Synthesis and characterization of homoleptic ruthenium(II) imidazole complexes, and a carbonyl species derived by CO abstraction from DMF

[Ru(II)(L)(6)](2+) complexes were synthesized from [Ru(DMF)(6)][CF3SO3](3); DMF = dimethylformamide, L = imidazole (Tm), N-methylimidazole (NMeIm) and 5-methylimidazole (5MeIm). The 2-methylimidazole complex trans[Ru(Co)(DMF)(2MeIm)(4)] [CF3SO3](2) (4) was also synthesized via a reaction involving abstraction of CO from DMF; 4 loses CO reversibly at ambient temperature to form [Ru(DMF)(2MeIm)(4)][CF3SO3](2) (5), and the DMF can be removed to generate a [Ru(CF3SO3)(x)(2MeIm)(4)][CF3SO3](y) species (x = 2, y = 0, or x = 1 = y), containing coordinated triflate. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity, UV-vis, NMR, and IR spectroscopies. The structures of [Ru(Im)(6)][CF3SO3](2) (1), [Ru(5MeIm)(6)][CF3SO3](2) (2), and [Ru(5MeIm)(6)][CF3SO3](2) (3) were established by X-ray crystallographic analyses. Crystals of 1, are triclinic, a = 7.4010(6), b = 9.9846(15), c = 11.275(2) Angstrom, alpha = 113.469(5), beta = 92.419(2), gamma = 94.737(2)degrees, Z = 1, space group P (1) over bar those of 2, are trigonal, a = 11.558(2), c = 8.109(3) Angstrom, Z = 1, space group P (3) over bar; and those of 3, are trigonal, a = 12.6547(4), c = 20.4078(12) Angstrom, Z = 3, space group R (3) over bar. The structures were solved by Patterson methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares procedures to R(F) = 0.029, 0.034, and 0.034 (R-w (F-2) = 0.055, R-w (F) = 0.031, and R-w (F-2) = 0.058), respectively.