO)2][CF3SO3]4 (N∩N=2,5-dipyridyl-thiophene (dptp), 3,6-dipyridyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (dptz), 3,6-dipyridyl-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (dpdt)) were prepared by reacting the dinuclear arene ruthenium complexes Ru2(p-cymene)2(μ4-OO∩OO)Cl2 (OO∩OO=oxalato (oxa), 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzoquinonato (dobq), 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinonato (dClbq), 2,5-dioxido-3-undecyl-1,4-benzoquinonato (dubq), 5,8-dioxido-1,4-naphtoquinonato (donq)) with silver trifluoromethanesulfonate, followed by the addition of the corresponding N∩N linkers. All metalla-rectangles were characterized by standard techniques, including infrared, UV–visible, 1H, 13C NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry: Thus confirming the rectangular structure of the complexes, and showing the facility of forming tetranuclear arene ruthenium metalla-rectangles.