REACTIONS OF [CP-STAR-RUOME]2 .7. INTRAMOLECULAR TRANSFORMATION OF A RUOCH3 UNIT INTO A RU(CO)H UNIT - CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE AND MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE OF CP-STAR-RU(MU-H)2(MU-CO)RUCP-STAR

Electrophilic ((Me3Si)2NH) as well as nucleophilic (H-) degradation of [Cp*RuOMe]2 (1) (Cp* = eta-5-C5Me5) affords high yields of the dimeric carbonyl hydride Cp*Ru(mu-H)2(mu-CO)RuCp* (2). The course of the reaction is elucidated by labeling 1 with 13CD3O or 12COD3, and it is shown that both CO and the bridging hydrides in 2 originate from the OMe group in 1. The molecular structure of 2, determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (space group, Pa, a = 12.621 (3) angstrom, b = 8.574 (2) angstrom, c = 10.089 (2) angstrom, beta = 108.56 (3)-degrees, Z = 2), shows close similarity to that of the related tetrahydride Cp*Ru(mu-H)4RuCp* (3) with nearly identical cell parameters and Ru = Ru distances (2.444 angstrom in 2, 2.463 (1) angstrom in 3).